SAMOAN TROUBLE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3669, 23 July 1927, Page 4

SAMOAN TROUBLE.

CITIZENS’ COMMITTEE

WELLINGTON, July 21. Hon. 0. F. Nelson and Mr A. G. Smyth, members of the Samoan Citizens’ Committee, now in Wellington, on being interviewed, stated (inter alia) that members of the committee and others who criticise the Administration have been branded pro-Ger-mans, which was absurd since live of the six European members of the committee were British born and the other Samoan born.

Hon. W. Nosworthy in reply says that he never applied the term proGerman, but he does say now that members of the committee cannot evade responsibility for the charge that the disturbances of the Samoan people are being used to discredit New Zealand in the opinion of the world, and the incidents have been used by German propagandists and publicists in their campaign for the restoration of Germany’s lost colonies. INVESTIGATTON SUGGESTJCD. HASTINGS. July 21. . Mr T. E. Crosse, a well-keowi' settler of Hastings, who since 1900 has been vitally interested in Samoa, in an interview to-day said that General Richardson’s original idea was to educate the Samoan people and to encourage hygiene and production. It did not interfere with vested interests, but resulted in the added prosperity of the community. Certain traders, he said,'were stirring the natives purely in furtherance of the dispute against the Government which proposed io interfere with their business and vested interests. Commerce was, he believed, the crux of the whole matter, and other questions that had been raised were merely brought up as an excuse to deter the New Zealand Government from interfering in the so-called legitimate rights of the traders. Mr Crosse suggested that if a delegation be sent to Samoa it should acquaint itself with native customs and make a thorough investigation into the position, but above all should see that all sides of the questions should be fully explained, not only by the party in favour of the Government, but by the opposition They should also send, a good man who had a knowledge of Maori customs. Tie would quickly know how to arrive at a satisfactory state of affairs. LEGISLATION COMING. WELLINGTON, July 21. The Hon. Mr Nelson, who at the moment is a prominent figure in Samoan affairs, arrived in Wellington the other day and had a conference with the Leader of the Opposition. Today, in company with Air A. G. Smyth, lie had a lengthy interview with the Prime Minister and the Minister for External Affairs. The interviews were private. • The fact that the Samoa Bill is to be proceeded with to-morrow and probably put through all its stages seems! to indicate that Messrs Nelson and Smyth have failed to impress the Cabinet with their ideas in regard tu the Samoan situation. The very direct statement of the Governor of American Samoa cabled from San Francisco will to a considerable extent influence the opinion of lion, members in favour of the attitude of the New Zealand Government.