SAMOA.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19175, 5 December 1927, Page 11

SAMOA.

COMMITTEE'S REPORT TO HOUSE. LABOUR MEMBERS' COMPLAINT. [THE PRESS Bpecltl Sortie*.] . WELLINGTON, December 0. An abortive discussion on Samoa kept members in the House late this afternoon and evening, when the joint Select Committee from both Houses, which considered the petition from the disaffected natives of the island, reported that it had no recommendation to make. The report was the natural sequel to the decision of the Government to appoint a Eoyal Commission to make an investigation into the troubles in the mandated territory, but nevertheless it furnished Labour members with the opportunity of repeating their early session utterances that all was not well in the group, and of complaining at the action of the Government in not bringing the report in earlier, and also for not publishing the evidence which was given before the Committee. Mr Savage (Auckland West) said that it would b*e next session before the House woflld have an opportunity of discussing the report of the Royal Commission, and by that time all interest in tho subject would have gone. He supposed that the action of the Government in not tabling tho report of tho Committeo earlier in the session was one of tho tricks of the trade, but the whole course of events seemed to him to show that the Government had something to cover up.

Evidence Before Committee. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr H. E. Holland) condemned the withholding from the Houas of the evidence taken by the Committee. Thore was no reason why the reprt itself should not have been brought before the House weeks ago. The Minister for External Affairs (Mr Nosworthy) said the evidence would probably be found in the report of the Royal Commission. Mr Holland expressed the opinion that it would not be found there, nor would other things that appeared in the Committee's report. The procedure had evidently been to turn on Mr Nelson the fiercest counsel in New Zealand, and turn him inside out before the matter went further. Mr Nosworthy: Don't you impute those methods to mc. Mr Holland: I am sorry I was not here when the Minister spoke. A member: He has not spoken yet. Mr Holland: "Then he ought to have." Mr Holland proceeded to deal with details of the Samoan trouble given in evidence before the Committee, including an incident in which the Chief Judge of Samoa was brought before the Court for assault and fined £3 by the Deputy-Chief Judge. Why did the Administrator ask for the Royal Commission while tho Committee was sitting in Wellington? The Minister for External Affairs: Shall I tell you why? Mr Holland: I would rather the Minister waited until he made his speech. Proceeding, Mr Holland claimed that .the evidence justified tho removal of tho Administrator from his position, as public confidence in his administration of the law, and 6f the territory of Samoa, had been destroyed. Certain language used by the Administrator would-not be tolerated by the Prime Minister if used by the Governor-Gen-oral. Mr Speaker: Order! The hon. member seems to be unawaro that the name of the Governor-General must not be used in that, manner. Mr Holland: I will not pursue the point. In conclusion, he asked the Minister for External Affairs, whether he approved of the language used by the Administrator, and the comment on the Suprome Court case. Would tho Government make available to members and tho public the evidence given before the Committee. He admitted that General Richardson was well intcntioned, and desired to do his best for the Samoans, but temperamentally ho was apparently not fitted for the position. His way of dealing with tho Samoans, by way of a dictatorship, was not productive of good results, and since he had arrived there everything had gone wrong at Samoa.

The Minister. The Minister for External Affairs (Mr Nosworthy) said the Government had taken the proper course in appointing the pommittee. He maintained that the Citizens' Committee had gone behind his back, and the back of the Administrator in forwarding the petition to Parliament, when it was known that the Minister was to visit the territory. It was not the intention of the Government or the wish of the Administration that a Koyal Commission should be appointed, but when General Eichardson found that misrepresentation of h.'ii administration was taking place in every civilised country in the world, he asked for the appointment of the Commission. The Government's decision in that connexion was in order that evidence could be taken on the spot. The Leader of the Opposition had asked that the evidence given beforo the Joint Committee should bo tabled, but most of that evidence, said the Minister was hearsav evidence, and he failed to see the need "of laying it on the table. The Prime Minister had given an assurance that after Cabinet had considered the report of the Eoyal Commission it would be made available for publication. In New Zealand and in Samoa. Mr E. P. Lee (Chairman of the Committee) ' said that as the enquiry proceeded it was realised that a finding co"ld not be come to without getting evidence from Samoa, and that it was necessarv for a Commission to be sent (V n there. Under the circumstances would it be fair to place on the table of the House the one-sided and partial statements made bv Mr Nelson before the Committee? The report of the Administrator had been handed to the Roval Commission. He agreed that Mr Nelson was a very clever man The statement was put forwaTd about Judge \V- dward. , , Mr Holland: It was in Departmental asked Mr Holland to wait for "the evidence of the Eoval Commission, and see whether Mr-Nelson had brought before the Commission the serious chafes he made before the Committee. Tf those charges were not repeated by Mr Nelson, would Mr Holland su-es tie reason why he (Mr Lee) would tand or fall by the report of the Eoyal Commission, composed as it was of two men of high position, who were.known to be absolutely impartial and fair. Mr Pmvth, who had made serious charges"against the Administrator and the Government when in New Zealand, when asked in Samoa by the Commission whether he had made certain charges, said lie could not recol ect one of them What could they think of «meh a man under the circumstances? Dealing with the statement that '/everything had Rone, wronp in Samoa •nee General Kiehardson arrived." Mr Lee affirmed that Mr Nelson had not been able to give the Commission any

evidence to that effect, excepting from hearsay. He hoped the Leader of the Opposition would earefully read the report of the Royal Commission during the recess, and then compare Mr Nelson's tatements before that tribunal with his evidence before the Committee, and then decide who was right or wrong. ' The report was tabled. ,■