Mr. Nelson Explains Position

jVI R. O. F. NELSON has kindly explained to me, for publication, his personal attitude regarding the difficult and deli cate situation that has arisen.

“I returned to Samoa,” said Mr. Nelson, “with the intention to devote my time to business and other personal affairs which have suffered so materially during my enforced exile and need all the atten tion I can give them. The remission of my exile by the new Government of Mew Zealand was the righting of a serious wrong perpetrated upon me and the Sa moans by previous Governments; but this does not lessen my appreciation for the action of the present Government in my return to Samoa, a freer man than when I left.

“So, when I found that the Samoans in sisted on my helping them in giving co operation, and that the Government in Wellington and the Administration here expected me to play my part in the inau guration of the new policy as set down by the Goodwill Mission ... I was left no choice but to fill what position was offered

me, where I felt my services would be useful towards reconciling the differences that might arise.

“That was why I reluctantly submitted to the urgent pleadings of the Samoans to allow my name to be placed among the representatives of the Samoans in the various councils which were to be set up —though this would press more heavily on my time than my own affairs can spare.

This was on the understanding that the Goodwill Mission’s assurance to the Sa moans regarding my freedom to take part in Samoan native affairs (published in the New Zealand press before I left New Zealand) extended to the nomination and election of myself to a seat on the Fono of Faipule, the Legislative Council, and the Finance Committee. I was led to believe the Administration here would welcome my inclusion in these councils.

“When the first intimation was received from Wellington, that I would not be eligible for election as representative of

the Samoans in these Councils unless I changed my status to that of a Samoan, but may continue to advise the Faipule and the Samoans in an unofficial capacity, I readily accepted the situation and accom panied Mr. Turnbull, the Acting Adminis trator, to Mulinu’u, in order to explain the

position to the Faipule. Mr. Turnbull stated he would be pleased to have me attend the Fono in the unofficial capacity suggested, but the Faipule and the Sa moans pressed for my official appointment to the posts named. The points raised by the Samoans were: 1. That when the Fono of Faipule became a purely Samoan body, with power to legislate for the Samoans without white representatives of the Government holding authority, there would be no room for anyone with other than Samoan status; but while the power was still in the hands O f white representatives of the Government, the Samoans should have the right to elect Samoans of part-European blood, holding European status, to become their representatives, so they may be equal in status with the white representatives on the Government side. 2. That the interpretation of the European status of part-Samoans as disclosed in the present atti tude of the Government placed a disability on part-Samoans and Samoans, because full Europeans were allowed to hold offices not eligible to part- Samoans without foregoing their European status. 3. That the Samoans should not be deprived of the right to have part-Samoans represent them in public and national affairs, or help in the inauguration of the new policy, because part - Maoris have never been prevented from associat ing themselves with the public and national affairs of the native Maoris in New Zealand, irrespective of whether the former were of Maori or European status —such as was the case of Sir James Carroll, who became Minister of Native Affairs, while he held a seat in Parliament for a European elec torate. 4. That the suggestion of the possible exploitation of native lands by part-Samoans, if allowed to represent Samoan interests while holding Euro pean status, was not justified, because the whole of the land in Samoa now held by Europeans on freehold title was originally acquired by full Europeans and not by part-Samoans, and no part of the land is known to have been received by part-Samoans as a gift from their Samoan rela tions. It is only in fairness to the part-Samoans

of European descent that this fact should be made known.

“I nevertheless retired from the Fono and have not attended it since, but have rendered the Acting Administrator every assistance whenever I was asked for such, as undoubtedly he will be pleased to admit.

He also will admit that my presence at the Fono would have been most helpful to him in the reconciliation of the different view points of the Samoans and the Adminis tration.

Chinese Repatriation

“The white planters sent representatives to solicit my advice and assistance in bringing their case before the Samoans in regard to the retention in Samoa of the necessary number of Chinese coolies for the plantations under conditions which would remove any cause for justified com plaints by the Samoans. I received the planters’ representations in a friendly spirit, as will be proved by my letter to Mr. D. R. Eden (President of the Planters’

Association) of September 30, and my let ter to the Prime Minister of October 12, on the same question, copy of which was sent to Mr. Eden.

“The attitude of the Planters’ Associa tion towards me has been most unfriendly, deliberately so in my opinion, to say the best of it, more especially in view of the sympathetic spirit, in which I have re ceived their representations and in which I have successfully held up the Mau demand for repatriation of the Chinese from September 9 to October 6.”