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Samoa Under the Sailing Gods

III

III

Early in 1927 came into being the Mau (opinion), a league of Samoans whose purpose was to demonstrate the strength behind the native members of the Committee—for the existence of native discontent was, both then and later, denied by the New Zealand Government. A Committee of the Mau, representing all Samoa, was established in a village close to Apia. That this "seditious movement" was attributed by the Administrator to Mr. Nelson, the following extract from an article in the Government native publication of July 1927 clearly proves: "In the month of October last the lying prophet suddenly appeared in Samoa…. The disciples and priests were brought to Apia from the back districts in motor-boats without paying fares, and were assembled at the synagogue of the lying prophet in Apia." In writing this, the Administrator stated before the Royal Commission, he had in mind Mr. Nelson. The "synagogue of the lying prophet," incidentally, was Lepea—the erstwhile "model village."

Yet, although General Richardson had at his command every sort of law for dealing with sedition (Samoa Act, 1921), he took no steps to put a stop to the activities of Mr. Nelson.