SAMOA

Hokitika Guardian, 28 May 1930, Page 2

SAMOA

A PERIOD OF PEACE

MAU ANIMOSITY FADING

AUCKLAND, May 26

“Conditions m Samoa are at present calm and peaceful,” >( said Captain C. \V. Butterfield, -who has -for the past two years acted as aide-de-camp to the Administrator of Samoa, Colonel S. S. Allen, , and who returned :to Auckland by the Maui, Bonin re- -Captain Butterfield went to Samoa with the Administrator, but acting on medical advice, he has now returned to the Dominion permanently. . , - 1 “There Im,s never been the danger that has been- represented,” declared Cfiptain Butterfield. “No one felt any danger at all, and the position in that respect has been groatly - exaggerated. So far as I was concerned I went where I i liked and as 1 liked, and none of us felt the least semblance of fear of violen e.”

Captain Butterfield said that the unfortunate affray at the end of last year, when Constable Abraham was killed, was a type of incident that might occur in any part of the world. Tlie position was that a man was being arrested when be was in the middle of a crowd who were with him in feeling, and who felt, a degree of hostility to the police. They ralliod : round him and out of a small beginning grew the whole incident, which was distinctly, unfortunate, After: the In* cident, feeling had been high ■. for a' time and this had been fed by certain influences, However, the position 1 had now become , a more normal one and calm and, peace..had been restored. It was impossible to predict how long the animosity of the Mail would persist, but it was definitely on the decline, while the chief influence which had kept it up was now losing part of ils power.

Captain Butterfield deprecated the ampunt of publicity Samoan affairs had received and the propaganda which had been circulated on both sides. The vanity of the natives, which was normally great, was--unduly influenced by controversy, of which they were kept fully cognisant by interested channels. They liked to feel that they' Were in the : eyes of the world, ' and while this feeling was in the minds no satisfactory settlement could be reached. It seehied likely that the present' state of’ I affairs would gradually come to an lend without any definite victory to either side. At one time' when warships from New Zealand had afi ived the; Mau natives had beeii influenced to believe that there wohld be bloodshed, and they had at dmie taken'to the! bush,, but when they saw. that there wag nothing to fear they' had soon returned to their villages. At "no timje did they give the • slightest indh cation of any violence; The point that everything that was said and published in New Zealand dealing with Samoa was speedily circulated there was emphasised by Captain Butterfield, who said that there were undoubtedly Channels of information by which tlie Mau Was kept informed of developments in New Zealancl, “Even we in the Administration sometimes learn things frdm New Zealand newspapers which are said to nayte happened in Apia and of' which we have never heard,”'concluded Captain Buterfleld with a laugh, ’■ Eleven members of the Samoan police'force, including Sergeant Fell, also returned hy the Maui Pomare. Six are members of the New Zealand Police Force and the others are volunteers. The members of the permanent force will take up duty in New Zealand as soon as they have been posted to their districts.