The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1895-03-12
THE CONDITION OF SAMOA.
A Chat with Medical Missionary
at Sydney, Australia.


airy work in the islands since 1866, >
said the Rev. DR.. Davies, of the
London Missionary Society, who ar
rived in Sydney by the John Will
liams on Monday, aud was seen by
"Daily Telegraph" reporter yester-
day. During the early portion OF
my resiience there the tendency
was towards slight increase in the
native population. Now, however,
it is rather the other way. What
with the two attacks of influenza
and an attack OF measles, from each
of which the natives suffered heavily,
combined with the losses directly
aud indirectly traceable to the wars,
the population has of late years been
showing signs of decrease. Origin
ally, the population was thought TO
be much larger than il really was.
The first census showed it to be
about $1,000. From that it increased
to $1,000 or $4,000. At the present
time it is below that, 100 or 1900
having been swept away 10y measles
alone. Still, the decrease is slow,
aud had it not been for those killed
in battle and those who died from
the result OF exposure during the
wars, | am not sure that we should
have had to chronicle decrease at
all"
"Are the people more religious to-
day than they were % years agoG-
81 cannot say that they are. They
all attended service then. And what
feel is that with the many adverse
influences that have been at work in
the islands during receut years, the
wonder is that religion has been
maintained as well as it has. In
some respects the Samoan has im-
proved. He is better educated to-
day than he was quarter OF a cen
tury ago; and with the exception of
'head-hunting' that goes on in time
of war, | think that the grosser
forms Of wickedness are not so ap-
parent as they were. Night dances
we're much more common at one
time than they are to day, aud al
though men get rid OF their wives
occasionally, polygamy, at one time
quite the rule, has practically come
to an end. This is good, as far as it
goes. Still, as | said before, no peo-
pie could help but retrograde under
political conditions like those pre-
vailing at the present time. The
trouble is that the Samoaus never
know what is going to happen. They
do not know whether they are going
to be allowed to fight or whether
the Powers are going to interfere ia
the interests OF peace. Sometimes
the Powers let them begin to fight,
and then step in and send them
back to their homes. Nor is there
much prospect OF a better state OF
affairs, so long as the representatives
OF three different nations have to
meet aud discuss matters before they
can take action.
IF you ask me what | think OF
the islands, politically, must say
that they are in wretched state.
Practically, we have no laws at all,
except in the Municipality of Apia;
and tho consequence OF that is that
a number of murders have been
committed during the last few years
for which nobody has been punished.
A code OF criminal laws was made
by Mr.. Cedercrantz few years ago.
They were translated and printed,
but, with the exception Of those re-
lating to treason, they have been a
dead letter. ] have never known
the islands with so little law in force
as at the present time. The old
Samoan club law has gone, and there
is nothing to replace it. To me, it
is perfectly clear that the existing
treaty will never work. There is no
cohesion, no continuity ia the form
OF government established under it.
In some respects the Powers have
done too much; in other respects too
little. The islands undoubtedly
ought to be placed under the con
troll Of one Power only. As Brit
isher, Of course, should say that
that Power ought to be Great
Britain; but, after all, that is point
upon which do not care to express
an opinion. The one redeeming
feature Of the Berlin Treaty is the
international Land Commission,
which, on the whole, has done its
work remarkably we'll"
In conclusion, DR.. Davies said that
the various rumors appearing in the
press from time to time about the
insecurity Of European life in Samoa
were quite unworthy Of credence
He did not believe that the lives OF
foreigners were less secure to-day