Vigorous New Party In
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Samoan Election
Vigorous New Party In The Field
From Our Own Correspondent APIA. March 25.
KEEN public interest is being taken in the election of five European mem bers to the Legislative Assembly, constituted under the new Constitution for Samoa. The election will take place on April 28, and over 1,000 persons will vote.
It will be noted that, for electoral pur poses, the large Euronesian population of Samoa, comprising over 5,000 persons, takes the status of Europeans. There are only some 200 full Europeans now re maining in Samoa.
It is expected that the election will be strongly contested between two parties— the United Citizens Party, which is backed by the leading businessmen of Apia—and the Saimoa Labour Party, at the head of which is Mr. A. Stowers.
The Hon. A. G. Smyth, MLC, called a meeting on March 16 and announced that he intended to retire from the adminis trative body. The meeting was called originally to discuss the nomination of candidates and to listen to addresses of prospective candidates; but a motion to form a new political party, to be called United Citizens Partyy was moved by Messrs. E. F. Paul and E. Annandale, and carried. A committee of 30 residents was nominated: and from members of this committee 5 candidates will be selected as the candidates of the Citizens Party.
Three men who announced that they would seek election are Messrs. E. F. Paul, J. Helg and P. W. Glover. Mr. A. M.
Gurau also addressed the meeting and said that he would stand as an Inde pendent candidate, in the interests of wage-earners and officials outside the new party.
At a second meeting, on March 23, a total of nine candidates for election was announced, and the party will now hold a ballot to select the five candidates for election on April 28. As the Labour Party is certain to nominate at least five can didates, it is expected that there will be from 10 to 15 candidates for the five As sembly seats.
One of the hardest workers and most enthusiastic members behind the new United Citizens Party is Miss Billy Nelson, daughter of the late Hon. O. F. Nelson, who took such a prominent part in Western Samoan politics twenty years ago. rpHE aims and objects of the United
X Party are:
“To combine the European citizens of
Western Samoa as a Party to work shoulder to shoulder in the development of Samoa, along democratic lines of modern thought and progress, at the same time giving due courtesy to the traditions and dignity of Samoa.
“To educate public opinion regal’ding the rights and duties of citizens.
“To defend every European citizen's statutory acquired and legitimate rights, and those of their dependants, and to support and to protect their status and their interests, and to do such things as are incidental or conducive to the at tainment of the above objects.
“To nominate selected candidates to the Legislative Assembly and to support, wholeheartedly, those nominations and assist the candidates in their election campaigns.”
Major-General Basil Morris, who com manded in Papua Guinea until ANGAU was formed, and then had charge of ANGAU, is now living quietly in Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria. It will be remembered that General Morris re tired at the end of 1946, and then (see “PIM” of January, 1947) was openly critical of the policy of Mr. E. J. Ward’s civil government. His friends say that everything that has happened in the Territories since 1946 has justified his criticism.