AFFAIRS AT SAMOA

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2591, 13 October 1915, Page 3

AFFAIRS AT SAMOA

i ADMINISTRATION CRITICISED

DEMAND FOR AN INQUIRY

The 'Administration of Samoa 1 since the island has been in- militaiy occupaion by New Zealand troops was uncler sview in, tho House of .Representatives yesterday, and a number of questions concerninjg it were asked.,..'- " ; - '

: .Mr. T. M. Wilford asked the Minister of - Finance /whether :he had seen tho Press telegra'.n stating that several tons of bullion were being .brought from Samoa to New Zealand. He presumed that this;was,German gold. : Ho asked, m what terms the Government guaranced German notes in Samoa, after the occupation or the island; and -whether ■ this country, had lost any money by that • guarantee. •'

Sir Joseph Ward said that /'after . Samoa-was taken the only local currency ■was German money, largely German wer money. For the time being Lionel Logan, in order that the .ordinary- business :of tho community could Jantinue, "had to agree to the German 'currohcyfbeiiig accepted as legal tender. This currency was now being replaced British money, and on account of the depreciation of German notes there ./ouldibe a loss of about £14,000. This i "mount would not be paid by New Zealand. This loss could not have been prfr'.ented 'except by having some authority n the spot, -when the occupation took . 'ace, to print New Zealand notes. This, could not, be done, and something had 0 be done. It -was one of those con-,,-ngencies that arose during war time. .✓lnch had to be dealt with as emergency,cases. The loss , was due to the depreciation of the German ' notes. It iad nothing' to : do/with the terms of • iur guarantee.' ,btillion coming to .ST©tt Zealand .was German gold; , : .Mr. H". :J. ; B. Okey asked whether •.he Goviarnment'-were doing anything to irevent Germans trading in the Islands,' uid especially in Samoa. The "Right Hon. W. F. Massey said • hat this' matter was being dealt with .jaw. .The Government had appointed 1 officer,, who.was'a business man, to ■Dvestigate the whole question' of now ft deal' witli Germans trading with, the 'slands! ■ • Mr. Wilford-: What power has he? ' Mr. Massey: Ho has-power to report ■O US. ' ': ' Mr.' Wilford: That' 6 no good. Mr. Massey said that ho -believed the sports about Germans trading with the slands were, exaggerated. He added ua'tVthe Government of Tonga, which as not a .British possession" in the or-: inary, sense of 'the term, had .forbidden ny .German to land, in Tonga, and had jrbidden any trading by Germans with onga.' ■ ■-'■ ■ ; ;Mr. H. G. Ell urged that the Goy\3unent should hold an inquiry into I olonel: Logan's administration at imoa,-saying thit ifnimburs'were true ,v-was certain that there should be al "Sange-in the Administration. , ■ jSir Joseph Ward reminded . ; the jnourable member that" the Adminisration of Samoa was au Imperial mat3r, and . iwt a' New,, Zealand ' matter. Tie Administrator had, to ' act - largely I, his own initiative,'. with the advice t the New Zealand Government ivften issiblo. Most of tho statements about (aladministration;: were, he'' believed, ,uch exaggerated. It had been alleged iy -Mr. Ell) that a large number of '-erman ;notes camo "into .Samoa from iher German possessions, and had, long with other notes, :been guaranteed ,-'y. the. Administration.. Whetherthis ,ras;,'sb or not he'could not say,'. but ■he 'Administrator had,' to act in ' an mergency. Thero was-very little , : time o provide-.against.contingencies.'.lt was very. easy, ib, be'wise after-the went- ! but "t was difficult to see how the Administrator could have acted otherwise. o-Efr. A. K. Newman asked the Govjnitaent to instructlthe.'officer- to 'be appointed.to inquire into" the conditions under which the'Germans'at Samoa, engaged labour irom the Solomon Islands. These conditions:, -were . very ; "unsatisfactory.

The Prime Minister said that the officer would report on everything connected with Island trade, and this would ■ 'include the question raised' by Dr! Newman. This officer would ieavj on Octo;bcri!7. v :'v •"< ; I G.'Witty suggested thai the Government should appoint a Committee: of ! Inquiry, to: investigate affairs, at Samoa. I This "would be preferable to the proposal v by'the Government, for the officer to'be V appointed ■" would bo under Colonel • • I«gan. ■ What was needed was an- ini 'dependent committee..

{■. Mr. Massey said that he. was not sure 1 that: it would be-possibleto appoint a • • committee from New Zealand to inves- ' -tigate the .doings of the Administrator, 1 who was, in effect,' an Imperial officor.

Alligators' eces are 1 eaten in the West India Islands, and on the West Coast of Africa. They resemble in shape a hen's egg, and have much the .same taste, but are larger. More than 100 eggs havo been found in one alligator. ■