NELSON CASE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20362, 20 July 1934, Page 13

NELSON CASE.

Appeal for Pardon Proposed in Samoa. WARSHIPS VISIT PAGO PAGO. (Special to the S«ar."> APIA. JuK- 3. The decision in the Nelson appeal case has at last been received here and has not caused any surprise or excitement amongst residents. Few, if any, Europeans here had believed that the appeal would be successful, but the considerable delay in pronouncing the decision—which delay has been explained by the complexity of the legal question* involved —‘had been causing a lot of comment. For a considerable time rumours were afloat amongst the iiamoan natives that the appeal would succeed and that Nelson uuulil be allowed to return to bamoa a* a free man. The decision undeceived* the Mau adherents. A large faction is in favour of appealing to tile Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, to pardon Nelson, when in exchange the .Mau would be willing to meet the Administrator in conference and attempt to settle all outstanding difference*. This suggestion of the moderates, however, is strongly opposed by the “diehards” of the Mau movement, who seem to be in the majority. At time of writing, no decision has been reached. We have at present two British warships in Apia Harbour, a rare event which has not happened for quite a member of years. The Dunedin and Laburnum have met here, and the Apia streets are enlivened by bluejackets strolling about and seeing the sights, mostly accompanied by female guides. Dances and entertainments, also private house parties, are the order of the day. A dance was given by the Administrator at ffailima, and the warships reciprocated with a reception for the Samoan and European children of the Government schools, and a searchlight display in the evening. ' Tourist Traffic. It seems that the tourist trade, much neglected in former . times in the South Sea Islands, lias received a stimulus lately, and it is welcome news that several more tourist steamer* on South Sea ernises are to make Apia a port of call. The Marama in August ha* been fully booked, and it is intended by the Union Company to send her for a second cruise at the end of August and the beginning of September. The Orient Line a representative here recently to fli. _ out the possibilities for tourists in Samoa, and very probably their tourist steamers will call here in future. As copra, cocoa and banana price* are still at a low ebb, the money spent by tourists in Samoa is very welcome. “Hard Times’* Little Evident. An outsider observes very little of the hard time* in Samoa. Lately there have been celebrated a large number ofweddings, birthday parties, dance*, picnics and other festivities, where hundreds of people, dressed in finery, enjoyed themselves and seemed to be happy and contented. At most of the functions a marvellous spread of eatables was served in truest Samoan style and with the hospitality 60 typical to the South Sea Island*. A New Zealand business man on a pleasure trip to Samoa, a keen observer and friend of Island life, expressed the opinion that the Europeans in Samoa are much better off than the average New Zealander. The latter has to carry a heavy burden of various taxes, rent, payment* and expenditure on clothes, coal, etc., which do not worry the Island resident. And though life in the Islands is most certainly not what it was 20 years ago, and the hardships of the depression have changed things considerably, the worst features of unemployment and suffering are absent and the hustle and bitter | competition in the struggle for life are less pronounced than in the white countries