JUDGE’S REBUKE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 164, 1 October 1927, Page 1

JUDGE’S REBUKE

Samoan Paper Errs

PROCEDURE OF COMMISSION Attempted Interference Denied Special to Press Association.—By Wireless Received 10.39 a.m. APIA, Friday. AN article in the “Samoa Guardian’’ alleging “attempted interference by the Administration with the Royal Commission,” and a report in the same newspaper of proceedings taken in Chambers, were brought to the attention of the Commission by Mr. V. R. Meredith (appearing for the New Zealand Government), who said he thought the article was a direct allegation that the Administrator (Sir George Richardson) interfered with the Commission. Messrs. Baxter and Slipper, counsel for the Citizens’ Committee, and the natives interested, disclaimed connection with, or knowledge of, the article or report.

The allegations put into his mouth respecting Sir George Richardson were untrue, said Mr. Baxter, who added that neither he nor Mr. Slipper

was prepared to retain the briefs if they were not fully trusted by the committee and the natives. The Chairman of the Commission, Sir Charles Skerrett, said the Court regarded the article as a very improper one. It had power to punish, buc it did not propose to take further action than to say that the suggestion of interference or attempted interference on the part of the Administration with the procedure of the Commission was destitute of any foundation in fact. The reference to proceedings in Chambers showed that the writer of the article was singularly destitute of a knowledge of normal legal procedure. The suggestion that the Chamber proceedings had any other reason than to expedite the proceedings was ludicrous. Three traders gave evidence that their licences were cancelled for no reasons known to them. They admitted that they were members of the Mau (Samoa League), and in one case carried Mau supporters at half-rates in Nelsons’ vessel, by order of the firm. Alelieu. a Samoan native, complained that his title was taken from him. Banishment of natives he considered to be wrong. Cross-examined, the witness said he himself had asked for two natives to be banished from his village, and he did not think those banishments were very wrong. Those natives had got up against him. LANGUAGE TOO STRONG Cross-examined by the Crown counsel, Arthur Williams, a member of the Samoan Legislative Council, said he did not think that Mr. O. P. Nelson in witness’ presence had said: “The Government has made a lever of the natives to get prohibition, so whv should not we make use of them?” But witness would not deny this might have been said. Witness had never said, “We must get rid of Sir George Richardson.” There never was anv such intention. The phrase that had been circulated in Samoa and authorised by the committee of which witness was a member referred to the “cruel, oppressive, and despotic rule of the Government.” He admitted now that this was too strong language to be issued to the natives. “A THINKING TRIBUNAL” Witness said Mr. G. E. L. Westbrook had blamed the Minister, Hon. W. Nos worthy, and the Administrator, Sir George Richardson for the native unrest and for the fact that their constitutional efforts had been hostilely received. Witness did not know that Mr. Westbrook’s letter to a New Zealand newspaper about a loan of £2,000 had been translated into Samoan and circulated among the natives, and that it had caused unrest and dissatisfaction with the Administration among the natives. Samuel Hornell Meredith said he thought the Samoans were ready for complete self-government. Referring to the witness’s failure to admit an “obvious deduction” from a previous statement he had made, the chairman, Sir Charles Skerrett, said:—“l only want to let you know that we are a thinking tribunal; we do not swallow everything that is said to us.”—A. and N.Z.