TWO FOR GENEVA

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 300, 10 March 1928, Page 1

TWO FOR GENEVA

Samoan Drama’s New Scene

HON. O. F. NELSON AND ADMINISTRATOR

THE scene of the Samoan drama is to shift to Geneva, where the two outstanding personalities of the dispute, General Sir George Richardson and the Hon. O. P. Nelson, will each have an opportunity of stating his views before the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations. At Invercargill yesterday the Prime Minister announced that Sir George Richardson’s term will end on March 16, and that he has been appointed New Zealand representative at Geneva. He will remain until his successor has been appointed. The decision is welcomed by the Hon. O. F. Nelson, who also will be in Geneva at that time on behalf of dissatisfied Samoans as well as on his own account.

On Friday next Mr. Nelson will sail by the Maunganui from Auckland for Sydney, thence to England and ♦Europe. “After what has been published in the Press/* Mr. Nelson said this morning, “and after read l - the sequence of my own movements in relation to Samoa, the people of New Zealand have to form their own conclusion as to w'hy Sir George Richardson is being sent to Geneva.** “Do you suggest it is because you yourself have decided to be there?’* be was asked Mr. Nelson waved his arm in indifferent gesture. “How can I say?’* he replied. “I have to leave that for the people of New Zealand to decide . . . “At Geneva General Richardson will have to deal with a different body of men from those whom he had encountered in the mandated territory, because the case of Samoa would be Placed before an impartial tribunal, and a mixed people. "J am glad he is going, because it will bring an effective ‘showdown’ before people who are impartially interested.” Bitter complaint was made by Mr. Nelson that no opportunity had been given the Samoan people to cir<~** 7 ate

the petition against the Administration at the Islands. “The document was instituted months p'-~ ” he said, “but it was not ready when I left Samoa. It was not trill the text had been prepared and the type was set up at the office of the ‘Samoan Guardian’ that the edict of th~ * 'iministrator went forth prohibiting any publication in Samoan without his express approval. The petition therefore had to be sent to New Zealand for legal preparation and printing, and it did not reach Samoa till after the warships had arrived. By that ti’ e 400 of the prospective signatories were in gaol at the command of the Administrator. “With the guns of the warships trained on the town,, everyone is intimidated and scared to death. It would be seditious and disloyal if the circulators of the petition moved about among the people with it. “But now that Sir George Richardson is going to Geneva every facility should be offered the Samoans to get the petition signed instead of the authorities preventing their signing it and allowing the present chaos and confusion to exist.”