Evening star., 1902-01-25

black hair. which they often bleach to a
bright red by the use of lime and other
things.
nature. Especially in Tutuila, where they
have not been spoiled by foreigners, they
are gentle, kind and easily governed.
Our government steamer has been in port
here during my stay and its officers have
given me much about things in our part Of
the Samoan Islands. They tell me that the
Tutuiians already consider themselves
American citizens. They have sworn al
legiance to the United States and hurrah
for the stars and stripes as enthusiastic
cally as we do on the Fourth of July. The
government has brought quiet to the is
land. 1t has for years been torn up with
wars among the different tribes, but the
naval officials have required that all the
guns be given up and the people are now,
figuratively speaking, turning their swords
into pruning hooks.
How We Govern the samoans.
We are ruling the Samoans after the
Dutch method. that is, we are allowing
them to govern themselves and working
through their chiefs. Every village is
little republic, with its own chief, who is in
most cases hereditary ruler These chiefs
have been made the governors of their vii
lagos and all work is done through them.
Our naval officials sit behind the chiefs and
pull the strings and the people think they
are ruling themselves. In this way schools
have been established and some of the OLD
customs have been abolished. The govern
ment desires to encourage education as 1ar
as possible and missionary work is re-
spected. At present the islands have
revenue of $500 a year, the taxes being
paid in copra.
Fortune Making in Samoa.
I have been asked to investigate the
chances for Americans to make fortunes in
bo TS1a Robert Louis Steven
son tried it and failed. He made about
$4,000 a year out of his books but as far
as 1 can learn not cent out of cacao. The
islands have an excellent climate. 1t is
good for consumptives, and if the consunp-
tive be anything else than an impractical
newspaper or literary man he might make
money at cocoanut raising or cacao plant
ing. There are men who have cacao plan
tations on Upolu who are making money.
Cacao plants are those which produce the
seeds from which chocolate is made. They
are planted here in rows about fourteen
feet apart and sometimes closer. About
200 rows can be grown upon an acre. 1t
takes four years before the trees come into
bearing, and after that time, IL properly
cared for, they are profitable. One Samoan
planter named Moors has netted $1,000
year from sixty acres, and there are others
who have done equally as well.
Mr. Moors has 5000 trees set out at Pago-
pago and he expects to set out more. Some
of the native chiefs have plantations and
there is man named Caruthers who net
ted $500 from less than eight acres of ca
Gao in 1899 Mr. Moors says that two
thirds of all the land in the Samoan Islands
is suitable for the growth of cacao.
l am not sure as to prices of lands on
bought very cheap. Back in the country
land is leased as low as twenty-five cents
per acre, and about Apia good lands are
sold at from SIS to $50 per acre. 1t costs
about SSO n rlaar "a iI1p ole nd
set out plantation; but small crops can
be raised between the trees and If well
handled the plantation will pay in short
time.
AS to cocoanuts I think there is a good
deal Of money in raising them almost any
where out in the Pacific. The lands near
the coast of almost all the islands will pro-
duce good trees and good cocoanut plan
tation will yield a dollar a tree every year.
This Is SO especially in the Philippines.
where If properly handled they will yield
more.
Our Island of Manua.
I have a photograph recently taken of
the village of Manua, on our Island of
Manua. This is the island next largest TO
Tutuila. We have altogether four or five
Islands out here; they are Tutuila, Manua,
Ofu and Olosega. Manua contains about
twenty square miles. 1t is mountainous and
surrounded by coral reefs. The mountains
are about a half mile in height, but the
land rises gradually that the whole is
land can be cultivated. The Manuans are
much the same as the Tutuilans. They
number altogether about 2 900, but they are
out of the line of ocean steamship travel
and are more interesting than the Samo-
ans of the other islands. They have had
missionaries for the last seventy years and
are Christians. They have churches and
schools and live peacefully under their
king. They produce enough food for them
selves and sell enough copra to buy what
they want in other ways. The American
officers say that cocoanut and banana PLAN
tations are being put out on all our Islands
and that they will soon increase in pro-