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Samoa Under the Sailing Gods

VII

VII

On June 2nd the belated visit of the Minister of External Affairs materialized. He stayed as a guest of the Administrator at Vailima. He did not interview the Citizens' Committee until the ninth day of his stay—two days before his departure. Outside the building,1 in silent demonstration, were assembled six thousand Mau members. The Minister opened the meeting by reading a long and abusive address in which he denounced the Committee and avoided the points at issue. The Citizens' Committee were referred to as "a sore" which might need "the surgeon's knife" before it became "a festering wound on the body politic of Samoa." He informed the Europeans that he would not listen to a word from them on the subject of native affairs, and told the Samoan chiefs that he would not hear anything from them except such personal grievances page 227as they might wish to ventilate. He asked them if they would "like a constitution similar to that granted to the mandated territory of South-West Africa." He finished up by assuring everybody, with reference to himself, that "the New Zealand Government did not send a fool here." Two days later he advised the Europeans on the Committee that he had communicated with the Prime Minister, and that the Samoa Immigration Order was being amended so that British subjects and Samoa-born Europeans could be deported without trial. They were ordered to cease their activities with the natives forthwith and undo all the harm done.

1 The Court House.