St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-05
NO USE FOR SAMOA.
COMMISSIONER CHAMBERS RE-
PORTS IN RE THE ISLAND.
UNCLESAM NOT INTERESTED
Not Over Thirty American Land
Pango HarbOr Useless.

WASHINGTON, April 1.-The report
of WI. Chambers, United States land
commissioner to Samoa, dated Feb. 5,
1895, was made public today. MIR.
Chambers was one of three commits
sioners appointed by the treaty powers
of Great Britain, Germany and the
United States under the provisions OF
the Berlin treaty to adjust and set
tie all claims by aliens to lands in
Samoa, The final meeting of the COM
mission was held Dec. 5, 1894, at Apia,.
and its reports were turned over to,
the chief justice of Samoa as required
by the treaty and are now in his Gus
tody. These reports include all the
title papers to Samoan lands and are Of.
considerable value They give in de-,
tail the history of each of the 3,942
claims investigated. !
In view of these facts Mr.. Chamberst
earnestly recommends that the re-,
ports, which have already cost the
three governments many thousands of
dollars and involve the rights to prop
erty said to be worth many millions,
should be published. He says he feels
honored by the Endorsement given thiSS
proposal by the United States and can
not. understand why it has received So
little consideration on the part of the
imperial governments of Germany and
Great Britain, as the subjects of each
of these governments in Samoa largely
OUTNUMBER AMERICANS,
while their properties are many times
more valuable. The entire work could
be put into permanent form for pres
ervation for about $4,000. An exhibit
attached to the report shows that the
total number of claims filed before the
commission was 3,942. OF these 1,422
were German, 1,572 British, 307 Amer
can, 1926 French and 100 miscellaneous.
The total claims aggregated 1851, 1892
acres, while the island only contains
$4,000 acres. Only s per cent of the
claims were confirmed. The board
claims amounted to 1,250,270 acres, ow-
ing to the fact that one man under
large number of deeds, claimed practi-
cally the island of Savii, which con-
tains nearly half the acreage of the
entire country. This same man also
held large claims in other islands, but
all except about $4,000 acres of his
claims were rejected.
The vast bulk of acreage claimed by
Americans was also rejected because
of the manifestly inadequate con-
sideration given for it, and because
the titles We're defective under sew
eral of the provisions of the treaty.
About LOCO acres were confirmed to
Americans. Most of them belonged to
a corporation composed of San Fran
cisco stockholders.
"At the time the investigation took
place." says Mr.. Chambers, this cor
poration was insolvent, and is still re-
ported insolvent. The titles were con-
firmed to certain trustees. None of the
stockholders resided in Samoa, and,
so far as my investigation of the mat
ter went, none of them had ever re-
sided there; nor has the company nor
its trustees an agent in the country.
Deducting the land confirmed to this
company, / think it safe estimate
that not exceeding 1900 acres were
confirmed to all other American claim
ants. The land of this San Francisco
company is known to be for sale, and
is more liable to be sold, if at all. to
English or German subjects than to
other Americans, for, whatever in
ducement there may be for English
or German investment in Samoan
land, I cannot see that there exists
any reason for further American in
vestments.''
Continuing, Mr.. Chambers says he
heard of only nineteen bona fide
AMERICAN SUBJECTS
in the country exclusive of officials
and does not believe there are thirty
: americans there all told, including
those who claim citizenship through
naturalization. He says there are sew
eral well-to-do Americans, engaged
principally in mercantile pursuits. one
of whom is the wealthiest man in the
country. Some of these are married I'd
native women, and probably will never
return to the United States for that
reason.
Il have been thus explicit in referl
ence to the property owned by Ameril
cans, as we'll as to the number of
Americans in the country" continues