THE GERMAN OCTOPUS IN THE PACIFIC.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 798, 15 October 1915, Page 6

THE GERMAN OCTOPUS IN THE PACIFIC.

When is It to be Killed. ? ST is to be hoped that Mr. Massey will make no bones about using his influence with the Imperial Government to put an end to the truly scandalous state of affairs which exists in the Pacific, through the absurd leniency which is | being extended to that Octopus of the .Pacific, that greedy and grasping trading monopoly, known as the Deutsc'h es Handels Plantations Gesellschaft. This company has long exercised an autocratic supremacy over the Island trade. . A wealthy and powerful corporation, which has its headquarters at Hamburg, and which has succeeded, especially during recent years, in "freezing out" nearly all British and other competition, its agents —German, of course —simply overrun the whole of Polynesia, and are arrogant in their bearing towards' French, and Australian traders.

Why this German company should be permitted to send its vessels to Britishowned or British-controlled ports in the Pacific, and carry on its German trade, for German profit, and all this desnite the fact that the Pacific haa been swept free of German warships, is a mystery

beyond ordinary comprehension. The D.H. and P.G., as the company is familiarly known, has its Pacific headquarters at Apia, where its chief agent, one Hanssen, swells about "as' big as bull beef,'' as our informant tells us, "just as if he owned the place," or as if the Huns still own it. The company carries 011 business openly. So far as we can gather,, no check whatever is being exercised upon its operations. Nor is this all? There are curious and unpleasant stories —unpleasant to' us at least—goinn - about at Auckland and elsewhere to the effect that quite "chummy" relations exist between Herr Hanssen and certain of the New Zealand military staff stationed at Apia. All with the best intentions, perhaps, but still injudicious and liable to misconstruction. It is even said—but the story needs confi'rmation —that on the occasion of the Kaiser's birthday one official was a guest at Hanssen's residence,' and drank the toast of the Kaiser's health.

We hope this may prove to- be untrue, but, at any rate, the Germans in Samoa and eisewhere in the Pacific should be treated with much greater strictness than has hitherto been the case. Specially should the trading operations of the D.H. and P.G. be ended under the British flag. It is really monstrous that this Octopus of the Pacific should be allowed to go on scotching or killing British trade. Summary action ought to. have been taken long ago. It is true that an officer has recently beeli appointed to investigate the question of German trading in Samoa, but, apparently, he has no power to act. However, when the New Zealand Government receives the report, we hope no time will be lost in sending the strongest possible protest to the Imperial Government against any further toleration of German trade in the Pacific under the protection of the British flag. '