Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-11-16
Tutila Acquired Under the Late
Samoan Arrangement.
NEITHER Big NOR POPtLOUS
But Possesses fhe Most Valuable
Harbor in the whole Pacific
OCean-To the Unifed States n
Is Just Now Most Imp ,rsanf
and Valuable Acquisition for
Commercial Reasons.

lOh' NoN- 1O--NSpecldi.) y
Tutuila, the Samoan island which falls
to the United States in the recent ar
rangement completed between Ger
many and England, subject to ratifica-
ton by the United States government.
becomes an extremely valuable addi-
ton to the possessesion of the United
States in the Pacific. With but a small
area and population, which according
to the treasury bureau of statistics.
are but fifty-four square miles and
1000 population, it possesses the most
valuable island harbor in the South
Pacific and perhaps in the entire Pa
cine ocean A representative of the
London Times recently in Washington.
who had visited and was thoroughly
familiar with not only the Samoan
Islands, but those of the Pacific gen.
orally, pronounced the harbor of Pango
Pango in the island of Tutuila the best
in all the Pacific and Pearl harbor in
the Hawaiian group the next in value
as harbor, the United States thus
I
harbors and ports of all. supply and
repairs in the Pacific ocean.
Commercially the Samoan islands
singly or as a group are unimportant
so far as their local production or con-
sumption is concerned, but extremely
important in their relation to the COM
merce of any nation desiring to culti-
vate trans-Pacific commerce.. Mr.
Coward, who was sent by the United
States government to the Samoan is
lands to arrange for a treaty with ref
erence to the harbor of Pango Pango,
said: 1.-The capacity of this harbor is
sufficient for the accommodation of
large fleets; land-locked, it is safe
from hurricanes and storms and could
easily be defended from land or sea at
tack at a small expense. In a naval
point of view it is the key position to
, the Samoan group and likewise to CEN
tral Polynesia, and is especially located
for the protection of American COM
merce. The Samoan archipelago is by
reason of its geographical position in
Central Polynesia lying in the course
of vessels from San Francisco to Auck-
land, from Panama to Sydney, and
from Valparaiso to China and Japan,
and from being outside the hurricane
track, the most valuable group in the
South Pacific. Situated halfway be-
tween Honolulu and Auckland, Pango
ha
place or coaling station for vessels or
steamers either for supplies or the ex-
change of commodities. With the Pa
cific mail steamers making it a port
for coaling, it would necessarily be-
come the controlling commercial place
in that part of Polynesia
The above statement made by Mr..
Coward in 1887 applied simply to the
harbor of Pango Pango, and its i'm
portance increases with the occupancy
and complete ownership of the entire
island by the United States, and be-
comes additionally important in view
of the control by the United States Of
the Hawaiian and Philippine groups.
the prospective construction of an
isthmian canal, and the rapidly grow
ing commerce between the United
States and the great markets of Asia
and Oceanica which buy annually more
than a billion dollars worth of goods
and nearly all of this class of mer-
chandise which the people of the Unit
ed States desire to sell.
The interest of the United States in
the Samoan islands, and especially
Tutuila which now passes completely
under our control provided the agree
ment of Germany and England is rat
flied by the United States, began in
1872 when Commander Meade OF the
United States navy made treaty with
Maunga, the great chief of the island
of Tutuila by which the port of Pango
Pango was to become the property of
the United States on condition that a
friendly alliance be made between the
island and this government Presl-
dent Grant, in a message sending the
treaty to the United States senate in
that year, said: THE advantages of
the concessions which the treaty pro-
fesseS to make are so great in view OF
the advantageous position of Tutuila
seaport as a coaling station for steam
ers between San Francisco and Aus
tralia that 1 should not hesitate to
recommend its adoption but for the
obligation of protection on the part of
the United States which it seems to
imply" This obligation of protec-
tom was afterward modified by the
CONTINUED on Eighth Page.)