NEWS FROM SAMOA

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 63, 15 March 1900, Page 2

NEWS FROM SAMOA

GERMAN FLAG HOISTED.

PEOCLAMATION OF GERMAN

RULE

MOEE TROUBLE FEARED.

SERIOUS NATIVE DISSENSIONS

News from Samoa by the X.M.S. Alameda to-day states that on March 1 Samoa came under German rule, the occasion being marked by the hoisting of the German flag and the reading of proclamations of German rule. Very large numbers of natives from various parte of the group assembled at Apia, and serious dissensions occurred between the followers of Mataafa and the members of the Malietoa-Tamasese party. It is feai'ed that serious trouble, ending in warfare, will develop between these rival factions. The Governor of Samoa has no force with which to operate against the disturbers of the peace. The Samoa r "Weekly Herald" of the 3rd inst. says:—"Tnursday, the Ist of March, will be long remembered by the people of Samoa as the day on ■which the Imperial German flag was hoisted; the day on which the tindisputed rule of Germany commenced over the Islands of Upolu, Manono, Apoltana, aad Savaii. The first indication that anything out of the ordinary course was about to happen was at 8 a.m., when the ships in port ran up their bunting-, and almost every hause and place of business in town displayed their National Flag. At 9 O'clock fi detachment of blue-jackets was landed from S.M.S. Cormornn and formed in front of the German School. The procession then formed headed by the band from the Cormoran, the blue-jackets, followed by the members of the Concordia Club, with the children from the L.M.S., the Marist Sisters', Marist Brothers', and the Wesleyan Schools, all dressed nicely and carrying banners, led by the Apia brass band in khaki uniforms—truly a pretty sight—marched to Mulinuu. This-was followed by the natives from all parts of the Islands, who had come to witness the ceremony. We should say that fully 5000 natives were present.

"Amongst those present were the Governor (Dr. Solf), Captain Emsmaun-, of the S.M.S. Oormoran, with the German Consul (Grrinow), His Lordship Bishop Broyer with Vice-Consul Knipping, Capt. Tilley, of the United Slates transport Abarenda, Father Meyer, Rev. J. W. Hills, Consul-General'Os-born (United States). H.B.M. Consul (Hamilton Hunter), with several officers, who took up their positions near the flagstaff. The Governor then said:—

"'To all now present, citizens of Apia, inhabitants of Samoa: I fulfil the honourable duty of making1 known to yon the Imperial. Proclamation by virtue of. which His Majesty the Emperor in the name and on behalf of the Empire has been pleased to declare the Islands of Upolu, Sayaii, Manono and Apolima to be a German Colony. The wording of the Imperial Proclamation is as follows:—'We, Wilhelm, by the Grace of God German Emperor, King of Prussia, etc., etc., hereby declare and make known-to all persons,

the Governments of the United States of America and of Great Britain having renounced all their rights in the islands of the Samoan Group, situated west of the 171. degree west longitude Greenwich, we hereby, in the name and on behalf of the Empire, place these Islands under our Imperial Protection and Rule.' "

The German Consul, Hen- Grunow, then said: —

"The protection and rule of the German Empire having been now formally proclaimed,! hand over the Imperial flag which hitherto has waved over the Imperial Consulate to the Imperial Governor and to the Commander of the S.M.s. Cormoran, designated by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor to hoist the flag." The flag was handed to Dr. Solf and Captain Em smarm to hoist. The Governor, Dr. Solf, said:

i "By order of His Majesty the EmI peror, I now declare these Islands ;to be German territory, and the German flag which I now receive from j the hands of the Imperial German ; Acting Consul, and which henceforth i shall Wave over the Isla.nds as a token jof German Sovereignty, T, assisted by 1 the Commander of S.M.f. Coraioran, ■ now solemnly hoist."

The Governor and the German Captain then hoisted the flag, the band playing "Heil Kaiser Dir," and the sailors giving the "Royal salute. His Lordship Bishop Broyer then addressed in Samoan the large number of natives present, after which, assisted by Father Meyer, he blessed the flag and gave the Benediction. The Rev. W. J. Hills, chaplain and chairman of tho L.M.S. in Samoa., then addressed the natives and read prayers. The children of the L.M.S. and Papauta School, with the children from the German School, sang1 to the band accompaniment, led by Mr Damm.

