The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY, 7, 1930. THE ENQUIRY' INTO THE MAU RIOT.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXX, Issue 11125, 7 February 1930, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY, 7, 1930. THE ENQUIRY' INTO THE MAU RIOT.

£Jt will be difficult for any imparl* at mailer to disagree with tin; Undf in."| of Chief Judge Luxlonl in his eap;icily of coroner in respect of the deaths which occurred on the occasion of the riot- in Western Samoa at the close hi last year. Unmanly, the "blame is, rightly, placed on the Mail for having precipitated the fatal disturbance. No exception, its leaders had been informed, would he taken to the holding of the parade of welcome to Mr. Smyth, the returning deportee, and to Mr. Hall Skelton, who was visiting Apia in the Hon. Mr. Nelson's interests. Rut. as was found by the coroner, a police order had been given that •'wanted” men should not lie allowed to participate. Tn spite of that definite official intimation, the leaders of the Man permitted several Natives for whom warrants had been issued to take part in the parade. What that amounted to was. plainly, open defiance of the authorities. Tn other words, the Man leaders deliberately challenged the police to attempt to exercise their right to arrest the “wanted’’ men. That that was the exact position is supported by the fact that when the. police, interposed to arrest a Native named Matau other members of the Mau went to • his aid, with the result that lie escaped arrest. J.n. the circumstances, the police were left with no alternative hut to defend themselves. What would seem to be the position is that the Man loaders never, for a single moment, dreamt that the police would attempt seriously to carry out tlieir threat, seeing that they (the, police) would find themselves so greatly outnumbered. As it -so happens, too, a number of the Natives carried knives and other potential weapons.' their oh Sect being, seemingly, to awe the police. When the police found themselves not only consider-, ably outnumbered, but also bard pressed and in danger of serious injury, ip not also of their lives. they were, uniiuostionablv. justified in resorting to firearms. Chief Judge Luxford, it will luivo been noted, supports the action of the Lewis gunner, but holds that :t was not proved to he necessary for three other persons to make, use of rifle fire from a balcony of the police station. Summed up, he makes it •clear that the 'Lewis gun was not Tired with the object of causing Injury and that the evidence went to show that .no injuries were caused as a result of that formidable weapon being brought into use. AH that the gunner intended was to produce a wholesome moral, effect and this he succeeded in doing witlibut inflicting any real harm. The position in respect of the riffo fire to .which reference is made may have boon altogether different. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it would seem -that- the users of. the rifles wore not actuated merely .by a desire to frightwfutbe riotous Natives. They wore, /plainly, under the impression that it was necessary to firet to wound and, from their vantage point, their work proved deadly. -As three chiefs, including Tamasese, wore amongst their victims, credence on the part of the Natives was;. naturally, given to a supposition. that these men who fired from the balcony adopted the role of snipers. Unnecessary as the rifle fire may • have proved, the coroner, ■it would seem, was not prepared to suggest that, in' the circumstances, it shouldl>e condemned his amounting to deliberate, wrong-doing.