SAMOA SHOOTING AFFRAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 881, 27 January 1930, Page 1

SAMOA SHOOTING AFFRAY

Witness and Prime Minister

«I WILL SWEAR TO THE FACTS”

Mr. Polley Not Daunted

REITERATING his previous statements, and saying that he is not an adherent of, or in any way connected with the Man, Mr. Frederick Polley, in a letter to the editor of THE SUN, replies as follows to the statement recently made by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, regarding the cablegram sent by Mr. Polley to Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P., following the shooting in Samoa:—

►Sir. — "X adhere to the statements made in my cablegram to Mr. H. E. Holland, SIP-, from Suva on January 13, 1930, and am prepared, and willing, to swear en oath to all the facts contained therein should X ever be given an opportunity to do so. I am not daunted by the statement of the Pjime Minister indicating that the oAntants of my cablegram were comn?e*ely at variance with the official Cort. he had received, and that a complete denial of my statements had Seen given by the Administrator of Western Samoa. On the contrary, 1 am encouraged to hope that the truth of this whole miserable business will he brought to light, and that a better and happier understanding will arise between my countrymen and the Samoans, whom it is our sacred duty to protect, as well as govern. I believe that is the sincere wish of all right-thinking people In New Zealand. There is only one way to bring this about —by freedom of speech. AFRAID TO SPEAK "In Samoa today It appears that the members of the white population, for the most part, are afraid to speak their minds or show the least sympathy with the Samoans for fear of the loss of their jobs. Hence my quitting my own Job and quietly leaving Samoa. I had spoken loud enough to be readily branded as an agitator, but rather too loud to be wanted as a witness at the Inquest. 1 have never been an agitator in my life, nor am I now. though Samoa Is a place where they manufacture them. They never seem to be short of material. It seems to come from nowhere. I have not been aided or influenced by anyone In what I have said or done. I am writing this alone in my room at my home In Tauranga with not even the cat present. I am quite prepared to take the consequences of my utterances. If I am telling lies, why not have me arrested? I would not mind In the least. It would help to bring out the truth. That is What I want. "If the public of New Zealand carefully considers, with an unbiased mind, 'all the statements made by myself and others, together with the evidence given at the Inquest and the statements made in official reports, I think it will see quite clearly that many mistakes have been made by Colonel Allen—no doubt through hearsay evidence, For instance, he Indicates definitely in his first report to Sir Joseph Ward, with reference to .my cablegram. that the first four policemen who formed part of the arresting party went into the crowd unarmed with either batons or revolvers. Well, If that is so, where did the first part of this party get its revolvers from? There is not now the slightest doubt that they all had them when they came out of the fray, wi n the exception of Sergeant Fell, who was unarmed. The affair lasted only from three to five minutes, and began easily 150 yards from the police •tation. I may say here that Sergeant Fell Is the most popular policeman In Samoa. He Is looked upon as the gentleman of the police force by the Samoans, and also by the white population. "Another statement Colonel Allen

makes is that I stayed with a native Mau supporter. That is absolutely untrue. I stayed with a native family, all the members of which are well known as Government adherents. The head of the house is the chief stevedore and has 200 Government adherents working under his charge. His home is built in New Zealand style, all his family speak English and live almost in English fashion. They are highly respectable. Colonel Allen should know that he has insulted this kindly Samoan family in an endeavour to cast a slur on myself with the direct inference that I was a Mau adherent. SORRY FOR POLICE “He also states (another inference) that I left Samoa with Mr. Hall Skeltion. This also untrue. I did not know Mr. Hall Skelton at that time, and I travelled in a. different class to him. We were introduced on board the Tofua before sailing, and I have met Inm since. lam not concerned in any way about. Mr. Skelton's business in Samoa. I do not understand the causes leading to the Mau’s formation. I am only concerned with what I have seen and heard myself. That much I claim to understand perfectly. It may be thought that I am against the police. On the contrary, I am downright sorry for them. Their lives are not worth living. They simply long for the time to get out. They tell you so openly, and that they are sorry for the Samoans, and I really believe they are, too. Mind you, they are very careful when they talk to you, and never do so when a third person is present. The same remark applies to the white people generally. “Though I have been called to question so much in regard to my cabled statements, almost every one of them has been clearly proved in evidence at Apia. Yet I have never met or talked to one, or any, of the witnesses. It is quite obvious to me that Colonel Allen has, by his published, definite statements in regard to myself and my short life in Samoa, tried to prove that while in that country I was a member of the Mau, or an adherent to what is now declared to be a seditious organisation. Why?” I am, FREDERICK POLLEY, * ‘Pohutukawa,” Cameron Road, Tauranga, New Zealand.

VERDICT EXPECTED SOON

INQUEST CONCERNING SAMOA SHOOTINGS inir "T Press Association WELLINGTON, Today. The western portion of Updo is now clear of the Mau, according to advice the Prime Minister has received from the Administrator of Western Samoa. The Prime Minister also states that the verdict at the inquest on the fatalities of December 28 is expected tomorrow, and arrangements will be made to publish it throughout New Zealand with as full detail as possible.