Years

Banished For Ten

Mr. O. F. Nelson, of Samoa, Guilty of Sedition

The Chief Court of Western Samoa, on March 1, convicted Mr. Olaf Frederick Nelson of three charges of being con nected with the activities of the Mau— which is tantamount to a conviction of sedition —and he was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment on each charge (the sentences to be concurrent) and to 10 years’ exile from Samoa.

This marks the end of the latest devel opment in connection with the Mau. It is the last of a series of incidents which commenced about the middle of 1933.

In 1933, Mr. Nelson returned to Samoa from a period of banishment amounting to five years (which expired at the end of 1932); a serious attempt was made to arrange a round-table conference be tween the Administrator and the Man; considerable progress was made towards this end, but a deadlock occurred when the Mau insisted on having Mr. Nelson as one of their delegates to the conference and the Administrator refused to receive him in that capacity; then, towards the end of the year it was suspected that Mr. Nelson and the Mau were engaged in certain activities with a view to over throwing the Governmental authority, and proclamations were issued banning the Mau as a seditious and illegal organi sation; several police raids were made suddenly upon the Mau headquarters, Mr.

Nelson’s house, etc., and evidence was obtained showing clearly that illegal activities were under way; numerous ar rests were made and a number of Mau leaders were convicted and fined or sen tenced to terms of imprisonment; and, finally, in December, Mr. Nelson himself stood trial on serious charges. The trial was very protracted owing to lengthy cross-examination of witnesses. Mr.

Nelson conducted his own defence, in which the Government afforded him every facility.

In pronouncing sentence the Judge said that comprehensive and overwhelming evidence proved that the true intention of Nelson’s activities was to give Samoans control of the country. Follow ing the breakdown of negotiations be tween the Mau and the Administration, Nelson obviously cast restraint aside and began a secret movement to organise quietly in order to gain control. Nelson himself had written, “This course is bound to result in a clash of some kind sooner or later.”

In view of the fact that the evidence disclosed that the Mau chiefs, who were recently sentenced, had been deceived by Nelson, the Judge is recommending the Administration to remit the remainder of their sentences.

An application by Mr. Nelson for leave to appeal against his conviction was re fused, and he was placed on board a steamer for New Zealand, where his sen tence of eight months’ imprisonment will be served.

“Have you ever driven a car?” the lady applicant for a license was asked.

“One hundred and twenty thousand miles,*” interjected her husband, bitterly, “and never had a hand on the wheel.”