He Helped

Death of A. G. Smythe He Helped Lead Samoan Mau

Over 60 years of Pacific his tory were bound up with the life of Mr. A. G. Smythe, who

died in Sydney on October 27

at the age of 81.

Mr. SMYTHE not only had an extremely interesting and varied personal life, but at one time or another, was connected with almost every big company that operates in the Pacific.

In the last 40 years he has become closely identified with Western Samoa—to such an extent that people forget that at earlier periods he lived and was well known in other Territories.

He was born in Maitland, NSW, and in about 1892 was at Thursday Island for Burns Philp & Co. Ltd.

It was there, in the Quetta Memorial Church, on October 8, 1900, that he married Miss Emily Richmond Brown. Fifty years later, when they celebrated their Golden Wedding in Apia, the whole town was en fete to celebrate with them. On this occasion, instead of personal gifts, friends and well wishers were asked to contribute to a Jubilee Fund, which was used for charitable pur poses.

From BP to Nelsons After their marriage at TI, the Smythes were transferred to Bowen, North Queensland, and later to Charters Towers. When he had been with BP’s for 16 years, Mr.

Smythe resigned and for two years conducted his own business in Bowen, but in 1910 he went to Port Moresby to manage the business of C. R. Baldwin, and then to Levuka, Fiji, as merchandise manager of Morris Hedstrom Ltd. He later be came a director, and in this capacity first saw Apia, Western Samoa, when in 1916 he went there to tender for the assets of DH & PG and other German firms that had been ex propriated. Two years later he re signed from MH Ltd. to go to Samoa for the late H. J. Moors, of Apia. A short period with O F. Nelson and Co Ltd. followed, and in 1920 he bought out the business of Neils Johannsen, which he operated up to the time the Mau trouble drove him temporarily from the Territory, In 1930, after a period of looking after the banished O. F. Nelson’s

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, he purchased the business N. Davidson, in Apia. He closely identified with this G. Smythe and Co. Ltd., ; death. )ly the most colourful period Smythe’s life was that by the years in which the Samoan nationalistic move vas dominant in Western politics. *n Samoan leaders resented tssed as a C Class Mandate Drld War I and the first 10 New Zealand’s administra the Territory was a period dering stupidity, which from lack of understanding >a or the Samoans by the r ho were placed in charge, f this muddled administra l Samoan unrest, was born i which had the sympathy imber of prominent Euro ncluding Mr. Smythe, Mr. elson and Judge Gurr, an n.

The Mau Troubles participation in the move ?an with the Citizens’ Corn set up in 1924 by Euro sidents, originally with the of protecting European in from the worst results of political muddle. Gradually, , some European members >rganisation became so tied the Mau that other mem :hdrew and the body dis tau troubles reached a peak )27, when the three Euro aders were “banished” by r Zealand Government. Mr. s term was three years, ie chose to spend in Fiji, le lived in semi-retirement slson and Judge Gore were

1 for longer periods).