The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-03
Statistics That Arc Interesting in
View of the German Attempt to
Gain Control of the Islands.
OUR HARBOR At PAGO-PAGO
REVIEW OF EVENTS LEADING TO
THE PRESENT TROUBLE.
Washington O6ciaIs Confident the
Dispute Will He Pcaceably Ad-
justed by Commission.



WASHINGTON, April 1.-The people, pro-
ductions and commercial and strategic i'm
portance of the Samoan islands dis
cussed in the current number of the Month
ly Summary of Commerce and Finance, just
issued by the Treasury Bureau of Statistics.
The islands are located about two thousand
miles south and three hundred miles west
OF the Hawaiian islands and fourteen de-
greees south of the equator They lie in
an almost direct line between San Francisco
and Australia and slightly south of the
direct steamship line connecting the Philip
pines with the proposed Panama or Ncara-
guam interoceanic canals. Their special i'm
portance. therefore, lies more in their posi-
ton coaling and repair stations on these
great highways of commerce rather than
in their direct commercial value, their popE-
lation being small and their imports and
exports of comparatively little Importance.
The group consists of ten inhabited and
two uninhabited islands, with an area Of
100 square miles and an aggregate popu-
lation, according to latest estimates, of
5000 people, of which something over two
hundred are British subjects, 125 Germans,
twenty-five Americans, twenty-five French
and twenty-five other nationalities, while
the remainder are natives, of the Polynesian
race. The bulk of the population is located
in the three islands of Upolou, Savaii and
Tutuila the number in Upolou being 1860.
in Savaii $500 and in Tutuila 3.7OO. The
islands are of volcanic origin, but fertile,
producing cocoanuts, cotton. sugar and cof-
fee; the most important, however, being
cocoanuts, from which the "copra" of COM
merce is obtained by drying the kernel of
the cocoanut, the "copra,'' which is ex-
tad 10 nd 10
being used in the manufacture of cocoanut
OIL The expectation of copra from the
islands in 1896 amounted to II, $50 9O9 pounds,
valued at $23l, ,372. a considerable proportion
of this was exported to the United States;
larger proportion, however, TO Germany,
whose citizens control its commerce through
trading company which has long been
established there. The cocoanut and copra
production, 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, a
single individual being able, by cutting out
the crown of the tree, to permanently de-
stroy in two minutes time the fruit-bearing
qualities of trees which require several
years for their growth.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT
The government Of the Samoan Islands
had been from time immemorial under the
two royal houses of Malietoa and Tupea,
except on the island of Tutuila, which was
governed by native chiefs. In 1873, at the
suggestion of foreign residents, d House OF
Mobiles and d House of Representatives We're
established, with Malietoa Laupepa and the
chief of the royal house of Tupea as joint
Kings. Subsequently Malietoa became sole
King. In 1887 he deposed by the Ger
man government upon the claim of unjust
treatment of German subjects, who formed
the bulk of the foreign population on the
island and deported first to German
New Guinea and then to the Cameroons, in
Africa, and finally, in 1888, 10 Hamburg,
Tamasese, "a native chief, being meantime
proclaimed by the Germans as King. though
against the protest of the British and
American consuls at Samoa. Mataafa, a
near relative of Maletoa, made war upon
Tamasese and succeeded TO the kingship
In 1889 a conference between the repre-
sentatives of the American, British and
German governments was held at Berlin, at
which treaty was signed by the three
powers guaranteeing the neutrality of the
islands, in which the citizens of the sigma
tory powers would have equal rights of res
idence, trade and personal protection. They
agreed to recognize the independence of the
Samoan government and the free rights Of
the natives to elect their chief or King and
choose "a form of government according to
their own laws and customs. a Supreme
Court was established, consisting of
Judge, who is styled the chief justice of
Samoa and who is at present w. l.. Cham
bers an American, formerly a resident Of
the State of Alabama. To this court are Ie-
ferred: First all civil suits concerning real
property situated in Samoa; second, all civil
suits between natives and foreigners, or be-
tween foreigners of different nationaities;
third, all crimes committed by natives
against foreigners or committed by such
foreigners as are not subject TO any con-
sular jurisdiction. The future alienation of
lands was prohibited, with certain specified
exemptions The capital was located at
Apia, the chief town of the group of islands
and "A local administration provided for the
municipal district OF Apia. a commission
was appointed 10 investigate titles 10 lands
alleged 10 have been purchased from the
natives, and this in 1894 completed its la
bors confirming about 1900 acres of lands
to Germans $500 TO British and 2lOoO To
Americans. though much of this land has
since changed hands. Malietoa. who had
been deported, restored as King in No
vember, 1850. and continued as such until
his death. which occurred Aug. 22, 1S9S
when the consuls of the three powers. with
the chief justice president, took charge
OF the administration pending the election
OF a successor. Ii is out of the election and
recognition of this successor to King Malie-
toa, deceased, that the recent disagreements
between the representatives of the three