THE CRISIS IN SAMOA

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 942, 8 April 1930, Page 10

THE CRISIS IN SAMOA

THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISCONTENT By O. F. KELSON (Published by Arrangement) [ln this series of articles, the lion. O T\ Nelson -will -write on the situation in Samoa from the Samoans' point of view, ! and will mice the valises of the unrest j jn the Territory as seen through Samoan j e; es.J 111 Press propaganda o£ the Auckland morning paper continues under a new title of 'Samoan Highlights” by "Papalagi,” who is said to be a European Samoan and one who has studied the whole course of New Zealand and other rule in our unhappy islands. After criticising certain “German colonising methods,” which he says “smack distinctly of slavery,” he set 3 out on a wearying task of trying to justify the many blunders of the New Zealand administration in Samoa. Writing of the influenza epidemic which took a toll of between 20 and 23 Per cent, of the total population in Western Samoa in 191 S-1919, whereas with the care exercised by the medical authorities in American Samoa that portion of the islands escaped the ravages of the scourge, he refers to this as a “question of culpability or luck,” and that “the machinery existed for the propagation and broadcasting of this (anti-government) | propaganda,” whereas "there was no medium for the dissemination of an effective counter-blast, even had it been attempted.” A study of the facts will disclose \ ibat against the righteous indig-' nation of the people of Samoa, who had suffered so severely through the '• gross negligence of the New Zealand authorities, as admitted by a Royal Commission set up by the New Zealand National Government, anti-Samoa propaganda was opened by the Government and its supporters. It will also be revealed that self-praise and anti-Samoa propaganda have been the only means other than military force and intimidation, known to the Government to counter the growing discontent of the people arising out of the epidemic, the lack of administrative ability, and the extravagance of the inexperienced New Zealand officials who were entrusted with the government of the territory. FINANCE AND SERVICES One has only to peruse the Vers-chaffelt-Park-Berendsen Report to realise the deplorable state into which the finances and the public service had been drifting for many years past as the outcome of inefficiency and i lack of proper andit, supervision, and | control of almost every one of the; administrative departments. During j the whole of the period covered in the] "V.P.8.” Report, the Government i members and Press had been busy advertising the wonderful achieve- j ments of the Mandatory in its exercise of the mandate. As a matter of convenience to the purpose he had in view, “Papalagi” divides the time of New Zealand control in Samoa into three periods. “(1) That Samoa was held by military occupation from August 29, 1914, to May 1, 1921. (2) That from May i 1921, till about the end of 1924 was j practically a period of transition from military control. (3) The unequivocal term of the mandate and the definite undertakings by Sir James Allen to the Mandates Commission in 1922. with regard to the allotment of profits of the ex-German plantations.” But he omits to mention tile important events which took place during these periods. Of the first period, he could have given details of the disastrous epidemic: the Man of the Faipules which grew from it: the visit of the New Zealand Parliamentary Party in 1920 to inspect the causes of trouble then growing: the introduction of the Samoa Constitution Order 1920 which was strongly resented by the Samoans; and the visit of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales with the petitions to H.M. the King and the Prince of Wales. These were all important events which wore signs of the times and the dissatisfaction of the Samoans with New Zealand control. MILITARY ELEMENT PARAMOUNT The second period was not so much a period of transition from military to civil rule, because there was never any real change, except in name—the military element being still paramount today—as a period wherein Colonel Tate spent practically the whole of his term of office trying to pacify the indignant Samoans who protested against extravagance of public revenue and the inefficiency of the civil service, through the Fono of Faipules who until then had not been intimidated to range themselves against their own people, as ultimately was the case when the Mau was revived against the banishments of leading chiefs and other drastic actions of the Government. “The unequivocal terms of the mandate” described in Period 3 brought no improvement into the rising sea of unrest, except for a short period after General Sir George Richardson first arrived and before he started degrading and banishing Samoan chiefs. Military measures were maintained and more drastic actions were taken against the least expression of complaint. The “definite undertaking by Sir James Allen with regard to the allotment of profits of the ex-German plantations” did not improve conditions for the Samoans, as for several years there' were no profits, and although these, when they were made, were ear-marked for health and educational services, the huge salary bill of the officials from New Zealand used up more than double what, was ever contributed from this source. THE REIGN OF MARTIAL LAW The advent of Sir George Richardson as already stated brought just a short respite, but that breathing spell was shortly followed by the establishment of what practically amounted to martial law which has prevailed ever since and was responsible for the unrest which grew in consequence; nor have the New Zealand authorities ever shown any ability to find a remedy, except military and naval demonstrations of brute force. These have been made harsher and more cruel as the authorities discovered their utter failure, as was instanced by the tragic killing of High Chief Tarnasese and his compatriots on Black Saturday; the raiding of women's and children’s sleeping quarters at night: the imprisonment of the Mau’s legal adviser, Mr. T. B. Slipper, a New Zealand barrister and solicitor: and on his release pending an appeal to the Supreme Court the cancelling by the Administrator of his licence to practice as a lawyer, an autocratic administrative act from which there fs no appeal to any court in Samoa or New Zealand. t (To be Continued.)