IS A WAR ON?

Hokitika Guardian, 24 July 1917, Page 3

IS A WAR ON?

JUST HEARD THE NEW a. The recent earthquake at, Samoa cleared up a forgotten mystery. u». Solomon Islander, indentured over ten years ago to German employers, disappeared soon after the commencement- of his term and was never heard of again until the day after the earthquake having spent the whole of ' the intervening years in the bush. He lived on the native taro, yams, bananas and fresh water shellfish. Whe n the earth tremblod fear arove him to Apia where ho was seen on thestreets by a New Zealand soldier, who was on police duty. Under tho law of Samoa, Chinese and,Solomon Islanders are not permitted to ho out after y. p.nv., and the bearded “black l>oy” was questioned lie told of liis ten, year’ sojourn in the hush and of the fright that drove him out the day before. He was taken into custody, and inquiries were made leading to his-iaeii-tification as a labourer who had been posted as missing for so long that he had been forgotten. Of course in his hermit, existence ho had not heard of the war, hut when he learned that the Germans no longer ruled -in Samoa, the Solomon Islander declared himself ready and willing to work for the British.