AGGRIEVED PASSENGERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 270, 11 August 1919, Page 6

AGGRIEVED PASSENGERS

THE TALUNE AT SAMOA NEW ZEALANDERS NOT ALLOWED ASHORE. Passengers by the s.s. Talune on the last trip across the Pacifio make strong complaint regarding their treatment at Samoa. They complain that business men having important duties ashore, as well as tourists, were denied permission to land at Apia without good causo being shown, and they further suggest that there was a lack of consistency in the attitude of tho port authorities. The Talune reached Apia on tho morning of Sunday, July 27. The Samoan health authorities boarded the vessel find examined tho passengers and crew, the result being that the vessel was declared to bo in a state of quarantine. Later on typewritten instructions were issued to the effect that ship's officers would bs allowed to visit the town to transact business, and Apia passengers would be permitted to disembark, the onlv condition being that they reported daily for medical inspection it the' local hospital; through passengers were to be detained ou board the steamer. Whilst the. landed European passengers were practically allowed their full liberty ashore, natives landing were placed by the health authorities in'strict quarantine at the Apia pilot station. The passengers detained on board tho ship considered the rule unreasonable, and they got into communication with tho principal medical officer, Surgeon.General S. Skerman.' They asked that thev should be allowed on shore on tho same conditions as the Apia passengers. Tho medical officer replied that he was sorry he could not 6ee )iis way to grant tho request.

The passengers then forwarded to Sur-geon-General Skerman the following position

"Sir,—Having received your reply regretting your inability to grant tlie request sent to you by the .through passengers of the s.s. Talune, requesting that thev be allowed to land under similar conditions to those imposed upon passengers landed this morning. We now respectfully protest against what appears to us to be the differential treatment. The through passengers from and to New Zealand now aboard this steamer represent large commercial, mission,' and other interests in and with Samoa. The cost, time, and inconvenience for this special trip has been very considerable; in 601110 cases it will necessitate a return journey on a later voyage of the steamer. AVe consider our business with residents on shore is jequally if not more important than that of any of the passengers that liavo landed, aud it does appear strange and unfair to us that t.hev are allowed: to land and to mix with local residents whilst we are denied the same privilege. Further more, many of the shore officials and their assistants havo been and are aboard the ship, and have throughout been in close contact with the through passengers, who comprise somo of your petitioners, also a ship's officer has been allowed ashore for business purposes. We again express our willingness to subject ourselves to the same restrictions as are imposed upon the landed passengers. Wo earnestly request and invito a representative of; your- department to come aboard ' the steamer to receive a deputation, in order that wo may more fully express our views in regard to the unfair treatment we appear to be receiving, whilst preferential treatment appears to havo been granted to some of our members—We havo thfe honour .to remain, your faithfully,—(Signed) C. P. Walkden Brown, Joseph Mitchell, A. S. Farebrother, L. F. Jones, L. M. Webster, H. Webster, W. F. Dufty, W. E.. Carruthers. J. Harland, A. 0. Mackenzie, M. J. Harland, 31. Forsyth, E. Sennnens, G. Morris, J. lvoch, J. Brownlee, W. G. Macindoe, J. E. K. M'Lean, A. M. Morris. E M. Good, L. M- M'Leod." The. passengers received no reply to this petition, and on the next day they sent the following letter to General Skerman:—

"Sir—As our second petition sent to you yesterday afternoon, July 28, has not been deemed worthy of recognition, we feel impelled once more to record our emphatic protest against the lunju6t treatment we, tlio British passengers 011 board the s.s. Talune, have received at the hands of the Apia health authorities. With all respect we cannot help 'fcelins that unfair discrimination has been shown in this case. Throughout this day several persons from the shore have paid lengthy visits to the eliip, among them a German who ie-said to liavo presented a permit from your department. We feel that we have been unnecessarily penalised, and that the circumstances of the case render it necessary that the matter should be reported with copies of our petitions to the Dominion authorities for investigation; and wo do this in the interests of future travellers from Now Zealand to this centre in the hope that (hoy may receive more equitable and courteous treatment than that meted out to us."