The times., 1899-04-03
FACTS ABOUT THE
SAMOAN ISLANDS
Their People, Products, and
Commercial Importance.
Changes in the Government of the
Interesting Group.
An American Conlipg Stntion in
Tutnila-The PopuIntiOn-Im-
ports and Exports.

The people, productions. and commercial
and strategic Importance of the Samoan
Islands are discussed in the current num-
Der of the Monthly Summary of Com
nerce and Finance" just issued by the
/ Treasury Bureau of Statistics.
The islands are located about 1000 miles
! south and 800 miles west OF the Hawaiian
islands and II degrees south of the equa-
, tor. They lie in an almost direct line be-
tween San Francisco and Australia and
slightly south OF the direct steamship line
connecting the Philippines with the pro
| posed Panama or Nicaraguan interoceanic
canals. Their special Importance. there
| forc. lies in their position as coaling and
repair stations on these great highways of
commerce rather than in their direct COM
mercial value. their population being small
and their imports and exports of compara
lively little Importance.
The Samoan Group.
The group consists OF ten inhabited and
| two uninhabited islands, with an area of
LOO square miles. and an aggregate pop
uiation, according to latest estimates, of
sc. 900 people, of which something over 200
are British subjects. 125 Germans. %
! Americans. 20 French, and % of other ma
tionalities. while the remainder are na
| tives, of the Polynesian race. The bulk of
| the population is located in the three ISL
ands of Upolou. Savaii and Tutuila the
| number in Upolou being 16,600, in Savaii
1850. and in Tutuila 300.
| The islands are of volcanic origin. but
/ fertile, producing cocoanuts. cotton. sugar,
and coffee; the most important, however.
| being cocoanuts, from which the 'copra"
of commerce is obtained by drying the ker-
l st,xxn fIn .aI,
| exported to Europe and the United States,
| being used in the manufacture of cocoanut
oil. The expectation of copra from the ISL
ands in 1896 amounted to Il, SOS, ,909 pounds.
valued at S231,3 A considerable proper
tion of this was exported to the United
States; larger proportion, however, to
Germany, whose citizens control its COM
merce through a trading company which
has long been established there. The Co
coanut and copra production, however, va
ries greatly from year to year. owing to the
fact that many of the cocoanut trees have
been destroyed in recent wars between ma
tive factions, a 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.
The 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, a
house Of mobiles and house of representa-
tiyes were established with Malietoa Lau-
pepa and the chief of the royal house of
Tupea as joint Kings. Subsequently Malie-
toa became sole King. In 1887 he was
deposed by the German government upon
the claim of unjust treatment of German
subjects, who formed the bulk of the for
). eign population on the island, and was
deported first TO German New Guinea and
then to the Cameroons, in Africa, and
finally, in 1883. to Hamburg, Tamasese, a
native chief. being meantime proclaimed by
the Germans as King, though against the
protest of the British and the American
Consuls at Samoa. Mataafa, a near rela-
tive of Malietoa, made war upon Tamasese
and succeeded TO the kiugship.
In 1889 = conference between the rep
resentatives 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 three
| signatory powers would have equal rights
| of residence. trade. and personal protec-
tion. They agreed 10 recognize the indie
4
the free rights of the natives to elect theiI
chief or King and choose form of gov
| ernment according to their own laws and
customs. 4 Supreme Court was established
consisting of one judge. VINO is styled the
Chief Justice of Samoa, and who is at
i. present w. l.. Chambers, an American, for
merly a resident of the State of Alabama
To this court are referred: First. all
civil suits concerning real property sit
| in al civ he
tween natives and foreigners or be-
tween foreigners OF different nation
alities; third. all crimes committed
by natives against foreigners. or commit
ted by such Foreigners as are not subject
to any consular jurisdiction.
Cause of the Disagreement.
The future alienation of lands was pro-
hibited. with certain specified exemptions
The capital was located at Apia, the chiei
town of the group of islands. and local
administration provided for the municipal
district of Apia. A commission was ap-
pointed to investigate titles to lands al
legged to have been purchased from the ma
tiyes, and this in 1894 completed its la
bors confirming about 5000 acres of lands
to Germans. $4,000 to British, and 2l ,00t
to Americans. though much of this land
has since changed hands. Malietoa. who
had been deported, was restored as King in
J ! November. 1889, and continued as such
until his death, which occurred August %
1898. when the Consuis of the three pow
ers. with the Chief Justice President
took charge of the administration pending
| the election of a successor. 1t is out Cf the
election and recognition of this successor
20 King Maletoa, deceased, that the recent
disagreements between the representa- i've
| OF the three Governments maintaining the
Joint protectorate over the islands have oc-
Cured.
American CO8IinS station.
Eespecial interest attaches to these ISL
ands from the standpoint of the United
, States by reason of the fact that the har-
Dor of Pago Pago, in the island of Tu-
tuila, the southernmost of the group. was
ceded to the United States for naval
, and coaling station first in 1872, and after
, ward confirmed by a treaty signed al
Washington January II. 1873. and ratifica-
; tions exchanged on February 10 of the
same year, by which the United States was
, given the right to establish at that haT-
Dor station for coaling, naval supplies
freedom OF trade, commercial treatment as
favored nation, and eXtraterritorial con
, sular jurisdiction. This harbor was occu-
, pied by the United States in 1895 presum-
ably with the purpose of utilizing its ad-
vantages as coalng and supply station
TutuiIa, the island upon whose coast the
! harbOr is located. has population of 800
, and an area OF fifty-four square miles
while Upolou has an area of $40 square
miles and Savaii 659 square miles.
The Imports.
= The imports during the fiscal year 1885,
amounted to S4i8,S of which 500 62i
came from the United States, S6i,5Oi from