9 —A. 48.

A. —4b.

The one on the estimates has nothing to do with the Borough Councils of Suva or Levuka. You have no municipality in Samoa, have you I—No.1 —No. The whole work here is done by the Administration ? —Yes. Now, was that a fair comparison to make under those circumstances ? —That was the only one shown on the estimates. Has it never occurred to you before that Suva and Levuka do their own work ?—No. It did not occur to you until I pointed it out to you just now ? —No. I sincerely trust that you will fulfil your promise to assure the Natives of the value of the Department they have working for them. Before I conclude I would like to fortify you by reading from the " Health Survey of the New Hebrides, with Special Reference to Hookworm Disease," by Dr. S. M. Lambert: that is a specialist's study of hookworm in the tropics, in his report on the New Hebrides. He states this : " The vital question as to whether the decline of native Pacific races can be checked, and their numbers be brought back, has been answered brilliantly by the New-Zealanders in Samoa, by extensive efforts against hookworm disease and yaws, especially with good hospitalization and the establishment of confidence in their Government in the Samoan mind. In a period of less than three years a birth and death rate practically equal has been changed to a birth-rate of 55 and a death-rate of 22, with an infant-mortality rate that many civilized countries might envy. Samoa lays emphasis on her yaws and hookworm campaigns as the important features of this racial recovery." That is the testimony of Dr. Lambert, to the effect that Samoa has practically had a triumph in dealing with these two diseases which is an example to the rest of the tropical world. And you did not know that ? Ido suggest to you, Mr. Williams, as a member of the Legislative Council, that you should be proud to have that testimony from men such as that to the gentlemen controlling the medical administration of this country. Mr. Baxter: I will have to add just a bit to my opening addresses. This is not a reiteration but something fresh. Since making my address I have had a chance to peruse the report of the Samoan Petition Inquiry Committee, and I find attached to it, in the appendix, a review of the political situation by His Excellency the Administrator, page 162. (See Exhibit No. 52a.) It is followed by another report by His Excellency the Administrator. I find on perusing this that I must mention it in my opening address. A large amount of evidence will be called that will counteract this latter, but there is no necessity for me to mention more than one or two points. I have discussed with my learned friend the course which I propose to follow. There is a reference there to " one person with one object only, as the originator of the present trouble—viz., Mr. Nelson, the wealthy half-caste merchant, whose aim was apparently to increase his power and influence, particularly in Native affairs, and so materially enhance his commercial interests." Evidence will be necessary to prove that it has not been created by one man and that Mr. Nelson's commercial interests have not been enhanced. In the last line, sir, of the next paragraph, there arises the statement " support from a number of Native chiefs principally dismissed officials or police offenders, was the natural consequence of this propaganda." It will not be denied that there are some dismissed officials and police offenders amongst the supporters of the Mau, but it will be shown that they are not the principal supporters of the Mau, or that the bulk of the Mau is not made up of such persons. Then, in the next paragraph, "in order to add weight to his movement Mr. Nelson adopted an unprecedented plan, by forming a combined committee of Europeans and Natives to work together for political objects." I propose to call evidence to show that this committee was elected at a general meeting and was not created by Mr. Nelson as stated. Also, in the next paragraph there is a statement that " the other Europeans joined apparently to increase their political or commercial interests." That will be counteracted ; and then, starting on the fourth line, " I therefore warned them to cease their activities in regard to the Natives, but they unfortunately refused to do so, and subsequently found themselves forced into a position of supporting Mr. Nelson in his strenuous efforts to disturb the Natives." That, of course, will be denied. Near the bottom there is a reference to the Samoa Guardian paper publishing " statements calculated to appeal to the lower instincts of the Natives" ; and then there is a suggestion, " Mr. Nelson's committee, through his traders and certain Natives in receipt of material benefits." Evidence will be called to deny that. Then, sir, in this paragraph here there is a reference, just after the Minister's visit, " I anticipated that my annual malcuja round the islands, commencing in July, would end the trouble ; but the demonstration of Natives organized by Mr. Nelson and his colleagues for the purpose of impressing the Minister on the day of his interview with the committees, followed by Mr. Nelson's speeches to large numbers of Natives assembled at the Village of Lepea, stimulated the agitation." Evidence will be called as to the nature of these speeches at Lepea, to show they were not in the nature of stimulating agitation, but were strictly in accordance with the request of the Minister of External Affairs that they should disperse the Natives. There is a statement lower down here that " the European members of the committee now thought they could cease from further Native activities and safely allow the Native members of their committee to carry on the campaign alone." That will be denied, and the reason for their dissociating themselves with the Natives will be shown to be the result of Mr. Nosworthy's letter, which told them to cease to have anything to do with the Natives. Then, the second paragraph from the bottom of page 163 contains the statement, " A demonstration was worked up by a troublesome young chief, Alipia, on the day the two ringleaders were sent to Apolima, but I took no steps to resist them and the demonstrators returned quietly to their homes." Evidence will show that that demonstration was squashed through the efforts of the two chiefs that were banished, and that in effect it was the banished people who took the Inspector of Police to Apolima instead of the Inspector of Police taking the banished people. Starting at the third paragraph there is a matter which will be dealt with quite seriously: " In order to further delay matters, the lawyer defending the cases of Fuataga and Tagaloa has

65