SAMOA AND GERMANY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15686, 13 August 1914, Page 4

SAMOA AND GERMANY.

THE WAR OF 1898. ROW BRITAIN WITHDREW. German Samoa, which may be the seen* of military or naval activities before the end of the war. lice shout 1600 rail north of Auckland. It include the islands q| Savan, Manor..,. .Wdima, !>]„, anna . tapu. Manna. XuutiJo.ind N'uolua.. Savaii is the largest island containing 660 squaremiles, but I'polu, »;.I, ~, arM (lf Mo square miles, is the m.*! important of th group, po«so.ss,ne a nat.ve population ot nearly 19.000 and tic port and town oi Apia, which if the . emu- of German commercial activities in the South Pacific Upolu. like the r-mainder ~, the $ mnM islands, is ..i vol,am. n,-in and consists largely of steep, dens, iv woodr-d mountains. Along the coastline thru are rich alluvia', Hats and fertile slept", and 11 jj, here ,i . [ the Germans have ti,e;r plantations and the. natives (heir villages. !>,hi i, surrounded by coral reefs, bin ..!,;, are openings through Ihe reef. wherever large fresh ; water streams- come e]..»- n . r ., m the moun- ; tains. [ The entrance to th* harbnur of Apia | cons'sts of one of :he W natural openings ; and inside there is ''.■ ■••> e-|o n?n water M j the large*.! vessels 1/ .n-fior. but there is | only a small aua of : ,;. water and it ; , affected by the swe'.i ■•■..... rolls in from j the Pacific. There is practically no populated or cul- ' tivated part of Upolu which is nut of rann of naval guns on vessels outside the reef so that warships need not enter etthet Apia or any of the other lagoons in ordei to dominate the settlements. The bulk of the natives of Samoa art j much more friendly to the British thai. I they arc to the Germans. There are a considerable number oi English and New Zealand traders and plan. ters on the islands and though little lias been said of recent years it is generally known that these men would heartily «■«]. j come a clunge from German iu]e. j Apart from any naval resistance which the Germans might make in Samoa, ven little opposition could be offered on land and it is probable that the islands coiilo. bo captured without any lighting providing the German cruisers weir, disposed of There are only a few hundred German residents in the whole group and they art scattered along the coast line. The War Over the Kingship. Until 1898 the Samoan Islands wore under what was known as the Tripartite Agreement, by which America, Germany and England guaranteed the protection o'i the islands and the administration oi affairs. The respective consuls of these nations, acting in conjunction, were the real governors of the islands. About the end of 1898 Malietoa Laupepa, the Samoan king, died and there was a dispute as to who should succeed him. One parts- oi natives favoured Mataafa, a leading chief, and another party favoured Malietoa Tanti! a boy about 17 years old, the nearest relative of the deceased king. The claims oi the rival aspirants to kingship were fought out in the Supremo Court of Apia before Chief Justice Chambers, the American representative, and he gave his decision in favour of young Malietoa, but before Malietoa could take up his new dignity ol his royal residence at Mulinu, Mataafa marched into Apia with a 6trong body ci warriors armed with rifles, drove the Malietoa party out of the municipality, and took possession of Mulinu, the native king village at the western end of Apis Harbour. Disagreement With Germany. For awhile Samoan affairs were in a hopeless tangle, then an arrangement wag made by which the English, German, and American Consuls, together with Mataafa and 13 of bis chiefs, formed a provisional Government. This did not last long, the Germans, who had all along supported Mataafa, _ claimed that the formation of this provisional Government broke up tie Tripartite agreement. The English and Americana were equally positive that this agreement still held. "The trouble came when Chief Justice Chambers, America's representative, and Consul Masse, representing England, resolved to open fie Courthouse in Apia, in order to try certain prisoners. Mr. Rose, the German Consul, acting on behalf of Mataafa, re fused to give up the keys of the Courthouse, and a deadlock ensued. H.M.S. Porpoise had arrived in Apia, and Cap- ' tain Sturdee-, who was in command, landed a body of marines and marched them up to the Courthouse, where he was met by Consul Rose and Mataafa," kicked by a large number of armed warriors. Captain Sturdee demanded the keys, and said that if they wore not produced ho would order his armourer to break open tlio door. For awhile matters were very critical, and it looked as if there would be a fight, but finally the keys were produced. It is not generally known that the Porpoise and "the German cruiser Falko cleared for action on that particular occasion, as it was expected that the German Consul would call upon the Ger man warship to uphold him in his refusal to permit the Court being opened. The Last Samoan War. Mataafa held po«sossion of Mulinu for awhilo, but when the American war vessel Philadelphia, and the English war vessels Porpoise, Tauranga, and Royalist gathered in Apia Harbour, he and sis followers retired to a strong position at the back of Apia. He was called upon to surrender himself and his arms to the' British and American authorities, but refused. This commenced the last Samoan war. The English ami American vessels bombarded the environs of Apia with 6m cutis. Thev sent marines into the outlying districts to attack the Mataafaftes. thev organised the Malietoa party, and de--sultory fighting was continued for some time. A small number of English "and. American sailors were killed and wounded The Malietoa party, under Lieutenant Gaunt, fought some exciting little battle 5 .. but finally Mataafa agreed to surrender. Surprising British Withdrawal. A great surprise was sprang on Samoa mid the Australasian colonics when » was announced later that Gi-eat Britain bad agreed to forego all claims on the Islands, and that under mutual arrangement the largest portion of the fsimoafl nrchirjpWffO was handed over to Germany. whilst Tiiniila. with its fine harbour P*? n Pago, was hand"d over to America.