SAMOAN CONDITIONS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1065, 1 September 1930, Page 10

SAMOAN CONDITIONS

LEADING PUBLIC MEN ASK FOR INQUIRY PETITION CIRCULATED A number of well-known men in Auckland, most of whom are connected with education, have made out a petition to be submitted to Parliament, expressing concern at the present condition of affairs in Samoa and requesting a full investigation by some external and impartial authority. JT is the intention of the following men, originators of the petition, to secure the signatures of some of the leading public men in the Dominion: Professor R. M. Algie, Professor W. Anderson, Professor H. Belshaw, Canon H. K. Archdall, Professor A. B. Fisher, Professor A. B. Fitt, Sir George Fowlds, Professor J. P. Grossmann, Professor T. A. Hunter, Mr. R. M. Laing, Bishop Liston and the Rev. Dr. Ranston. Following i 3 a copy of the petition: — “We, the undersigned, desire respectfully to urge upon the Government and Parliament of New Zealand the necessity for a comprehensive and thorough-going investigation into the state of affairs now existing in Samoa. “We may preface this appeal with an assurance that we are actuated by no personal interests, that we have not approached this question in any partisan spirit, and that we have no intention of reflecting in any invidious way upon the character or the motives of the Administrators, or the capacity of the Governments that have supported them. We claim to be moved by an earnest desire to maintain the high reputation for justice and generosity which the> people of New Zealand have deservedly won by their enlightened and successful handling of their own native problems; and at the same time we naturally wish to see the fundamental principles of justice and righteousness upheld in all New Zealand’s dealings with the helpless and defenceless peoples committed to its charge. “Jt is common knowledge that the position in Samoa has been very unsatisfactory for some considerable time. The state of affairs has been such as to occasion considerable uneasiness in New Zealand and to invite much serious criticism abroad. It is unnecessary for us to enlarge upon the situation which exists or to specify the charges which have been made against the Administration of Samoa and on the other hand against those opposed to the Administration. It is sufficient for us to point out: First, that the methods which have been followed by the Administration have given rise to conditions to which the Samoans object, and which they allege are legitimate and serious causes for grievance; second, that in consequence the Samoans have followed a policy of non-co-operation with the Administration: third, that the shedding .of blood has been the result.

“We respectfully suggest that there is an unanswerable case for a comprehensive and impartial investigation. If such an investigation reveals that the grievances of the Samoans are imaginary and unfounded, or that they arise from the influence of unscrupulous agitators, as has sometimes been alleged, criticism both within New Zealand and abroad will be silenced, and public uneasiness will be removed. At the same time, a change of attitude on the part of the Samoans may be expected to follow. If such an investigation reveals the existence of real grievances, the Government of New* Zealand will then be in a position to remove them. In either case, some improvement in the present state of affairs may be anticipated, and the Government of New Zealand will have established beyond question its sincere desire to remove all hindrances to its policy of governing Samoa in the interests of the Samoans. “We are, of course, aware that a Rojal Commission was set up three years ago to report on Samoan affairs, but quite apart from the objections that have been raised to its findings on the ground that the order of reference was unduly narrow, and that the natives had no chance of putting their case effectively before it, it seems to us that no inquiry conducted by representatives or nominees of the New Zealand Government would satisfy the Samoans, or "would be received as wholly impartial at the bar of public opinion. We therefore venture to suggest that an appeal should be made to the League of Nations, or some other external and impartial authority, to set up an independent commission of inquiry to investigate Samoan affairs. Precedents are already to be found for this procedure, and in our opinion it is only by some such method as this that the breach which now separates the Samoans from us can be healed, and that the profound uneasiness and apprehension now pervading the public mind in regard to Samoa can be allayed. “For these reasons, we express respectfully the hope that the Government and Parliament of New Zealand will promptly take such action as may ensure a speedy, thorough, and impartial investigation into the state of affairs now existing in Samoa.”