The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-06-08
SAMOAN AFFAIRS.

The Latest Information of the Proceed
ings at the Berlin Conference.
(From Our San Francisco Correspondent
DR. Knappe, formerly German
Consul at Apia, Samoa, denies that
Mataafa ordered his adherents to aid
in rescuing the sailors of the German
men-of-war recently wrecked at that
place. On the contrary, he says,
Mataafa forbade his followers to as
sist the Germans in any way.
DR.. Knappe, in his report, severely
censures the loose discipline of the
American sailors in Samoa He &C
cuses them of thievish propensities
and fondness for liquor.
The draft of the proposed court to
decide the land tenure questions in
Samoa has been prepared by com
mittee of the Conference. The court
will consist of one representative of
each interested power and two Sa-
moaese. Secretary Sewal proved
untenable certain German land
claims and showed the Conference
that the amount Of land claimed by
foreigners was more than the total
area of the island. The committee
declined to hear Brandeis on the
| losses of German planters as invOlv-
ing no question of indemnity.
The English and American dele
made. They think the Conference
will finish its labors by June. De
velopments prove that the English
delegates have been instructed to
| join the Americans in opposing Ger
man pretensiOns. The report that
| Sewall, Parker and Buckingham are
not officially recognized is a canard
1t is stated that Germany will con
sent to have MahetOa reinstated
King of Samoa, provided the United
States purchases the German plan
| tatiOns, or guarantees payment If
| the SamOans purchase them. Ger
many is willing to waive her de-
mands for the punishment of Mataafa
| if the relatives of the slain Germans
are compensated. Germany will not
claim political preponderance over
| the islands.
The Vossiche Zeitung says: The
! American Commissioners to the Sa-
moan Conference have been in
stucted by their Government to de-
| mand the neutrality Of the islands,
the administration of Samoan affairs
by Samoans, and to urge the claim
! of the United States to the right to
establish the coaling station at Page
Pago. The demands of the United
| States, however, are not intended to
| prevent other powers from exercising
| influence in accordance with their
! interests.
Kasson, Phelps and Bates and
| Lieutenants Buckingham and Par
| ker went on May 9TH to Prince Bis
| marck's, and were introduced by
| Count Herbert. The Prince was ex-
tremely cordial and spoke in English.
! He said he was glad that the Con
ference was progressing so favOrably.
He hoped that they would soon bring
| their labOrs to successful close.
The first thing that met the eyes
| of the commission were large cabinet
| photographs of Cleveland and Bay
ard, both signed. The Prince wore
an undress cuirassier uniform, and
in the garden were two big mastiffs
one the gift of the Emperor.
| The Prince, explaining to the com
missioners how it happened that they
never meet him in the street, said,
playfully, that he knew so many PEG
pie in Berlin that he would have to
walk down the Linden bareheaded,
SO he never went. The visit lasted
| half an hour.
The Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung
believes that the Samoa Conference
will decide that a foreign adviser
to the Samoan King shall be APP
pointed yearly to represent III
rotation the countries Interested.
The Samoan Conference held a
plenary sitting on May llth begin
ming at 2:3O and concluding at 4:45
In It's report the Committee on the
! Government of Samoa agreed upon
| constitutional council TO be dOmin-
ated by the Ministry, in which each
treaty power shall have one repre-
sentative. A difference has arisen
over Germany's proposal that the
! Powers appoint a premier, who shall
! be vested with Office for several
years. The proposal appeared to
imply that German nominee
should first hold the Office and be
succeeded by an American and then
] by an English premier. The com
! mission also disagreed IN the fOrIna-
ton of the Legislature. The dis
| cussiOn of the conference had no
| definite result. Count Herbert Bis
marck indicated that the premier
project was of less importance than