Mau Defies General Hart

Stalemate Continues In Samoa.

(From a Special Correspondent.)

APIA, Sept. 26.

SINCE the end of August, all negotia tions between the “Mau” and the Administrator, General Hart, have been broken off owing to the stubborn insistence of the “Mau” leaders that Mr.

O. F. Nelson shall be one of their dele gates and the main speaker of their delegation at the proposed Fono with the Administrator.

The “Mau” leaders themselves have stated that Mr. Nelson has twice ad vised them to accede to the Administra tor’s wish and exclude him from the Fono. Unfortunately, Mr. Nelson has not thought it necessary to make a straightforward declaration that he does not want to participate as a “Mau” spokesman and delegate. Doubtless such a declaration, issued by him, would have impressed the “Mau" with his sincerity of purpose and opened the way to a settlement; while his half-hearted “ad vice” has stressed the impression that he alone is the stumbling block and main obstacle to a final solution of the Samoan “Seven Years’ War.”

General Hart, after the break in the negotiations with the “Mau,” had clearly stated his intention to enforce the existing laws and regulations in future, especially in regard to meetings of the “Mau” organisations, in the so called “disturbed” areas and districts.

In open defiance of General Hart’s announcement, the “Mau” district of Atua invited the “Mau” adherents to a “Taa lolo,” or native dance of honour, to be held in the village of Vaimoso, which is situated in a “disturbed" and prohibited district, on September 13, in honour of Mr. O. F. Nelson. This was to be the first of a number of “taa lolo’s” for the same purpose, to be held in Upolu and Savaii.

A number of representative Europeans received invitations to attend the feast at Vaimoso. Most of them wisely re frained from attending a function to all purposes anti-Administration and purely political. A few thousand natives were present and there were the usual speeches. At the feast following the dance, over 200 pigs were distributed.

It was highly significant, that on this occasion the orator of the old capital of Atua addressed Mr. O. F. Nelson with the old king’s title of “Tupu’a”. Doubt less this move was well thought out and intended. Though Mr. Nelson and the Mau organ, published in New Zealand, always claim that the former is of royal descent on his mother’s side, coming from one of the highest ranging chief families in Savaii, this claim does not correspond to fact, as Mr. Nelson’s mother came from one of the numerous small chief families of comparatively small genealogical importance. In any case, Mr. Nelson has not the slightest right to take a title like “Tupu’a”, re served from the oldest times to a few families, like Malietoa and Mataafa.

In view of the Administrator’s clear de finition of the present attitude of the Ad ministration towards violations of the law, the police would have been justified

in dispersing the meeting at Vaimoso and arresting the leaders. General Hart has refrained from taking this step, but undoubtedly the situation looks serious and there may be important develop ments.

The unfortunate inclination to push Mr. Nelson to the foreground and press his personal claims on the Administra tion, effectively prevents any negotia tions at present. There is no doubt that Mr. Nelson and the Mau, through them attitude, have alienated the support of the Man’s few remaining European sym pathisers. It is considered unfortunate that one man, at a time when Samoa is suffering severely from the low prices of produce, insufficient communications

with the outside world and all kinds of economic difficulties, should bar the way to a reconciliation between Administra tion and natives and thereby keep the former from putting into force measures planned for the economic relief of the native population.

Apart from the few leaders of the “Mau” aligned on the side of Mr. Nel son, and apparently determined to sup port him for reasons of their own, the mass of “Mau” adherents is fast losing interest in the useless struggle, which has caused them only suffering and losses.

The demands of the “Mau” submitted to the Administrator as a basis for negotiations, the so-called “9 points,” too lengthy to be given here, read some thing like the terms of peace, imposed by a victorious nation on a conquered enemy. The sooner the “Mau” realises that such demands are impossible of realisation, and the sooner they acknow ledge that Mr. Nelson cannot help them in any way and has to be eliminated from the picture, to make a termination of the impasse possible, the better it will be for the good of Samoa.

Semita Gode, a Seventh Day Adventist missionary from Papua, and his wife and four children, reached Sydney on October 4 on the “Macdhui." He is a Fijian by birth, and has spent three years among the nomadic tribes of the Efogi Mountains. There he encoun tered remnants of the once numerous pigmy tribes.

The natives who live in the Efogi Mountains are wild, and Semiti Gode has seen them fighting with spears longer than themselves and with poisoned arrows. He said that the natives wandered from camp to camp.

They stayed in one place until sick ness or other disaster overtook them, and then they moved to another camp.