"CLUMSY PROPAGANDA.”

Shannon News, 16 March 1928, Page 3

"CLUMSY PROPAGANDA.”

MR HOLLAND’S REJOINDER

WESTPORT, March 13

Referring to the message-from Auckland regarding Samoa, Air H. E. Holland, in the course of a lengthy statement, says it was clear that, it eonstH tuted a piece of clumsy and most, dishonest, political propaganda. The statement that the present situation uas due to his pamphlet and sjpoeebes vas too silly to be taken seriously. GeneraRichardson had long since forbidden his opponents to publish any matter iv the (Samoan language, and consequently it was hard to understand how anyone speeches coul() go out in native prim. But, in any case, everyone with an) knowledge of recent Samoan history was well aware that banishments without trial of Samoan chiefs and' other natives and deportations of European; and Mr Nelson had incensed the natives and created that situation which let; us with the people in revolt against our methods of injustice. A return to methods based on conciliation and com mon principles of British justice wounl speedily restore. Samoa to normal conditions and if he were in Mr Coates’s place he would proceed to Samoa by the first available boat and would meet the Samoan people on this basts. One thing was certain: We conbi never hope by methods of .lorrte to sr.,duo the natives of Samoa, continues Air Holland. Our main task now was by processes of common sense to auricthe harm which had grown out ot our attempt at an administrative despotism.

As to that portion of the message which referred to his pamphlet, AL Holland pointed out that, the last page of the pamphlet conta-ned an appeal to the Samoans to refrain from methodof violence and to rely on constitution al methods for redress of their grievances. Regarding the demand for the right to use the warships’ guns on the natives, Mr Holland said that mos> people would endorse Sir - Maui Pomare’s protest made in the House that mdrop of Samoan blood must be shed. He was confident that the whole matte', could be settled without any recourse to force whatever. An amazing .thing in connection with this attack on h mself was the fact that no coded message was permitted to come throng a from Samoa until it had been decode,! send approved by the Administrate: Therefore, this message had come through after having been submitted u the- Administrator, and the fact raiseu a constitutional question of the extent to which a Governor was entitled to participate in the making of poliuea. and personal attacks on people opposed to the Government. Any public .servant who took sides against, the Government wqulcl be threatened with immediate dismissal.