THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 17, 21 January 1916, Page 5

THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

A correspondent who has been meandering about the Pacific islands, writing of a recent visit to Samoa to a friend in Wellington, says :—" We had thirty-six hours in Samoa, and the time was all too short to thoroughly inspect the place. As a matter of fact, we hardly moved beyond Apia, which is the capital of the group. Of course, the place is controlled iiy the military. If the Samoan garrison is typical of the troops that New Zealand is planting in the Dardanelles, then the reports of ' our boys' cannot be much exaggerated. The Samoan outfit are- a, tough-lookiaig lot. They are a bit grubby in appearance, and evidently the majority of their razors must have rusted. Mosquito bit«s do nqt add to their appearance, and dust, and perspiration, and thirst make them very picturesque. Seasoned as I am to tropical life, the beauties of Samoa made me feel like writing poetry, or doing, somebody a good turn. Tonga is as flat as last week's beer; Samoa is hilly, with peaks that lose themselves in white, fleecy clouds. Vivid green of tropical growths, splashes :>f red, and blazing sunlight— yes, Apia is very fine. There is a river, Vaisigano, the Samoans sing love songs about it—and it is the finest piece of moving water that I have had the honour of washing in. Rarotonga and Tahiti have one or two dribbles, but they are mud compared to the Vaisigano. Its beauty lies in its greao depth , and reflective powers. One might be viewing a tunnel of palm trees, so perfect is the reflection. The German is a hog. Nevertheless, he made some cultivation in Samoa. The plantations are joyful things. The rubber, cocoa, coffee, and coconut trees are planted in perfect rows, and in the whole of these big plantations, hundreds of acres in extent, there is scarcely a weed .to be seen. Motor-cars abound in> Apia, and the troops use them as their.principal means of transport. Niuafoou is twenty-six hours' steam from Samoa. The steamer drops a mail there, and a native swims out from the shore to receive it. In former times the bag was shot ashore per rocket. It is known as the ' tin-can mail.' "