MR. HOLLAND AND SAMOA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3867, 6 November 1928, Page 1

MR. HOLLAND AND SAMOA.

By his references to Samoa in the course of his speech in Auckland, Mr. Holland has earned the scorn of every well-informed and fair-minded man and woman, says the Auckland Herald. He would have stood better in public regard had he courageously owned his alliance with the agitating traders to have been at least mistaken. Instead, he adopted an unrepentant attitude, although shrewdly careful to avoid the blataney of his former utterances and his writings. With the facts all against him, and in the face of the considered judgments of all the tribunals —including the League of Nations, to Avhieh lie had confessedly looked to support his earlier stand —die repeated his sweeping allegations against Sir George Richardson and his threats as to Labour’s upsetting all that has been done under the mandate as soon as it gets a chance. His attitude should be carefully noted. If there were no other good reason for casting votes against Labour candidates, it would be enough to know that they arc bound to follow their leader in his campaign against the exercise of the mandate according to the terms laid down in the interests of the Samoan's and recently endorsed at Geneva. He does not value the mandate. Explicitly, he has written to say so; publicly, he has said that it should be handed back. In the meantime, he allies himself with those who are continuing their agitation -against the New Zealand Government, and lends his aid to their fomenting ol trouble which may yet break out in disastrous excesses. If it should, he must be held large-' ly responsible. This is the same Mr. Holland who, on June 23, 1926, said in the House: I think all admit that General Sir George Richardson has acted very efficiently as Administrator of -Samoa, and that the conditions there are immensely better than they were in days gone by. Again, on August 11 of the same year, in the course of the debate on the second reading of the Samoa Amendment Bill, Mr. Holland said: I have not a word to say against the present Administra•tor; I have the utmost admiration for hm>,. v .... _ . As soon, however, as the agitating traders in Apia, led by Mr. Nelson, came out into the light only a few weeks afterwards—Mr. Holland Avas ready to take sides with them against Sir George Richardson. In spite of his xvritten xvords about the copra traders in Apia—that -they xvere “the root of all the trouble,” and that they were exploiting -the native with “avidity”— Mr. Holland has proclaimed Mr. Nelson to be a much-abused man, a “victim” of the. methods of the Government, one Avhose “only offence has been that) he disagreed Avith the policy of the Administration;” while he has arraigned Sir George Richardson as ia senseless dictator and described “our government of Samoa” as “an accumulation of intolerable administrative acts, outrageous injustices against individual Samoans, and infliction of raAV Avounds upon Samoan dignity and self-respect Avhieh will take long in their healing.” There is a patent explanation of this achievement of Mr. Holland as 'a light-ning-change artist. He found suddenly to his hand an opportunity to make a partisan attack on the Government, >and Avith indecent haste he took it.