ABOUT A "RUMOUR"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 61, 5 December 1919, Page 8

ABOUT A "RUMOUR"

POLICE FOR SAMOA. A rumour to tho effect that anotlior expeditionary- force o£ £0 men was being concentrated for dispatch to Samoa has been in circulation for tho past day or two.-. The facts of tlw matter are that tho Samoan Constitution Orde? provides for tho replacement of. the military garrison by a force of civil police. Sir iTames Allen stated in Parliament on move than one occasion that this change would bo made at the earliest possible date. Speaking at Hilton on No/ember 21, Sir James Allen sai'l (as reported in tho Wellington papers of November 22): "The occupying garrison will be brought away in December, and, in order to preserve peace and quietness in tho Islands, 70 able and splendid nen had been enlisted as civil police, and they were ready to go under a three-years' engagement. Half the number would be mounted, and the others would'bo foot police.-" Theso men are now concentrating in Wellington, and, in order to remove tho military control at the earliest possible moment, it lias been arranged to send tho force away in the December steamor, which will bring back to New Zealand the Belief Force which has been in occupation of tho territory'. Pay and conditions of service of the Samoan Constabulary liavo been based almost entirely on.the regulations in operation for tho New Zealand Police Force. It was deemed essential that tlie pay and conditions of the two forces should be as nearly as possible co-ordin-ated, in order to pave the way in future for the amalgamation of the two organisations, or at least make it possible to interchange tho officers, on tho lines laid do.vn in the Samoan Constitution Order with respect to general public service. .