A.—4b.

The statement made and action taken by the Administrator with respect to the public meeting held on the 12th November, 1926, are fully dealt with in the annual Mandate Report for 1926-27, at pages 3-4 and 41-44. The allegation respecting the refusal to receive in New Zealand a delegation from the Citizens Committee is not in accordance with the facts. The Minister of External Affairs stated that he was ready at any time to receive a European delegation with respect to European affairs, but he would not receive a Samoan delegation until he was assured that they were really representative of the Samoan race and that their views on Native Affairs were endorsed by the Fono of Faipules. Also the Minister informed them that he would shortly be visiting Samoa. One European member of the Citizens Committee, Mr. S. H. Meredith, did visit New Zealand in January, and the Minister of External Affairs was advised by the committee of his intended arrival. At no time during his stay in New Zealand did Mr. Meredith write to, or seek an interview with, the Minister. Yours faithfully, J. D. Gray, Secretary.

REPORT OF ADMINISTRATOR OF WESTERN SAMOA ON PETITION OF LAGAAIA AND 144 OTHERS. Department of External Affairs, Wellington, New Zealand, Ist September, 1927. The Clerk, Joint Samoan Petition Inquiry Committee. Dear Sib, — I am directed by the Hon. the Minister of External Affairs to forward for the information of your Committee a copy of the report of the Administrator of Samoa, dated Apia, Samoa, 4th August, together with enclosures referred to therein on the petition of Lagaaia and 144 others, praying for an amendment of certain features of the administration of Western Samoa. This report was received in a mail-bag delivered by the Office to this Department this morning. Yours faithfully, J. D. Gray, Secretary. Memorandum for the Hon. the Minister of External Affairs, Wellington, N.Z. Administration of Western Samoa, Apia, Samoa, 4th August, 1927. I have the honour to submit this my report on the petition to the New Zealand Government from the chiefs and orators of Western Samoa, dated 11th March, 1927. It will be seen from the following comments on the various paragraphs that a number of the statements are inaccurate, while some of the matters petitioned for are established facts. lam therefore of the opinion that neither the author of the petition was familiar with the details of Native administration in this Territory nor were the persons who signed the document cognizant of its full meaning. Paragraph 4.—Although this petition states, " We do not make this petition with any intention to deprecate the New Zealand Government, nor to deprecate any good work instituted for our welfare," some of the persons who signed the petition have consistently spread seditious propaganda amongst the Natives, deprecating New Zealand without just cause, and totally ignored the generosity of New Zealand towards the Natives of this country. I attach herewith a copy of a letter sent from Apia to an out-district by one of the Natives who signed this petition, and which is typical of the propaganda being spread around these islands, and for which Mr. Nelson and his European colleagues, who have initiated and directed the movement which gave rise to this petition, must be held responsible. Paragraph s.—The facts concerning the refusal to permit certain Natives to go to New Zealand to speak as accredited representatives for the whole of the Samoan race are given in a separate report, attached. The Natives concerned knew that they could appeal to the Secretary of the Department in charge of Native Affairs, or, if necessary, to me, if they considered themselves aggrieved, but they were obviously influenced not to do so by their European committee. They had openly boasted that they were going to have a trip to New Zealand to interview the Government. It was known that these individuals were not appealing for the redress of any personal grievances, and that, if approval were given, it would establish the precedent that any section of Natives could disregard their own local authorities and proper representatives and const tute themselves, or be constituted by interested European residents, to speak direct to the New Zealand Government on behalf of the Native race. I ascertained that the matters they wished to discuss they either did not understand or were for the most part imaginary grievances that had been created for them by the committee. Furthermore, it is, and always will be, vital to the maintenance of the authority of the Administrator and all Native officials of this Territory that the Natives should not be allowed to appeal to New Zealand until they have first placed their matters before the Administrator ; that no written appeals from residents or

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