“HIS PARTY DID IT”

Wairarapa Age, 7 August 1930, Page 5

“HIS PARTY DID IT”

THE MEMBER FOR MATAURA MISSES HIS MARK. BLAMES REFORM FOB UNITED ACTION. THE USE OF ARMED FORCES IN SAMOA. (By Telegraph.—“ The Age” Special.) WELLINGTON, August 6. “The Reform Government sent men down to Samoa with a shooting iron in each hand and a sword trailing on the ground and all the poor Native had to defend himself with was a banana,” declared Mr. D. McDougall (Mataura) in the House to-night, when referring to the subject of the Mandated Territory. He added that a battleship ■with an Admiral and a Colonel aboard was also sent down to frighten the poor old Samoans, because they would not pay a poll “But,” interjected Mr. H. E.. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party have you forgotten the fatal riots of December last?” Ignoring, the interruption, Mr. McDougall said the Reform Government had declared, “We will make them stand up. If one battleship will not do, we will send two.” They called tor volunteers to go to Samoa, said Mr. McDougall, and hundreds enlisted, armed with implements of destruction, they chased the Natives into the bush and behaved in such a way that on reading accounts he had often wished that those tactics had been attempted in Ireland. In that country men knew how to use a gun and the same policy eould not have .been carried out. All the Samoan had to defend himself with was a banana. Mr. McDougall wound up with the statement that he did not know how Mr. Coates “would be able to face the bar when the Angel Gabriel comes over the hill and he had to give an account of his actions.” Mr. C. E. MacMillan (Tauranga), the next speaker, said that Mr. McDougall had worked himself up considerably— Mr. McDougall: “There is no danger of your doing that.” Mr. Speaker: “Order, order!” “Surely the member for Mataura has been asleep for the last 18 or 20 months ” continued Mr. MacMillan. AU the things he has referred to were done by his own party. (Loud Reform Hear, hears.”) I notice that the Leader of the Labour Party several times attempted to interject and draw Mr. McDougall’s attention to that fact.” Mr. W. A. Parry (Auckland): “That does not excuse the Reform Party for what it has done.” Mr. MacMillan: “These things were done by the United Party and by his votes in this House Mr. McDougall endorses as right and proper the things he condemns, because his party did them.”