SAMOAN TRIAL

Wairarapa Daily Times, 5 March 1934, Page 5

SAMOAN TRIAL

NELSON CONVICTED SEDITIOUS ACTIVITIES. IPrese Association Electric TelegraDh—Copyright APIA, Saturday. Nelson convicted on three of the eight charges. The judge delivered an interim judgment, and sentence was deferred until Wednesday, 7th March. Further bail was refused, and Nelson was remanded in custody. O. F. Nelson addressed the court on Thursday, advancing a defence on the basis of justifying his own attitude and that of the Samoans. He blamed the Administration and the New Zealand Government for what he alleged • was the result of a wrong policy, oppressive laws and dictatorial methods. Speaking for three hours, he traversed a wide field, rarely touching on the -present charges, but presenting a detailed resume of political events during the past ten years in the same manner as set out in the petitions and pamphlets issued overseas during the period of his deportation. Concluding his address yesterday he referred to himself as a scapegoat. He stated that the Mau would never rest until tlieir grievances were redressed. Where legitimate wrongs existed no aiiiount of suppression would ever crush the Mau. lie had acted in good faith throughout,, believing that the laws relating to sedition had been suspended owing to the attempt to convene a meeting with the Administration. The Mau felt that it had a duty to strive for the welfare and liberty of Samoans. There was no intentional guilt. He could not take what happened to him lying down. He thanked the judge for the court’s indulgence and the patient hearing given him. THE INTERIM JUDGMENT. (Received Monday, 9.20 a.in.) APIA, Saturday. - In an interim judgment in the Nelson case, the Judge said that the procedure had been unusual on account of,, the politics involved. He proposed to comment on that point in his final judgment on 7th March. He convicted Nelson on the second, third and sixth of the eight charges before the Court. He quoted extensive extracts from the evidence of Mau witnesses, besides documentary matter, and said that the clearest evidence established that Nelson was the Mau adviser and Apia agent and correspondent of the “Guardian” newspaper, published by defendant with Mau money. The authorship of the' reports, letters, messages and instructions seized was undoubtedly Nelson’s, though he pleaded innocent of guilty intention, particularly regarding his presence at unlawful assemblies of seditious organisations held in September. On account of the •serious nature of the charges and disclosures, further bail, would be refused. Nelson was transferred to the Yaimea prison. Faumuiua exhorted the many Mau onlookers to keep. the peace and disperse from the vicinity of the court. O. F. Nelson, who was arrested on 21st November; was charged with having identified himself with seditious activities in connection with the Mau, also with being in possession of documents in relation to Mau organisations.