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Samoa Under the Sailing Gods

V

V

From the time that the Faipules illegally commenced to legislate, in the middle of 1924, a regular land-slide set in. The first step on that path was the setting up of the self-elected Village Committees, which began almost immediately to abuse their powers. Fines were levied by them for the most preposterous reasons from among those villagers least able actively to resent it, and appeared to be put to the single purpose of buying tinned beef and biscuit from the stores: "for the good of the village" being interpreted obviously as "for the delectation of the Village Committee." Nor were these councils of orators and petty chiefs to be blamed. They had been granted penal powers, and supposed, naturally, that they must make a point of exercising them. Why else had they been granted? There grew up, then, throughout the districts an atmosphere of bewilderment. So many foreign innovations were afoot.