A.—4b.

Captain Bell was further asked:— What reception did you receive? —In the Faasaleleaga district it was satisfactory, because I went to the district which was composed of many Government people. I visited other places and practically no one met me except officials. At Palauli there was only the Faipule to meet me. At Satupaitea no officials met me —there was only an orator who was selected by the Mau to meet me. They are all Mau at Palauli except two, and they are all Mau at Satupaitea. How do they regard Government instructions ? —They have told me that they have instructions from the Mau Committee not to obey any Government instructions, or to do any Government work, or obey any laws from the Government. Captain Bell gave the following evidence in cross-examination (at page 315) : — Mr. Slipper.] You spoke of good feelings existing up to the inception of the Mau ? —Good feelings existed until after October of last year. But did you not know that there was a lot of discontent amongst the people ? —I know that there was alleged discontent. I never found any discontent. I have made special appeals on malagas and in no case anywhere have they told me what the trouble was. They referred to Apia every time. Previous to there being any committee did you not hear of dissatisfaction ? —Minor complaints only. Captain Bell also gave the following evidence (see page 316): — Do you think that in any sense they—the Samoans —are timid of approaching the Administrator or his officers with complaints that they have to make ? —Emphatically, no. They have a pretty wholesome regard for their rights, have they not ? —Yes, more that that — many petty minor matters that from their point of view are important. They are jealous of their rights, big or small ? —They are most jealous of their rights —jealous and sensitive. Are the Samoans prone to follow in any new venture or new experiment ? —Yes. If I started a Salvation Army movement here, there would not be a mission Native in the place. That is because of the novelty of the thing and because of the big drum ? —Yes. We are of opinion that between October, 1926, and June or July, 1927, there must have been an organized campaign throughout Samoa to spread the purposes of the Mau and to secure adherents for it. We think that this propaganda was continued after June or July, 1927. The Natives say that they were told by Mr. Nelson not to obey the laws and regulations of the Government, but little reliance can be placed on evidence of this kind. Undoubtedly the Natives recognized Mr. Nelson as the head of the organization, and would interpret instructions from the committee of the Mau at Apia as emanating from him personally. Mr. Nelson denies that he was concerned in any such propaganda, and, apart from allowing his traders to collect subscriptions for the Mau, there is no direct evidence that he was so concerned. It must be borne in mind that evidence of such intervention would be difficult to obtain. There is evidence that the Mau soon displayed its objectionable characteristics. Seinafo (see page 260) a member of the Council of the district of Va'a-o-Fonoti, produced a letter addressed to the Faipule, signed by the ali'i and Faipule of a village called Salatele in Upolu. This letter was dated 24t"h April, 1927, and reads : "We are not attending " (referring to a meeting of the District Council which had been called). "It is not because we oppose your order and the DistrictCouncil, but we are not satisfied with the announcement by the leader of the fetu, and also there have been too many orders from yourself. Therefore we notify hereby that we will not attend. We will not abide by any more orders or any instructions from the District Council." The fetu referred to in the letter is a species of Boy Scouts, and, without entering into any detailed discussion, appears to us to have been unobjectionable. In July, 1927, a chief named Tamaseu was convicted that he did on the preceding 20th June at Apia commit a breach of the Maintenance of Authority in Native Affairs Ordinance, 1927, in saying in the hearing of a number of Samoans, "We will not obey orders of the Government; we will not search for beetles ; we will not pay taxes, and we do not attend any more district meetings held by the Faipule." On the sth July, 1927, a number of chiefs, adherents of the Mau, wrote to the Administrator : — We the selected representatives for the whole of Western Samoa in the matter of the Mau, with due respect. advise Your Excellency of our opinions, which are endorsed bv all Western Samoa, and

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