Samoan Legislative

Council Views of Hon. O. F. Nelson

From Our Own Correspondent

Apia, Feb. 14..

TWO new European representatives (Hon. O. F. Nelson and Dr. C. M.

Dawson) and two new Samoan re presentatives, Hon. Asiata Muese and Hon. Faalava’au. were welcomed at the Legislative Council meeting by the Act ing Administrator (Mr. A. C. Turnbull).

Mr. Turnbull said that the heavy damage done to roads and bridges by the recent heavy storms and floods had to be provided for. Fortunately, the rev enue of the territory is expected to be sufficient to meet the expenditure until the end of the financial year. Consider able damage has been done in outside districts, particularly in Savaii. He com mended the Public Works Department and the director (Mr. Schaaffhausen) for good work in speedily restoring road and water services, and the Health De partment for measures to prevent disease from flood refuse and stagnant water.

The principal business before the Coun cil was “Building Construction Ordin ance 1939”. which is to establish within the municipality a concrete area, where new buildings have to be built in con crete or brick. This is a sequence of the disastrous fire a year ago, when Messrs.

Bums, Philp’s large wooden copra shed, containing 1,000 tons of copra, was des troyed. This shed has been replaced by a shed of concrete and iron.

The Administrator said that the larger business concerns are already building in concrete. It was claimed that the new ordinance would impose undue hardship on persons possessing small capital, by forcing them to replace old buildings with concrete structures. Mr.

Turnbull assured the Council that there was no desire on the part of the Admini stration to cause any hardship to any individual whatever. The Administrator under Clause 8 of the Bill has discre tionary powers to grant relief from the provisions of the Ordinance in cases of hardship. On the other hand there would be a very considerable saving in insur ance rates and also in maintenance cost for concrete and brick buildings.

The storage of copra in wooden pre mises within the business area consti tuted a great danger and it is proposed to legislate to meet the situation.

Hon. O. F. Nelson, in a long address, gave an outline of the long-standing dis pute regarding his candidature as repre sentative of the Samoans on the Council, and stated that his political views had been distorted by press propaganda. He said that it was the late General Rich ardson who had invented the slogan “Samoa for the Samoans” and that he had adopted this slogan, including in the term “Samoans” all permanent residents of Samoa, who have made their homes here, or who have interests here for themselves or others.

Mr. Nelson admitted that a fire-proof concrete area in Apia would be of com mercial advantage, and he would sup port the Bill—if it were brought in when people were in the financial position to meet the additional cost. He read letters of protest from the Apia Chamber of Commerce and the United Progressive Party, which said that the new law

would impose hardships on the small business people of Apia, especially at the present time, but that some regulations regarding storage of copra in Apia sheds would be welcomed and supported. Insurance on the present wooden buildings would in no case be nearly sufficient to rebuild in concrete. The ultimate resuit of the Ordinance would be to drive the small business man out of business.

Mr. Nelson strongly opposed any discretionary powers being granted by the present or any other Ordinance to the Administrator. He said such a delegation of power and authority is “bad law’’ and that through it he personally had been subjected to hardships, humiliation, degradation and irreparable losses. c-amnan members pxnresspri aP ree The Samoan mempers expiessed agreement with Mr. Nelson.

The second reading of the Bill was

postponed.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Bower arrived in New Zealand on leave by the February “Maui Pomare” from Apia, Western Samoa. He recently has been Acting-Inspector of Produce in Samoa, during the absence in N.Z. of Mr. H. S. Newton on furlough, Rev. and Mrs. G. T. Warren, of 8.5.1., have resigned from the Melanesian Mis sion and have returned to England. Mr.

Warren has been head of the boy’s school at Maravovo since 1921, and Mrs.

Warren has been actively engaged in mission work for the past 19 years, Mr. P. Coote, manager of Burns, Philp and Co., Ltd., at Rabaul, New Guinea, arrived in Sydney by the February “Macdhui” to spend three months’ fur ]oUgh. “Rabaul is just the same as ever’’, he said on arrival, “and trading condi tions are quite good, despite the depressed copra market.”