SAMOAN CHIEF

Hokitika Guardian, 11 February 1929, Page 3

SAMOAN CHIEF

HABEAS CORPUS ACTION. [by TELEGRAPH —PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] AUCKLAND, February 9. Tamasese, tlie Samoan Chief, came before the Supreme Court here this morning, under a writ of habeas corpus served on the gaoler at Auckland. Tamasese had already served part o' a sentence of six months’ imprisonment lor failure to pay taxes. Mr Hall Skelton (Auckland) supported the Chief’s application. Mr Meredith (Crown Prosecutor) and Mr Hubble ; opposed the application. i

AH the morning was taken up wit’ points of law. Mr Justice Blair said that he was asked to adjudicate on certain docu ments, none of which he had seen. There were various points of view. There was really no material before the Court, and such as had been presente:! was of such a scrappy nature that he was faced with considerable difficulty. Mr Hall Skelton said that this case was unique in the constitutional proce dure of the British Empire. He ques tioned whether the N.Z. legislature had. power to act at all. “We think,” he added, “that Tamasese has been sent to this country to give him an extra dose of punishment among strange people and strange sur roundings.”

Mr "Meredith endeavoured to establish that the New Zealand Government had full and complete powers to establish in Samoa any law they liked. He contended that Samoa was really a part, of New Zealand, and that, consequently, the Chief Tamase.se was not actually deported overseas when he was sent to New Zealand. The mandate lie said gave New Zealand full powers to carry out or make any laws they liked. The Judge reserved his decision til Tuesday.