The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-13
SAMOA As IT
APPEARS TODAY
In the German Portion the
Natives Still Lead the
Simple Life.

A. F. KuhIe, a recent arrival from that
| part of the world. who is held up in
| Honolulu three weeks to await the ar
| rival of an American bottom upon
| which he can get passage to the Coast.
| Mr.. Kuhle was resident of Apia, the
| German section of. the group. and
| knows of the dryness of the American
| colony by the tales of woe brought to
| Apia by those Americans who tempo
| Tarily had to desert the protection of
| the starry banner long enough to
| quench deep thirst. In the American
/ colony no liquor of any kind at any
time is allowed. In Apia beer flows
| and schnapps can be had for whoever
| has the price. For this reason regular
| excursions run to Apia and the cash
| of the Americans is for the most part
| spent where the Wurzburger flows.
| Mr.. Kuhle is not particularly enthu-
siastic regarding Samoa, although he
declares that it is a beautiful country
| to live in. For man to go there to
make a living the country is no good.
Big corporations with contract Chinese
| labor are in control and all others are
| small fry that amount to little. The
| wages paid the Chinese laborers on the
| cocoa and copra plantations is about
81 a month in money and board,
amounting altogether to about s11 a
month Some kanakas from other of
the South Sea islands are employed
as labores, coming from the solomon
Islands, New Guinea and New Hebri-
des. The right of importing this class
of labor belongs to the German Trad
ing & Transportation Company, the
great D. H. & P. G. company. No pri-
vate planter can import labor and the
importation of Chinese is done by the
government. These kanakas are good
laborers and work for a wage of 81
a month, taken out in trade. the actual
cost to the employers being not over
81 a month.
The Introduction of Chinese is very
much opposed by the native Samoans,
for the reason that the coolies have
brought with them much disease into
the islands.
The Samoan natives are quite con-
tent with their system of government
and are increasing in numbers, not de-
creasing as are the natives of most OF
the islands acquired by the powers
The Samoan is allowed to live as ne
pleases. in his primitive style; his sys
fern of tribal law has not been inter
fered with by the authorities, except
i, inasmuch as the power of life ano
death has been taken from the ALI
Otherwise the native has been lef1
alone and there Is little ningltng WITT
the whites.
The trouble between the native par
tisans of the rival claimants to tn
!. position of paramount chieftain ma
been nut an end to by the authorities
nv the disarming of all the fighters
Now. to own a gun requires specia
permit.
:. A strict regulation regarding tn
, honesteadso of the natives is in force
8 no native being at liberty to sell o
lease his lands given him by the gov
4 eminent. This has prevented the yer.
extensive opening up of the islands pu
5 has also been the means of keeping tn
? Samoans out of the white settlement
and on their own holdings.
n Copra is the great staple of the coun
4 try, following which in order or In
+. portance comes cocoa, with wntch IN
8 dustry Mr.. Kuflle was connected. Bot
s industries are flourishing. Three year
q ago rubber plantations were starte'
and these promise to be very success
;. ful. So far the cocoa growers haV
a been able 10 keep their plants free
!. pests and if this can be continued co
n Goa, will supplant copra among the ex
> ports of the country. All tropica
Il | fruits grow luxuriantly. the banana
\ and cocoanuts of Honolulu being look
+ ed upon by Mr.. Kuhle as very poo
limitations of the real thing.
"a The withdrawal of the OCEAN,
: Steamship Company's service was
! great blow to Samoa, especially as tn
withdrawal had not been announce
- before it was made effective. AS
result the country was three mohth
without a mail, shut off from all IN
rest of the world, as no caole cohliec'
the islands with anywhere AT u
best the communication between APP
and the fatherland was poor. As
instance Mr.. Kuhle tells that pstcf
age was posted for him in German
" on November 15, containing son
te Christmas cheer. He got it in Same
y on February 10, by which tune u
1t cheer had lost its cheerfulness. NO
q. mail is sent via sydney, y. ,. W.
,r Among the interesting islands nes
90 Samoa, as described by Mr.. Kuhle,
the Savage Island, some three hundre
miles south southeast Of Samoa
n | fntere 1t @ Honolulans from the Ia
u that a = eat many of the native woye
] hats are imported from there. III
island is an almost Adamless Ede
there being only few men among q
s; four thousand population. All u
i young and strong men have been take
ar7ay from the island to the Samoa
" plantations, until the population no
c. consists of women and old men. Nel
m few of the men ever return ana q
i, Savage Islanders are now fast
creasing in numbers. The woven ha1
IT, by the way, are bought by the trade
SS who visit the island about once yea
- the price for them being twenty
twenty-five cents apiece, and that
~ trade.
On Another interesting spot visited
e Mr.. Kuhle is the Beverage reef, aoo
g one hundred miles from the Sava
= Island. Here six days were spent
4 Mr.. Kuhle's party in fishing, in Will
g time a ton of fish were sailed down al
3 upward of one hundred sharks caugi
e From these the fins were hacked
% and slowed away, bringing a go
price from the higher class Chinese
. Samoa.