A speech was made by the commander of the S.M.s. Connoran, Captain Emsmann, in the course of which he said:

"Where a German soldier in faithful duty to his fatherland has lost his life and lies buried, and where the German Eagle has bitten, his fangs into a land, this land is German and will remain German. Those words of our most Gracious Emperor aud Sovereign have been fulfilled. Our comrades who lost their lives fighting in Samoa rest henceforth in German soil. It was on the 18th day of December, 1888, the day of the fight in Vailele, when I stood after the retreat of our enemy, together with the well-known gentlemen Hufnagel, Haidlen, and Tiedemann, on the verandah of the house of the manager of the Vailele plantation, which was perforated by the bullets of the enemy. What will be the recompense of the shed blood of dead and wounded lying around us? Such we asked one another. There was the only answer: Samoa must be German.! And one of the gentlemen present added, "Yes, so it will bo, as we have an Emperor of the Hohenzollern House!" When ten years later T returned to Samoa 1 could report to His Majesty the Emperor: The Germans in, Samoa have confidence in the German policy, and look with complete conviction into the future. Animated by high patriotism, the Germans living in Samoa do not give \rp the hope to see Samoa in future under the German flag. Now, this day has arrived at last. Over us arc flying- the colonrsßlack,White, Red. The islands are German and will i*emain to be German. These are the words of His Majesty."

The Mataafa men, it is said, were anxious to attack the Mnlietoa-Tama-sese party, but Tamasese sent some of ihis followers home, and through his exertions peace was maintained. The Mataafa chiefs and people are likely to prove troublesome. They desire to have all the native appointments made by the Germans confined to the Mataafa party. Some houses of the other side wore recently looted by the Mataafa faction. There is now no force at Samoa to quell any trouble should it arise. Concurrently with the hoisting of the German flag were abolished the Supreme Court of Samoa, the Municipal Court, the Samoa Post Office, and the municipality of Samoa. THE GERMAN GOVERNOR. Dr. W. H. Solf, the German Governor of Samoa, was born at Berlin in the year 1862, and received the rudiments of his education in one. of the higher* schools in Germany. After pursuing his studies in Oriental languages, philosophy, and law at different universities in Germany, he took his degree as Ph.D., and passed his examination as barrister. He entered the Foreign Office in 1889, and having tilled various positions in Calcutta, East Africa, and the Department in Berlin, was appointjed President of the Municipality by the ; Three Treaty Powers. Now, by His Imperial Majesty the German Emperor, he has been called to occupy the important and difficult post of first Governor of Samoa.

| IT. Knipping, the Assistant-Governor and Judge in Samoa, was born in Hameln, province of Hanover, in 1868. He pursued his law studies at Leipzigand Berlin, and passed the examination as barrister in 1896 at Berlin. After having spent a cciuple of years in the Foreign Office there he.was sent ! out to assist the Imperial ConsulGeneral for Australia at Sydney, as , Vice-Consul.

j Mataafa, the high chief, also delivered a speech, of which the following is a translation: —"I wish to declare my ' gladness and great thankfulness on ; this very day. Thanks be to the God of ; heaven for his continual love to our ! Samoan Islands. Great thanks to His '; Majesty the German Emperor in that he has declared the taking care of i Samoa under his rule. Thanks that it !is now made known and is now come ito pass (that there is) a Chief (who is) i Governor of Samoa-. Thanks to the ■ Sovereign Lady of Britain. And thanks :to the President of America. For they • have made and appointed this agreei ment which is appointed and which Is i known certainly this day. We obey ! and pay respect to fche rule of His ! Majesty the German Emperor. I also speak of the great benefits to be derived by the Samoan children in the •future with the grand schools we now have in Samoa. Sanioans, Tutnua and Pule, love naturally one another; cease from variance. I place before you' the saying of the Holy Scripture, the root of my address: "Blessed are the meek ■ for they shall inherit the earth.' May j the Kaiser live. May the Governor I live. May all Samoa- be happy."

Mntaafa's words were peaceful, but his followers, who came turned with head cutting knives, axes and rifles, were somewhat threatening in their demeanour, and there was some danger of trouble between them and the other faction.