O’Brien v. Seddon.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 186, 14 August 1901, Page 1

O’Brien v. Seddon.

EEV. SLADE GIVES HIS OPINION

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) Wellington, last night. The Rev. Mr Slade, Chairman of the Wesleyan Mission in Fiji, has sent a letter to the Premier, expressing satisfaction at the suspension by Mr Chamberlain of the last ordinance passed by the Governor of Fiji, and hoping Mr Seddon’s effortsjwould procure its cancellation. Mr Slade claims that the missionaries know tho natives

better than the Government officers, and that Sir George O’Brien knows nothing at all of natives. He justified his speech at Wainiskoasi by saying that the Federation party in Suva had sent emissaries to persuade the natives not to pay taxes. At that moment the Mission Synod was sitting, and particular enquiries were made whether they had hoard of these emissa-

ries. None had done so. Sir G. O’Brien’s allegations of probable trouble, in Mr Slade’s opinion, are just as groundless. The discontent there is caused by the irksome system of government under which a man has so ask for official permission to sell his basket of yams. Had Sir G. O’Brien sat less on his dignity and moved freely about the colony he might have learnt something of what the natives really are, and been less likely to be influenced by the recklessly inaccurate reports of his own officers. That the condition in Fiji calls for an ordinance so unEnglish as the one just suspended is as gross a libel, says Mr Slade, as the Wainibokasi speech was on Now Zealand. Mr Slade ,regrets in conclusion that ho is unable to visit Wellington and confer personally at length with the Premier on Fijian matters.