Misleading the Commission.

He did not tell the Commission that before the Mau started he had banished over fifty Samoans of high rank, some of whom were among the highest chiefs in the land. Neither did he tell the Commission that in addition to banishing them from their home villages to other villages, as far as sixty miles away, he had in most cases deprived them of the right to be called by their chiefly titles, which no administrator, governor, or ruler had ever before attempted to do.

He did not give the Mandates Commission such minor details as that these banishment orders were for anything from "three months" to "during my pleasure." He told the Commission that local banishment was an old Samoan custom, but he failed to add that it was only imposed by the village chiefs in council on one who oppressed the people, or whose presence was intolerable, when there were no other forms of punishment, and before the Samoans had to conform to a European code of laws.

The form of Order used by Sir George Richardson in banishing a chief would, perhaps, be interesting. The following is copied from an original:

page 13

Order of Local Banishment under the Samoan Offenders' Ordinance, 1922.

To Lelafu, A Samoan male of the village of Falefa.

I, George Spafford Richardson. Administrator of Western Samoa, being satisfied that the presence of you, Lelafu, within the district/village hereinafter mentioned is likely to be a source of danger to the peace, order and good government thereof Do Hereby in pursuance of the powers conferred on me by the above-mentioned Ordinance Order that within seven days from the date hereof you leave the district/village of Falefa in the island of Upolu in Western Samoa and reside and remain outside all villages of Western Samoa save and except the Village of Faleasi'U in the island of Upolu in Western Samoa during my pleasure And Furthermore that you cease from using the title Lefafu and in future be known by your original name of Tololi.

Witness my hand at Apia this 18th day of February, 1927.

(Signed) Geo. S. Richardson,

Administrator.

The above was issued against a Samoan chief who was one of the organisers of the Mau, then developing into a national movement to protest against the fifty-odd similar orders of banishment and degradation issued on leading Samoans prior to October, 1926, and other oppressive acts of the Administrator imposed on the Samoan people with the assistance of his Faipules, as enumerated above.