THE MANDATE FOR SAMOA.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 July 1919, Page 2

THE MANDATE FOR SAMOA.

HISTOEYrOF THE NEGOTIATIONS. 1 ' THE ARTICLES. ...•, (From Mr. K. Riley, Official Journalist with the New Zealand Peace Delegates). Paris, May 8,1918. The question- of the disposal of German Samoa was flrst considered by the Supreme Council of the Allied and AsPowers on Friday, January 24, at the. Peace Conference room's, Quai d'Orsay, Paris, Mr. W. F. Massey, Prime Minister, the Dominion's plenipotentiary (Sir Joseph Ward, Minister of Finance, being a member of the British panel of plenipotentiaries) presenting the ease for New Zealand. It was not until May 7, at a meeting of the Council of Four (President Wilson, Mr. Lloyd George, M, Clemcnceau, and Signor Orlando) immediately following the presentation of the Allied and Associated Powers' terlns to the arrogant and truculent German dele-' gates at Versailles, that the allotment of mandates for the control of tbo former .German colonies in Africa and the Pacific was finally made. It is not necessary to repeat the interesting "conversations" that preceded the Council's decision, nor the arguments put forward by the representatives of the oversea Dominions concerned, further than to note that the mandates in regard to the ex-German possessions in the South Pacific included the safeguard? urged by General Botha, Mr. Massey, and Mr. W. M. Hughes 5n respect of the original proposal to give equality of access to all countries members of the (League of Nations and to maintain the "open door" as regards Customs charges and the like. These delegates secured the adoption" Of" the principle that the countries placed under their mandatory dontrol should s>e administered as integral par£a of the respective mandatory States. The mandate given to New Zealand In respect of German Samoa is as follows: Article I.—Germany renounces all her rights and title over the islands constituting German Samba. .Article 2. —The Allied and Associated Powers entrust the Government of the islands to Bis Britannic Majesty to be exercised by His Majesty's Government of the Dominion of New Zealand. The said Government shall have full legislative, administrative, and judical power over the' islands as an integral portion of the territory of New Zealand, and may apply the laws of New Zealand thereto, subject to such local modifications as circumstances may require. Article 3. —His* "Britannic Majesty in and for his Government of the Dominion ■ of New Zealand accepts the mandate for the administration of the islands upon the footing that the trust is imposed and accepted for the well-being and development of the peoples oF the islands, and to that end undertakes "that the slave trade and forced labor shall le prohibited, the traffic in arms and am-' munition shall be controlled in accordance with any general Convention which may be entered into by the H.O.P. in' this behalf, the sale of spirituous liquors to the natives, shall Ib'e prohibited, and the military training oil the natives otherwise than for purposes of internal police and the local defence of the islands shall be prohibited. Furthermore, no miliary or naval bases shall be established, .and no fortifications shall be erected in the Islands either hj the Government of. New Zealand or by any Power or person. Article 4.—The value of the property tn the inlands belonging to the German Government shall be assessed and shall be reckoned in the Inter-Allied Reparation Fund and # regarded as allocated to the share of the Government of New Zealand. Article s.—The expenses of the administration of the islands, if the revenues obtained from local sources are insufficient, will be defrayed by the Government of New Zealand. Article «.—lf at any time the native inhabitants of the islands express a, desire, to be united with New Zealand, and if the Council of the League of Nations considers,, this desire on their part to be conscious and well founded and calculated to promote their interests, the Allied and Associated Governments agree that effect shall be given to it by the Council of the League, and the islands shall thereupon be incorporated in New Zealand for all purposes, And the administration under this Convention shall be regardei as at an end; provided that all the undertaking set Out in Article 3, .including the prohibition against the establishment of military. and naval bases or fortifications shall be maintained and shall continue to operate in the islands after such incorporation. Article 7.~The inhabitants of the islands shall be entitled to British diplomatic protection when in foreign countries. " % - . Article B.—The Government of the Dominion of New Zealand will make an annual report containing full information with regard to the islands and indicating "the measures taken to carry out the obligations assumed under Article 3, and the extent to which the well-being and development of the inhabitants are progressing. Copies of this report will be presented to .the Council of the League .of Nations.