[?]Amoan Mla’S

[?]Esent

[?]Ewspaper’S Attacks

CONSIDERABLE sharp criticism ■J of the Samoan Legislative ssembly by the weekly newspaper ulletin is given piquancy by the icts that the newspaper is owned by ic Hon, E. F, Paul, one of the uropean MLA’s, and is edited by a Dung man who has not been long lough in the Territory to have ;arned much of its history and >cial background.

The Bulletin says that the Assem [y has failed to gain the full interest id confidence of the majority of ic people; but supplies little to ibstantiate the statement.

There was an unhappy incident tely when the High Commissioner Mr. Powles) inadvertently made se of an expression which the ssemblymen regarded as casting an npleasant reflection upon the amoan people generally. When the tter adopted a resolution censuring te HC, the Bulletin rather savagely >ok up the cudgels on behalf of the te HC, whereas it easily could have lured oil upon troubled waters.

As a further step towards self ivernment, Samoa is to have an xecutive Council. The Samoans id Europeans of the Assembly are most unanimously of opinion that ich section should have the right to ect its representatives on the Execu ve Council, instead of the appoint lent being made on the High Com lissioner’s nomination; and they old strongly that the HC should ot have the right to terminate xecutive Council appointments, at is discretion.

Maybe, on the basis of systems perating elsewhere, there is some ling to be said in favour of the [C’s claim; but the fury with which ic Bulletin has said it loses some of s effect when it is remembered that ic Bulletin’s owner is Mr. Paul, who 'aims that, because he topped the .ssembly election figures, he should atomatically become a European jpresentative on Exco.

It is rather a pity that these petty lings should poison the atmosphere f the new legislative machinery, ecause the Assembly, now it is in its jeond 3-years term, really is doing n excellent job, and giving impres ve evidence of the local com munity’s capacity for self-govern lent.

At first, proceedings were some what hampered by the Samoans’

traditional habit of long-drawn-out and flowery oratory and leisurely political debate; but, in a surprisingly short time, both Samoans and Europeans have learned that, in these days, the call is for summarised statement, logical thinking and reasonably quick decision. With commonsense, and under high official encouragement, the Assembly is

showing that it can be of real help in the task of government, Assemblymen rather resent the newspaper’s irresponsible and unhelp ful attacks, because the establish ment of the newspaper was so largely assisted by the action of the Government (endorsed by the Assembly) in paying several hundreds of subscriptions.