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Samoa at Geneva : misleading the League of Nations : a commentary on the proceedings of the Permanent Mandates Commission at its thirteenth session held at Geneva in June, 1928

Official Dummies

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Official Dummies.

The first election, early in 1924, of three Europeans to the Legislative Council made the white population feel their interests would be cared for. Although I was elected to the Legislative Council by the Europeans, it was generally felt in official and non-official circles, among the Whites and Natives, that the three elected members would not overlook the Native interests in the Council. Particularly was this expected of me. On more than one occasion did I move that Native representatives be allowed to sit in the Council. My elected colleagues supported me, but the official majority in the Council would not agree. Sir George Richardson, in answer to a question as to whether the official members in the Legislative Council were directed by him how to vote, told the Royal Commission at Apia (page 378) :—

"I do not direct them how to vote. They fully recognise that, as Government members, it is their duty to uphold the Government's policy, and if they cannot uphold it, it is their duty to notify me. . . . . All matters submitted by the Administration are matters of policy."

page 16

By the time the second elections were due, in November, 1926, it had become quite apparent to the Europeans and Samoans that the Legislative Council as a medium for the ventilation of the people's views and the redress of grievances was futile. The news of the coming visit of the Minister of External Affairs raised the hopes of the people that an impartial investigation by the Minister would produce favourable results, and the crisis then impending would be averted.

The public meeting convened by the three elected members, held on the 15th October, 1926, to consider matters for presentation to the Minister was, therefore, hailed with great favour by the whole community. Although the meeting was not advertised in Samoan, the Native chiefs who attended handed in properly-prepared lists of their complaints. These formed the basis of the Native complaints, which were embodied in the Committee's Report to the Minister. They were repeated in the Samoan Petition to the New Zealand Parliament of March, 1927, and were again enumerated in the Petition to the League of Nations by the 7,982 Samoan Native taxpayers.

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