A.—s

50

We would like it very clearly understood at this point, and in any subsequent remarks that may be made, that we. have nothing but the highest opinion of the officers and men who compose the Force now in Samoa, and, as we are assured that they will not remain long in Samoa as constables, we would freely and gladly welcome them one and all as citizens, as we consider they would be a very creditable addition to our small community. In stating that such a strong and expensive Force is not warranted, we wish to point out that even in the very disturbed periods of Samoan wars the lives, though not always the unprotected property, of Europeans were never seriously endangered, except in cases where certain Europeans took active sides in the conflicts. This does not, of course, refer to the many and valuable lives of officers and men of different navies lost in trying to quell Native uprisings, when Forces six and seven times the proposed number of the present Force, when landed fully armed and assisted by machine guns, were not always eminently successful in preventing the Native wars—proving how totally inadequate the present force, however brave individually, would be in the case of an uprising, and yet how unnecessarily strong and expensive for tho simple policing of Samoa in times of peace, as at present, especially as far as the Natives are, concerned. We can assure you that some of the present officers and a few—say, half a dozen —selected men, put in charge of a strong Native Constabulary, would not only be ample, but far more effective, and much more in keeping with the general peace and safety of Samoa. Proclamation No. 65, and Sections Nos. 341 to 346 of Constitution. We ask for your earnest consideration of the following points. Revenue. —The average annual revenue for the past ten years derived from import duties on alcoholic liquor amounts to £4,028, and the average revenue from liquor licenses for the past six years was £198. The total amount received for duty and licenses for the year 1919 was £4,895. Consumers of alcohol pay these taxes in proportion to the extent of consumption, and non-consumers reap the benefit. The stoppage of importation will mean that some other source of revenue must be found, and the non-consumer will discover that he has to stand his part of this £5,1)00 which up to the present the consumer of alcohol has been paying for him. Might we inquire how the Cabinet proposes to replace this lost £5,000 ? Health. —With the exception of, perhaps, the most rabid prohibitionist, any one who has lived in the tropics for more than two or three years will admit that a certain amount of alcohol is necessary for the system. This will be endorsed by almost any member of the medical fraternity. We venture to say that during the epidemic of 1918 thousands of lives were saved by alcohol. No one who was not here at tho time can have any conception of the helpless state of the Native population during that dreadful time, nor of the splendid work done by the small band of military and civilians who volunteered to work, relieving the sick and burying the dead, and but for whom thousands of the Natives, unable to shift for themselves, would have died from starvation. Many of those engaged in this terrible work themselves had high temperatures and racking coughs, and only managed to keep going through the stimulating effects of alcohol. Without whisky it would have been a matter of physical impossibility for any white man to have handled the putrid corpses, some of which had been lying in their houses for three, four, and even five days. Strong men with hearty constitutions and stomachs like iron have, after handling some of these bodies, sat on the roadside and vomited, and declared, that it was impossible for them to continue ; and it is a matter of common knowledge that it was only through the stimulating effects of whisky that the work was carried on. Had there been no whisky to carry us through, the bodies would have remained unburied for weeks, and there would have been little if any relief work amongst the Natives, and as a consequence the death-rate would have been fully 50 per cent, higher than it actually was. Should we at some time in the futuro have another such visitation with no supplies of stimulants to help along the good work of relief, wo can assure you that the result is likely to be appalling. Terms of Mandate. —Either we have been misinformed or the terms of the Mandate do not call for total prohibition for Samoa. As interpreted to us, the Mandate states that liquor must not be allowed to Natives. To say that liquor cannot be kept from the Natives except by instituting prohibition is, to say the least of it, absurd. If you ask us to believe this, then we must also believe that you are unable to control the country as well as Germany could and did. Under German law supplying liquor to Natives was punishable by heavy penalty, and the Native found with liquor in his possession was also punished. With only two white police officers the Germans were able to so control the liquor traffic that drinking among the Natives was practically unknown. During military occupation the Natives were unquestionably supplied with liquor, but since the departure of the Forces there has been little sign of drink amongst the. Natives, with the exception of a few boys who appropriated the alcohol provided for use in the harbour-lights. We are informed that one of the arguments in favour of prohibition is that prohibition is in force in American Samoa. Thero is no parallel between the two places, as America Samoa is a naval station and automatically dry in accordance with American legislation, and that island is being administered by a country that is itself dry, and not by a country that has rejected prohibition in fair and open referendum. Effect on the Public of Proclamation No. 65. —We are assured that Proclamation No. 65 was not a military measure, and yet we have received no notification that we are not still a German colony under military occupation and subject to Gorman laws. We are also unaware that the Constitution has yet come into force, and we still maintain that the powerful machinery of military law was used to forco this measure upon the public. From the beginning, the majority of residents were not in favour of Samoa being placed under the control of New Zealand and this measure and the fact of it having been forced on us without any consultation of our wishes in the matter have almost completely alienated the sympathies of the public. If it is persisted with New Zealand will commence her administration of Samoa bitterly opposed by almost the whole of the settlers. You may consider that you are taking control of Samoa solely for the benefit of the Natives, and that the settlers are to be considered as passengers or strangers, and that their wishes are of little or no importance, but we can assure you that you will find tho difficulties of your task considerably enhanced if you attempt to control the country without the sympathy and co-operation of the public. Referring to the petition which was forwarded from here asking that Proclamation No. 65 be rescinded, and which was ignored except for a short cable message, we understand that every effort has been made in certain quarters to belittle the importance of the petition and the public meeting that led up to it. We can assure you that no more representative meeting was over hold in this or any other country. The statement that the meeting was engineered by a few people interested in the liquor trade will, not bear examination. The, meeting was called as the result of a universal outcry of indignation when Proclamation No. 65 was first made public. The petition was signed by all the principal residents, and we are almost certain was not signed by any soldiers or Civil servants, the latter having practically been ordered by tho Administrator not to sign. We understand that it is the desire of the New Zealand Government to foster trade, with Samoa, but it is more than evident to those who are in a position to note the popular feeling that if these sections of the Constitution are enforced, Samoa's trade with New Zealand will be confined almost entirely to commodities that are not obtainable elsewhere. We assure you that the high-handed and autocratic action of tho New Zealand Government in forcing prohibition on Samoa without consulting the residents has caused a feeling of grave mistrust, and is considered by almost the whole community here as unworthy of the democratic pretensions of that country, and we can scarcely bring ourselves to believe that such a thing could happen to people living under tho traditional liberty of the British flag. Wo strongly submit that tho liquor question of Samoa could easily and safely be handled under strict and capable Government control, and we believe that such Government control would meet all tho requirements of the Mandate and at the same time satisfy the public that their rights and liberties are not being trampled under foot and usurped. We now ask that, for the good of Samoa, for the good of the residents, and for the good of New Zealand, Proclamation No. 65 bo rescinded, and sections Nos. 341 to 346 of the Constitution be revoked or amended in such a form as to allow of the institution of strict and proper Government control.