Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-06-23
sAmoA-lTs PEOPLE, CLIMATE, ETC.
An Interview with ex-Comm ISIS Toner lido,
Letter from Conmlssioner Ormsbee.

An Interview with ex-CommissIoner lido.
Letter from Comm lssioner Ormsbee.
Meeting Hon. H. c. Ide Of st. Johnsbury,
ex-land commissioner to Samoa the other
day, q representative of the FREE Press
put some questions to him about tile Sa-
moan Islands, and the interests there which
call for the presence of land commissioner
from this country.
Americans and Europeans, said Mr.. Ide,
have been attracted to the Samoan Islands
by the opportunities to make money in the
raising and exporting of certain tropical
fruits and products. Tho islands are vol
canic and the soil around the shores is
rich. The inhabitants dwell for the most
part on the coast the interior being an un-
inhabited thicket TIE natives hold the
land in common under their chiefs; but
white men hold or claim the ownership OF
large tracts, obtained by grants or
purchase from the chiefs. One German
company has tract or tracts, which with
the buildings, carries mortgage of $500, 600;
and an American company has over 800, 600
invested there. The natives will not work ;
and the labor for the cultivation of the
lands is obtained from the New Hebrides.
From these the land and mercantile COM
panes and white men obtain, by contract,
men of different stock from the Samoans,
being smaller, wiry, quite black, and will
ing to work. One Of the chief products is
copra, which is the commercial name given
to the extracted meats of the cocoanut
| This is collected in masses OF hundreds of
tons, and shipped to Germany and else
where, chiefly for the oil contained in it,
Sugar and coffee are also raised
the Samoan coffee being not very
strong, but of superior flavor. Tropical
fruits, the banana, pine apple and others
abound and are raised with little labor The
| bread fruit. banana. taro-the latter being
a large tuher which fills the soil in the
places where it grows, and resembles the
sweet potato when cOoked-and fish, supply
the natives with all they need for their sus-
tenance, without cultivation or labor ex-
cept to gather them. The white merchants
and officials live pretty VOL. The steamers
from New Zealand and Australia which ar
rive almost weekly, bring live sheep, which
make the finest mutton. Beef is oh.
!
and eaten the next day, as it soon
| spoils in that hot climate. Poultry and
eggs are abundant. Wild pigeons are
plenty and make nice eating. The steamers
bring also potatoes, apples and the fruits
and vegetables OF the temperate zone.
| There is no ico-water for drinking is cooled
by evaporation in porous jars, and one soon
ceases to miss or long for ice water. During
the four rainy months, when the air is both
hot and loaded with moisture night and
day, the climate is oppressive to white men
but during the other eight months, from
April to November, when the trade winds
blow, it is quite endurabIe and Mr..
lie found IL wholesome, aud beneficial.
As the temperature Of the ocean in that
equatorial region is SO, there are are nc
cool sea breozes; but when no wind is blow.
ing the cold air settles down from the noun
tain tops at night, and often makes Il change
of from twenty to thirty degrees In the
temperature
''What are the duties of the land commits
sioner ~ Mr.. lde was asked.
''The changes of ruling Chiefs said Mr.
lde, ''and the loose way in which lands have
been granted to foreigners, have created G
vast amount Of litigation and uncertainty IL
titles. Grants from different successive
chiefs cover the same land, the bouudarie.
of tracts overlap, and many conflicts o.
ownership arise between white mon and Whit,
men and between white men and natives
The conflicting interests OF foreigners led t.
constant strifes and turmoil among the ma
| iypg 4.
three nations chiefly interested, Germany
England aud the United States a land com
mission was created, composed of represen
tatives of the three governments, which sit
as u court and decides the various question
involved.
''No less than 300 cases to be decided b,
the commission had been filed when wa
there and the hearing and settlement o
these will occupy several years"
Not wishing to leave his home and bust
ness for such IA period, Dir. lido resigned an
came home and Hon. e. j. Ormsbee wa
appointed land commissioner in his place.
We take the liberty of copying the fol
lowing passages from private letter re
Gently received from Gov. Ormsbee, whic
cannot fail to interest his many Vernon
friends.
COMMISSIONER oRMsBEE's IMPRESSIONS.
APIA, SAMOA, April "a, '92.
To-day is the coolest day since we reache
here. At s n. m the Thermometer marke
IT., at noon 49, and at 2 p. ID So, an
now, 6;30 p. m, 49, January was OF
tremely wet and hot, raining almost ever
. day, and much of tho time furiously. Eel
ruary was not as wet as usual, but excel
. tionally hot for that mouth and the sam
IL | NAV be said of March So that for tI,,.s