SAMO

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8177, 1 May 1919, Page 3

SAMO

NEW ZEALAND’S MANDATE. TERMS OF TRUST. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) LONDON, April 29. Official. —The revised draft of the mandate for the New Zealand control of Samoa lias been prepared. It is impossible at this stage to make the details public, hut the main principles may he outlined. Germany renounces all l ights and the Allied Powers entrust the Government of the Islands to His Britannic Majesty to he exercised by the New Zealand Government, with full legislative administration and judicial power over the islands as an integral portion of the New Zealand territory' to which the New Zealand laws will be applied, subject to any necessary local modifications. The trust is to be accepted for the well-being and development of the natives and to that end New Zealand undertakes to prohibit the slave trade, forced labor, and the sale of spirituous liquors. There will be no military training of natives, except for police and local defence, and no fortifications, military or naval bases shall be erected. It is provided that if the natives at any time express a desire to be united with New Zealand and, if the Council of the League of Nations consider the desire well founded, the Allied Powers will agree that effect shall be given to it and the islands be incorporated in New' Zealand. The provisions generally represent a marked difference from the original proposals when the matter was discussed before the Council of the Peace Conference. The safeguards advocated by the oversea delegates have been accepted. Apparently it is not clearly understood in New Zealand that a mandate I could not he accepted by Great Britain for any former German.colonies in the Pacific, so there never was any I conflict of opinion between New Zealand and the Mother Country delegates. j Mr Massey throughout advocated I the British policy with certain safe--1 guards from the Dominion point of view. The area of the Samoan group formerly held by Germany is over 1000 miles. The portion occupied by America is about 75 miles.