A. —4b

Judge MacCormick: It does not seem to me that you are answering the Chief Justice's question. What the Committee said is on record, and we know that. What did it want done—what did it want the Minister to do ? I have read with great interest, for instance, the report of the interview, the Minister's verbal reply and his written reply. They point out many things which they think are wrong. That is a very easy thing to do. What the Chief Justice is asking is, what did they want done ? That is a most important thing. Mr. Baxter : My instructions that I received after reading this report through were these : that their idea was to bring these matters before the Minister. They considered that they had put arguments' there sufficient to cause the Minister to make inquiries into these matters. Their idea was that they wanted to raise the interest of the Minister to such an extent that he would inquire into matters fully and definitely—to see whether what they stated was right, or whether their allegations were wrong; and they thought that the Minister, having so inquired into matters along the lines they suggested, would be convinced from his own inquiries of the necessity for an alteration. They did not presume to suggest schemes in their place, and all they wished was that the matters complained of to the Minister would bring ab jut a proper inquiry either by himself or by some other independent person, and that something more than official reports would be sought. That was the idea at the time. They did not presume to say Judge MacCormick : If the Minister said, " I will sit down myself and inquire into these things," what was the committee going to ask him to do ? It seems to me that we are still without the information which the Chief Justice is asking. Mr. Baxter : If the Minister said, " I will sit down and inquire into things," they would have been quite satisfied, provided that the Minister also asked questions of others on the beach. The idea was to try and create an inquiry into the affairs complained of. They did not presume to say that they knew how to govern the country; they only wanted to suggest points that they could see were not working rightly, and they only wanted the Minister to inquire into it in order to get these points put right. They did not presume to say that they knew how to govern the country. The Chairman: Then I may take it, so far as you are instructed, that the object of the committee was to ensure the investigation of complaints, and that their purpose was not to put forward any general scheme of reform in the system of administration in the island ? Mr. Baxter : That was not their idea, sir. The next point I wish to mention is with respect to Government interference in the purchase of copra. Under this heading I propose to call the evidence of the representatives of the companies of Burns, Philp (South S§a) Co., Ltd.; Morris, Hedstrom, Ltd.; P. C. Fabricius, Ltd. ; and 0. F. Nelson Co., Ltd. These are the principal trading businesses in the country, and the three first have been in no way associated with politics throughout this trouble. The secretary of the Chamber of Commerce will also be called to produce a letter. The evidence will show that, despite statements to the contrary, the Government's scheme of purchasing copra or of advancing against copra was commenced at the beginning of this year—not before the Mau had started, but after the Mau started, some months ago. These gentlemen will each produce figures worked out to show the cost per ton of getting copra from the Native vendor to the purchaser in London, to show that only a reasonable profit is made on the copra, and that the allegations that the Natives have been exploited is not true. These figures will also show that the merchants could not pay the price that the Government is now advancing. The difficulties of the purchase of two grades of copra in this country, and the reason for it, will be pointed out. The evidence will also show that the Administration has in no way sought to discuss the position with the merchants, or to see if the merchants are agreeable to work in with a scheme for the purpose of improving the quality of the copra in this country by giving a better price. Mr. Meredith : The Administrator never discussed it with them ? Mr. Baxter: No. Mr. Meredith : Either as to the price or as to the quality. Mr. Baxter : That is so. The letter to be produced by the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce will show that they received an answer to the effect that he is satisfied they are not getting a sufficient amount for their copra. As a matter of fact, the merchants are quite prepared to work in with any scheme for the improvement of the quality of the copra, provided it is a workable scheme, and one that is within the financial possibilities and not one that is outside. Mr. Brady, of Messrs. Burns, Philp will also point out the inadvisability of the collecting of taxes by copra. The Chairman : Taxes by copra ? Mr. Baxter : Yes. That heading might be taken down to this ; that the allegation is that the Government has interfered in the copra trade without duly considering the rights of those who are paying licenses, and without inquiring into the position fully in order to ascertain what is a fair price to pay for copra in this country. The evidence under the heading of " Medical " will be mainly Native evidence. It appears in the committee's report, and Mr. Williams will go into the box to give evidence on the question of the necessity of a purely administrative man being in charge of the Department. The Native evidence will be directed to the medical tax. This tax is now being included in the " personal tax "to a certain extent. It is one of the sources of complaint, and there will sure to be Native evidence on it. They claim it was brought in by the Faipules without the consent of the Faipules' district—that is, different political districts which the Faipules represent. Judge MacCormick : They had no power to impose the tax ? Mr. Baxter : That question will be brought up later on. The Natives also complain that the tax is unfair, in that certain Natives get more benefit under it than others. The Natives around Apia, Tuasivi, and Aleipata, where there are hospitals and dispensaries, are able to seek medical attention and assistance the whole time ; but the others are not in that position, being too isolated to get it, and the only attention they get is an occasional medical malaga, when that takes place. The next point

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