The record-union., 1899-11-09
ENGLAND PROCLAIMS THE
CD Z ErNI INT

AGREEMEN1.
LONDON, Nov. S-The British For
.eign Office to-day gave out statement
in regard to the Samoan agreement
similar to that issued at Berlin, show
ing that the United States gets Tutuila
and other Samoan islands east Of the
list degree of longitude.
AGREEABLE TO THE UNITED
STATES.
WASHINGTON, Nov. S.--The State
Department has not yet been advised
of the agreement between Great Britain
and Germany respecting the Samoan
group. It is gathered, however, that
if the outline of the arrangement set
out in the cable advices is accurate,
there will be no disposition to with
hold our approval, provided certain
minor conditions are included.
Whatever plan Great Britain and
Germany might agree upon it was stip-
ulated should be first submitted to the
ratification of the United States. This
was necessary, as the change proposed
could be made only by formal treaty,
which would require the approval OF
the Senate.
1t is believed that the arrangement
Department The United States is not
concerned with the amount or charac-
ter of the compensation that passes be-
tween the other nations. Besides re-
tanning the coaling station of Pago-
Page, acquiring the island of Tutuila-
where the harbor is located, and the
three or four small islets in the vicinity,
| the United States will continue to en-
! joy by stipulation the privilege of trad
J ing with Apia under conditions equally
as favorable as those existing. The
| islets referred to are not of any partlc-
ular Importance from a commercial
| point of view, but it is deemed essentia.
| to control them politically, in order to
| prevent smuggling.
| The partition of the Samoan group OF
! islands marks the close of a long-stand-
| ing source of international controversy.
| and also brings about new territorial
arrangements in the South Pacific. In
| the early stage of the negotiations 1t
was agreed that the United States
| should have the island of Tutuila, with
| it's valuable harbor of Pago-Pago, and
, the lesser islands of its coast, including
| the large islet of Manua. The negotia-
tons then shifted to London to deter
mine whether Germany or England
should retain the two remaining Islands.
| The nature of these later negotia tons
| have been constantly communicated to
| Washington although they have not
| reached the State Department, and it
| has been known for some days that
| in case Great Britain retired from Sa-
moa, Germany would give as part COM
pensation the large Solomon Islands OF
ISABEL and Choissul. These are near
the British possessions in Australasia,
| being east of New Guinea They are
| twice the size of the Samoan group,
| but the country is mountainous and the
people warlike, many being cannibals
The area of the German Solomon ISL
ands is 5000 square miles, against l. 40
square miles for the entire Samoan
group.
At the British and German Embassies
here the announcement of the close Of
negotiations was received with much
satisfaction. A high diplomatic official
said that the agreement was due main
ly to the fact that German public senti-
ment was averse to retiring from Sa-
moa, and, yielding to this sentiment
Great Britain had solved the matter By
taking an equivalent in territory else
where.