The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-05
Information hbodf
the Samoan Islands.

Washington, April 4--The people, pro-
ductions and commercial and strategic
Importance of the Samoan islands are dis
cussed In the current number OF the
Monthly Summary of Commerce and
Finance" Just issued by the treasury
bureau of statistics. The islands are To-
Gated about 1000 miles south and 800
miles west of the Hawaiian islands and
IA degrees south of the equator. They lie
In an almost direct line between San
Francisco and Australia, and slightly
south of the direct steamship line con-
Meeting the Philippines with the proposed
Panama or Nicaragua interoceanic ca
nails. Their special Importance, therefore,
lies more In their position as coaling and
repair stations on these great highways
of commerce rather than in their direct
commercial value. their population being
small and their imports and exports or
comparatively little Importance.
The group consists of 10 inhabited and
uninhabited islands, with an area of
LOO square miles. and an aggregate popu-
lation, according to latest estimates, OF
&c, 900 people, of which something over 90
are British subjects, 125 Germans, %
Americans, 25 French and 25 of other ma
tonalities, while the remainder are ma
tives of the PolyLesian race. The bulk
of the population is located in the three
islands of Upolou, Savaii and Tutuila; the
number in Upolou being 10000, SaVah
1850 and in Tutulla 1900. The Islands
are of volcanic origin. but fertile, produc-
ing cocoanuts, cotton, sugar and coffee,
the most important however, being CO.
coanuts, from which the "copra' OF COM
merce is obtained by drying the kernel
of the cocoanut, the "coDra,' winch ls
exported to Europe and the United
States being used in the manufacture OF
cocoanut oil. The expectation of copra
| from the islands In 1896 amounted to t.
565, ,9O9 pounds. valued at $231,372. A con-
siderable proportion of this was exported
| to the United States; larger proportion.
| however to Germany, whose citizens con-
| troll its commerce through trading COM
pany which has long been established
| there The cocoanut and copra produc-
| ton, however, varies greatly from year
| to year, owing to the fact that many OF
| the cocoanut trees have been destroyed
| in recent wars between native factions,
n single individual being able by cutting
| out the crown of the tree to permanently
| destroy in two minutes time the FRUIT
| bearing qualities of trees which require
several years for their growth. A COM
mission appointed to investigate titles 20
| lands alleged to have been purchased
from the natives in 1894 completed its Ia
bors confirming about 10000 acres of
q, 900 to Americans though much of this
: land has since changed hands.
o
| Especial interest attaches to these
| islands from the standpoint of the United
States by reason of the fact that the har-
Dor of Pago Pago, in the island Of Tutulla,
the southermost OF the group, was ceded
to the United States for a naval and
coaling station, first in 1872, and after
| trp1tX signed
Washington. Jan. II, 1873, and ratiications
exchanged on Feb. 13 of the same year
| by which the United States was given the
right to establish at that harbor station
for coalng, naval supplies, freedom of
| trade commercial treatment as a IA
| vored nation, and eXtra-territorial consul
lar jurisdiction. This harbor was occu-
pied by the United States In 1898, presum.
ably with the purpose of utilizing its ad-
vantages as a coaling and supply station
| Tutuila, the island upon whose coast the
harbor is located, has a population OF
300 and an area of $40 square miles aro
Savaii, $50 square miles.
| o
The imports during the fiscal year 1885,
| amounted $41S,Si of which S60,G24 came
from the United States. S645Oi from Ger
many, $154S from Great Britain, 1888, 1O'
from New South Wales and $1,000 from
New Zealand. In 1896. the imports were
1904 159, of which S47552 came from the
United states, $40, ,S02 from Germany. sl77S5
from the Australasian colonies, $7,0ii from
Great Britain and $21. .904 from other coun
tries The exports in 1895 were S256,75O II
value of which s33 $50 went to the United
States, being exclusively copra, $1G7,950 L
Europe of which s165 $50 was copra, anC
s2l74 cotton. The 1896 exports were $685.
O47, of which s2SlS72 was copra.