The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-05
THE BERLIN CONFERENCE.
Samoa Being Considered - Good Progress
Made, but Breakers Ahead.

Samoa Being Considered - Good Progress
Made, but Breakers Ahead.
BERLIN, May Copyright, 1889, by the
Newt York Associated Press. IA commit
tee Bf the Samoan conference has prepared
a draft of proposal to constitute a court
to decide questions of land tenure in Samoa.
The court is to consist OF one representative
of each of the interested powers and two
Samoans The complications connected
with existing tenures threaten to impede
its progress unless the commission relegates
the settlement OF the question to the pro
posed court. Sewell and Branders have
been present daily at the sittings.
Sewell proved the untenable character of
number of German land claims, and fur
Their showed that the extent of the land
claims by foreigners, as bought or coded,
were in excess of the area Of the Islands.
Branders gave evidence on the validity of
the German land titles, and said he desired
to be heard on the losses of the German
planters The commission declined to con
slider such losses as involving the question
of Indemnity.
1he English and American delegates ex-
press their satisfaction at the progress al
ready made, and all sides are hopeful that
convention will be concluded in June.
The attitude of the English delegates will
assist in the solution of the question. Be
/ fore the conference, il was suspected that
the entents between Berlin and London
would tend to throw the balances against
the American policy, but later develop
mentsEEarrant the belief that the English
delegates have been instructed to Join with
the American representatives in opposing
T German pretensiOnS to special rights.
The report that Sewali, Parker and
Buckingham are recognized officially and
are socially ignored, IS untrue. On the
contrary, they are well received every
where.
The banquet to be given by the American
commissioners Wednesday VIII be a bril-
! liant affair. There will De present, besides
all the members OF the conference, the full
diplomatic corps of all countries having re
representatives. . 'Nrlin.
The report IT. hnappe, ex-German
consul at Apia, was issued to-day.
I 1t is a lame defense of his own
conduct. IN it DR.. Knappe charges
the adherents of Mataafa, with
raiding the German planters, and describes
4 his efforts TO inL ice the insurgents to
abandon their position, which encroached
, upon the plantations. He says the dis
orders in Samoa were partly due TO Ameri
can Indictment.
The general tenor Of the report and its
. pulSNcation at the present iuncture sug-
1geStIa laJenL intention on Jne part OF DIS
marck to persist in his indemnity demands.
The appendix to the report gives the
American consurs edict prohibiting the
supplying of spirits TO sailors.
DR.. Knappe complains that toy flags and
handkerchiefs on which are imprinted the
American colors and the portrait of the
President of the United States have been
hoisted promiscuously over native houses
ever since the outbreak of civil war in
Samoa. He also says that American and
British flags were hoisted on plats OF land
pledged by the ''rebels' in lieu of cash in
payment for arms and ammunition. The
Commander of the British cruiser at Apia,
Z he says, declined to support claims to land
! thus pledged.
\ The Samoan conference sat to-day from
4 until > 30 o'clock The land report was
{ the subject under consideration.
Dr. Kranel read the land report to the
8 conference, which was accepted. The Ger
man representatives have consented to the
appointment of Buckingham, an American,
as Secretary to the conference.