SAMOA TROUBLE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 890, 6 February 1930, Page 11

SAMOA TROUBLE

GOVERNMENT ACCUSED OF UNFAIRNESS

ANGLICAN VICAR PROTESTS In connection with. the Samoan trouble The Sun has received a letter from the Rev. A. J. Greenwood, vicar of St. Albans Anglican Church. It reads as follows: Sir, — In a recent pronouncement on Samoan, affairs Sir Joseph Ward makes the following statement: “The Government in Samoa is challenged by the Mau and as a result of the Man’s organised activities, warrants for arrest on criminal charges have not been executed, etc.” He further goes on to say: “It would be well for those who are in sympathy with the Mau to recognise this, and if they are genuinely anxious for the restoration of harmony in the territory, they can best contribute to that end by counselling the abandonment of the Mau, when the way will be open for discussion and redress of any grievances that may be found to exist.” This sounds all right for a political pronouncement and looks quite easy and generous, and would be quite a nice way out of the difficulty were it not for the fact that, to the Samoan, it looks very like “Satan reproving sin.” Sir Joseph Ward entirely leaves out of account the fact that what is good for the goose is also said to be good for the gandex - . . . . “What answer can Sir Joseph Ward

“What answer can Sir Joseph Ward possibly given when challenged by such disregard of recognised procedure as deportation without charge, or any semblance of legal trial; banishment and deprivation of hereditary titles, again without any sort of trial; taxation without representation; and the over-riding of harmless national customs? “Can Sir Joseph reasonably expect the Samoan peoi>lpe to accept his bare word and indefinite assurances in the face of such facts as I have quoted, and which cannot be denied? Add to this the awful experiences of December 28 last, and the latest threat of further repression, and it will easily bo seen what little hope there is of any rapprochement between the Samoans and the present Administration. “If Sir Joseph is ‘genuinely anxious for the restoration of harmony in the territory,’ to quote his own words, let him meet the Samoans halfway by at once undoing some of the acts of his predecessors. T a.m satisfied timi- ir

“Can Sir Joseph reasonably expect the Samoan peoplpe to accept his bare word and indefinite assurances in the face of such facts as I have quoted, and which cannot be denied? Add to this the awful experiences of December 28 last, and the latest threat of further repression, and it will easily bo seen what little hope there is of any rapprochement * between the Samoans and the present Administration.

“If Sir Joseph is ‘genuinely anxious for the restoration of harmony in the territory,’ to quote his own words, let him meet the Samoans halfway by at once undoing some of the acts of his predecessors. I am satisfied that if this course were to be followed, and a genuine guarantee of strict adherence to the principles of British law given in relation to Samoan affairs, even at this late juncture the present difficulties would be overcome, and peace and harmony restored. lam quite sure that a policy of force can never succeed.

“The object of the mandatory power should surely be not to coerce the Samoans into outward obedience, but rather to win their respect for and co-operation with, the best traditions of British justice and fair play. “The latter part of Sir Joseph’s message I can only regard as a warning, if not a threat, to myself, as it follows so closely upon a letter of protest I addressed to him only last Saturday, a copy of which I enclose. If this is really so, I wish to inform the Right Honourable gentleman that such a gesture will not have the desired effect, and that I shall never cease from my advocacy of the cause of the Samoans while I believe that every principle of decency and honour is being trampled underfoot, and I am prepared to go further and challenge Sir Joseph to place the Samoan issue before the country, when I can promise him a slashing verdict against his policy. A copy of this letter has been sent to the Prime Minister.” A section of the letter forwarded to the Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, and mentioned above, reads as follows:

“I have to thank you for your letter, which I received on Thursday last. You recognise, of course, that the condition of affairs in Western Samoa has for several years been the cause of very serious anxiety to a large number of people in this Dominion who know something of the actual conditions prevailing in the Mandated Territory. You infer that had I been acquainted with all the facts as known ■to yourself and your Administration 1 would not have written as I did. But, sir, I can only judge the true state of affairs by the evidence of what has been revealed; and if there are facts known to you which would clarify the position and rehabilitate the present Government and tile Administration of Western Samoa in the eyes of the people of New Zealand, why not let those facts be known? Surely there is nothing to lose but rather much to be gained by telling the people of New Zealand just what those facts are. If I have misconceived the facts, as your letter states, I am only one of many thousands in the same state of misconception; and we are demanding enlightenment. . . . May I assure you that my only interest in this matter is to get at the truth, which must come to light eventually, and to feel assured that the Samoan people are receiving the same British justice and fair play that we enjoy here. At present I do not believe it, but I am open to conviction.”