SAMOAN DISCONTENT

Evening Star, Issue 19662, 15 September 1927, Page 2

SAMOAN DISCONTENT

HISTORY OF GURR AND CERTAIN CHIEFS MINISTER DEFENDS HIS STATEMENT REPORT OF JOINT COMMITTEE SENT WITH COMMISSION. (Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, September 11. At question timo Mr J. A. Lee f Auckland East) asked Mr W. Nosworthy (Minister of External Affairs) whether he had scon the statement published in an Auckland paper that, according to a cablegram received from Samoa by Mr 0. E. Nelson, the statement made by Mr Nosworthy had been corrected in the ‘ Faatonu,’ the official organ of the United States Government in Samoa. This statement was to tho effect that Mr Gurr had never been deported from Pago Pago, and that lie had not been, nor was at tho present time, a prohibited immigrant there.

Tho Minister said he had seen the published statement, and was prepared to make tho following reply to it; — “Tho statement that E. W. Gurr was dismissed from oilice by the United States Administration in American Samoa was taken from an official document dated ‘ Government House, Naval Station, Tutnila, American Samoa, October 1, 1926, by Governor 11. F. Bryan,’ and reads:— Ho (Gurr) was dismissed in 1908 for malfeasance in office.

“Governor Bryan himself informed me during my recent visit to American Samoa that Quit’s re-entry to American Samoa would bo prohibited. L have never on any occasion stated that Gurr was deported from American Samoa.” At tho time the Minister made his original statement concerning Gurr, he also made reference to a certain native member of the Samoan Citizens’ Committee, one Al'amasaga. The correction quoted above went on to say that as far as the Government of Pago Pago is concerned Afamasaga is not a prohibited immigrant to Pago Pago. On this point the Hon Mr Nosworthy said: “The Administrator of Samoa was advised in writing by iho Governor of American Samoa some years ago that Lago Logo (previously Afasamaga) would not bo permitted to return to American Samoa should ho at any timo wish to do so.”

_ With regard to tho number of political prisoners (eighteen chiefs) who wero punished for participating in the political troubles of 1920, the Minister of External Affairs supported Ills former comment with tho following statement concerning them:—“ln spite of tho fact that tho American Governor is now reported as stating that the native chiefs were punished for conspiring to kill other chief’s, and not for participating .in political troubles, the official document of tho American Government above referred to describes tho trouble that arose in American Samoa in 1920 ns political unrest, and iho chiefs as disloyal, in that they had established a .so-called committee, with headquarters in Pago Pago, through which they planned to run tile Government. Also Iho ‘ 0 Lc Faatonu,’ of March, 1925 (which is described in the Press report as tho official organ of the United States Government iu Samoa), reports that on March 9 these political prisoners were pardoned. It is therefore impossible to reconcile tho article published in tho Auckland ‘Herald’ of September 13 with the official records of the United States Government.” The Prime Minister gave notice of his intention to move that the Clerk of tho House be authorised to hand confidentially to the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into Samoan affairs a copy of the evidence taken by the joint parliamentary committee. Replying to tho Leader of the Opposition (Mr LI. E. Holland), who asked if it wore not a fact that a copy of the evidence had already been sent to Samoa, tho Prime Minister said it was true that a copy of the evidence had already been sent in charge of an officer detailed for the purpose, with instructions that the seal was not to be broken or the package opened until he had received instructions to do so. The Leader of tho Opposition: “And this officer is secretary to the department.” The., Prime Minister: “Never mind who the officer is. He is an officer.”