OVER-LENIENT

Evening Star, Issue 19796, 21 February 1928, Page 9

OVER-LENIENT

EUROPEAN’S VIEW OF SAMOAN TROUBLE BOAST OF THE DISAFFECTED (.Special to ihs * Stab.’] AUCKLAND, February 20. Ati Aucklander has just received a letter from a friend in Apia who strongly supports the official attitude in the trouble in Samoa between the Administration and the disaffected Europeans and natives. “The natives who are supporting the Mau haven’t the slightest idea what the argument is all about,’ states the writer, “ and it is rather pathetic to see now the propaganda has influenced some of the chiefs, whose word is law with their followers. The two parties of natives are about equally divided—Mau and Malo. The Administrator is* getting them together shortly to talk over their grievances, which’ in my opinion, are nonexistent; but the European cabal continually stirs up the copra and liquor issuos* * * The writer goes on to say that Mr Nelson and his friends stood for the vested interests; that they boasted that they got rid of Colonel Logan and Colonel ’Tate, and also boasted that they would get rid of General Richardson. The General appeared to keep fit and well, in spite of the strain of his difficult task to control the situation without bloodshed. He was working hard to bring about peace and unity before giving up the reins of administration, but in the writer’s opinion, if General Richardson left Samoa before this was accomplished, the simple and unreasoning natives who had not joined the Mau would construe his departure as a victory for Air Nelson and the Mau, as Mr Nelson had told them he would obtain a change of Government for them. The Administrator had called a meeting of the Mau Committee and Empales for February 7, and if they did not settle their troubles then the writer expected that the General would probably use the New Zealand police he had sent for, and, if necessary impress the disaffected natives with a snow of force by sending for a warship. As a matter of fact, many of the Europeans and loyal natives had expressed the opinion that the Administrator had been over-lenient in dealing with the situation, and that he should have settled the trouble as the Germans would have settled it—with an armed force. DEPORTEE'S OPINION DESPATCH OF CRUISERS AMUSING. AUCKLAND, February 20. Arriving in Auckland by the Tofua this afternoon, Mr J. Gurr, the third of the European citizens to be deported from Samoa, stated that the information of warships having been sent to the mandated territory was news to him.

Asked if he thought there was need for such action, Mr Gurrreplied: “No, emphatically no!’ ’ Asked what effect the arrival of warships would probably have on the natives, he replied: “I should imagine the natives will be amused more than anything. They are used to having battleships in Apia, and I should think the presence of the two New Zealand ships will have no political effect whatever.”