Sāmoa mo Sāmoa - foolish motto?

Invincible Strangers 42 Chapter 18.2

Commodore George Swabey, 47, went ashore. Richardson had reported that there was a ‘state of lawlessness’ with around 200 Mau along Beach Road, many of them picketing shops to maintain the boycott. Swabey thought it orderly: ‘I did not actually see any interference personally but the Mau, armed with sticks etc, were in evidence everywhere, and it was obvious that the law was not functioning’. Under the naval guns, Richardson called the Legislative Council into session to pass what he called ‘a little emergency legislation’ that would give police powers to arrest without warrants. It created new offences including that of wearing Mau uniforms, collecting money for the Mau and failing to assist the police. ‘Disturb areas’ could be created with powers to the police to clear them.

‘The Mau have assumed a form of intimidation,’ Richardson said. ‘The natives come along and say that they have been intimidated.”

Royal Navy Marines arresting Mau. Pix NatLibrary