POLICY IN SAMOA

Taranaki Daily News, 9 August 1921, Page 5

POLICY IN SAMOA

TROUBLE OVER LIQUOR LAW, RESENTED BY RESIDENTS. By Telefraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Minister of External Affairs (the Hon. E. P. Lee), interviewed to-day on his return from Samoa, referring to the alleged discontent with the New Zealand administration of the inland, repeated a statement he made in a Sydney Press interview that he found ninetenths of the criticism due to the National Government in the discharge of the mandate obligation prohibiting the sale of alcoholic liquors. While in Sa<moa a delegation representing the white residents told him that the drastic liquor law was the cause of all the white residents’ prejudices against New Zealand, and if the permit system, no matter how drastic the conditions were, was instituted the bulk of the criticism would die aw’ay. He was assurer that nothing the New Zealand Government could do

would satisfy the white residents better than the granting of this liquor concession. While in Apia, said the Minister, he was presented with a letter signed by 130 white and other residents alleging discontent due to the increase in the number of Government officials 2J times and taxation 100 per cent., while the, population had reduced 25 per cent, since 1915, with the result that the country was steadily drifting towards bankruptcy. A Sydney business man had published this letter while the Minister was in Sydney and alleged that the delegation received by Mr. Lee in Sydney must have been comprised of Government officials and not representatives of the white residents. The Minister replied emphatically that the liquor petition was signed by 200 to 300 white and half-caste residents of Samoa, including the whole of the 130 signatories to the letter, and the petition was presented to him by a delegation appointed by the petitioners. The delegation, therefore, did rnoet assuredly represent every person who signed the letter referred to, but the delegation is apparently being repudiated now because it had the honesty to admit candidly what anyone familiar with Samoan Affairs knows to be the truth, namely, that nine-tenths of the resentment and antagonism to New Zealand is due to the liquor policy.

The Minister added that a shorthand note was taken of the representations of the delegation on the liquor question and lie would take an early opportunity of submitting it to Cabinet, “It wns significant,” he stated, “that although 1 invited the white resident to meet me they did not come forward.”