Geneva
pp. 57-58 · Read in the full issue
Marc T. Greene At
Pertinent Discussion of Samoan Affairs
THAT American world-wandering jour nalist, Marc T. Greene, who went through the Pacific a couple of years ago like a disturbing wind, and who was in South America a few months ago, wrote to the editor on October 21 from Belgrade, the capital of Jugo-Slavia. He had just travelled through Central Europe, where he found “terrible poverty.” “Europe is in a dreadful mess, both politically and economically,” he remarks.
But the chief interest of Mr. Greene's letter lies in his description of how he went to Geneva, and discussed the con dition of Samoa with M. Anker, Secretary for Samoan Affairs on the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations. Mr. Greene seems to have given M. Anker “an earful”: “The talk I had with M. Anker was, of course, confidential, and naturally altogether unofficial, but it is possible to divulge seme of it.
“What impressed me especially was the Commission’s lack of any real grasp of the Samoan position. In that connection I suggested, even as I have done a hun dred times before, in print and elsewhere, that the Commission ought to make its own personal investigations. In that con nection there was some satisfaction in M. Anker’s acknowledgment that there had been ‘criticism along those lines’ before.
“I asked him, then, what the Mandates Commission’s sources of information at all likely to present the Samoan side might be. It appeared they consisted of newspapers, ‘petitions,’ and the book by Dr. Keesing, of Honolulu.
“What newspapers? Well, the Welling ton Post.’
“Any others? Oh, yes! And here was introduced a note truly farcical.
“It appeared that the Commission had received regularly that dignified, authen tic and impartial compendium of Samoan affairs, the ‘New Zealand Samoa Guar dian,’ as conducted for some time on behalf of O. F. Nelson by P. Andrew. It also had the local Apia newspaper.
“ ‘Ah,’ said I to M. Anker, ‘then you have heard of me before, inasmuch as I was frequently the object of vitriolic ful minations in said sheet.’
“Oh, yes, they had heard of me, I was assured, smilingly.
“So; and what were the aforesaid ‘peti tions’ ?
“Well, he didn’t recall at the moment, but he thought one had had to do with the allegedly inadequate state of the medical arrangements under the New Zealand Administration. Could I com ment on that?
“I could, and did; and in a fashion that a recent head of said medical department in Samoa would perhaps have differed with.
“I was asked other questions, a number of them having to do with many things, but I do not feel myself in a position to discuss them publicly. Notes were taken of some of the things I said, and certain names jotted down.’’
Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Barker, of the Metho dist Mission, Suva, arrived in Melbourne from Fiji by the Lurline on November 9.
Mr. Greville (“Mick") Reece, of Manly, and formerly a member of the Manly Life-saving - Club, has joined the staff of Korang-a Gold Sluicing Co., Wau, New Guinea.
Captain R. Godwin, manager of Muli fanua plantation, departed from Apia, Samoa, on holidays by the Maui Pomare on November 7.
Mr. A. D. Gluyas, Warrant Officer at Manus, New Guinea, arrived in Sydney with his wife by the Montoro early in November. They later went on to Mel bourne to spend furlough in Victoria.