SAMOA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18197, 18 March 1921, Page 6

SAMOA

ARCADIA OF THE SOUTH SEAS. MR WILLIAM CRON’S IMPRESSIONS. No. I. A little, over two years ago Mr William Oron relinquished his position as head master of the Kakanui School to take up an appointment under - the New Zealand Government as head of one of the schools at Apia. He has just returned to Oamaru, looking fresh and bright and certainly none the worse in health for his two years’ residence in the tropical islands captured from the Germans by “our boys’’ and now under New Zealand administration. Mr Cron, in the course iaof a most interesting talk with a representative of the Oamaru -Mail, when questioned upon 'the matter of the climate of Samoa, said that he had not experienced any ill-effects from it, nor had his sister or brother, by whom he was accompanied. He admits that he lost a little in weight, but nothing in health or stamina; and, indeed, judging from appearance, the' whole trio would seem to have benefited physically by the change. They were charmed with the island and most favourably impressed with the natives. Mr Cron, touching upon the natives, remarked that in cast of features they differ little, and in some cases not at all, from the British people. It is only in their colour that any difference in appearance is readily discoverable. He emphasised that observation by the production of a number of excellent photographs of> the., natives, from the “elite” downwards—photographs taken under a variety qf circumstances and conditions. Here let it be remarked that Mr Cron has ■ brought with him a most interesting collection of pictures that convey a good idea of the islands and its peoples. He has also brought with him a great amount of information upon the whole subject. ..of Samoa, as may well be assumed, having in view the fact that he belongs to a profession presumably well trained in the field of observation, and that he has acquired the habit of close investigation, and was placed in a position where impressions were readily gained and information gathered without any labour of search or inquiry. Thus it comes about that in the course of the talk—it was no interview of the orthodox fashion —he said much that will, we feel sure, prove both interesting and instructive to our readers very generally. THE ISLANDS. To those who have lived in the temperate zone, as, for example, New Zealand, remarked Mr Cron, Samoa comes as a revelation; it reveals a new world on a miniature scale; The vegetation, everything, in short, is so entirely different, as may be readily conceived from the fact that Samoa is a tropical country, if the term country can be applied to a group of islands dropped down in the broad Pacific Ocean or thrown up by some great earth convulsion. Western Samoa over which New Zealand has been given a mandate of administration consists of a line of four islands —two_ large and two small—with a number of insignificant islets dropped about. These islands are situated about 13 degrees south of the Equator. American Samoa, or Eastern Samoa, lies a little further south of the Equator, about 40 miles distant from Apia, the capital of Upolu, the second largest of the island group, and the seat of the New Zealand Administration. Apia is the only town in all the group, the rest being isolated villages. Apia is built on the shore of the harbour where, it will be remembered, a great storm caused wholesale wrecks some ■years ago. At the time there were seven ships of war lying in the harbour —three German, three American, and one British. While all the rest were cast upon the reefs or piled up upon the shores, some to remain there and break up. the Britisher —the Calliope—steamed safely out to sea amid the cheers of her unfortunate rivals. That feat was accomplished, so it was averred at the time, through Westport coal, which at once acquired the reputation of being the best steam coal in the world. _ That, however, is a matter of his tor”, which only finds a place in our talk because Mr Cron_ mentioned that memorable stprm with its attendant remarkable incident is still talked about, and one wreck still remains as tangible evidence of the disaster, though it is now breaking up. From the sea Apia presents the appearance of a long line of buildings of all kinds from imposing churches downwards erected behind a road which runs along the harbour front for about a_ mile. Ashore there is seen nothing more in the way of habitations, but through the apparent .dense forest of cocoanut trees and palms and other thines roads are cut beneath the shade of the wealth of massive foliage, and along these roads are discovered manifold habitations from the fstrnnge-look-ing homes of the natives to the more European-looking houses of the white planters and dealers. The total white population of these islands does not exceed 500, if indeed, it reaches that number, while there are about 30.000 natives, inclusive of a fair proportion of ha I f-castes and ouartercastes, the latter being the procreny of whites married to half-castes. In this connection it was mentioned that the parents of halfcastes have a strong aversion to their marriage -with full-blooded natives—a fqct which may be viewed as a compliment to the white races, while accounting for the quarterwastes being in the direction of the whiteskins. LAND OF PERPETUAL SUMMER. Samoa, said Mr Cron, may be described as a land of perpetual summer. There are cool seasons and hot seasons—seasons wherein the average length of daylight and the degrees of temperature differ, but the difference in neither respect is as great as in New Zealand.'ln the cool seasons the temperature in the shade ranges from about 70 to 80 degrees, and in tne hot seasons it runs up to 94deg. in the shade, while the greatest difference between a hot day and a cold night is only about 30deg. Of dawn and twilight there is scarcely a semblance. Daylight bursts in with strange suddenness, and darkness is reached wih equal swiftness, just as though a curtain were drawn aside in the one case and closed in the other. In'what may be termed the winter season daylight comes at about 6.30 o’clock, and endures till 5.30—a duration of about 11 hours. In summer the position is reversed, daylight coming. at about 5.30 and lasting until 6.30, or for about 13 hours. Samoa is also a land of rivers or streams and waterfalls, many of the latter being very beautiful , by reason of their surroundings of rich foliage. At some of these falls a sight that creates delight and amazement, mingled with some apprehension, is presented by young people, youths and maidens, sliding down them for a depth of some 30ft to a pool at the bottom —a sort of tobogganing without the aid of toboggan. These rivers and streams have their origin in high mountain tops, which form the 'backbone of the Upolo Island. There rains of a tropical character are of frequent occurrence, every passing cloud seeming to leave a big supply of water in its passage , so that the hills are practically rendered uninhabitable because of the excessive moisture. One singular feature of the tropical rains experienced is the sharpness with which they are defined, even the heaviest downpours leaving a clear line ,of demarcation. Thus it is no uncommon sight to see a stretch of drenched land and 50ft away land perfectly dry. SOIL FERTILITY. The whole of the islands are volcanic, and covered with rocks, boulders, and stones of varying size and forms, but withal the land is wonderfully fertile. Ploughing or digging with a spade is impossible, owing to tHese boulders and stones, and the only practicable means of cultivation is with a pickaxe, tearing out and removing the larger stones. Then is prepared a rich bit of land composed of scoria pulverised and purified, which gives a quick and prolific return. The soil lies deeply everywhere—how deeply Mr Cron was unable to say, for he had never seen its bottom found. There does, not seem to be any subsoil of clay, such as is found very generally throughout New Zealand. The whole area is exceedingly porous, and absorbs moisture very quickly. Thus it comes about that no trace is seen of, the heaviest rainstorm after a few hours. Not only is this heavy coating of lava exceedingly fertile; it has some of the attributes of a hot-bed, for germination is quick and subsequent growth and fructification are rapid. Thus the Californian bean will give its produce in two months. Tomatoes supply ripe fruit in a ■ little over three months from the sowing of the seed, and .if cuttings from plants are put in the around thev quickly take root and come into” bearing. " By repeating this simple operation it is possible to have tomatoes pretty well all the year round, for there are no frosts to nip and destroy tender plants. All the year is a growing season, and thus it is a hommon sight to see some classes of food-producing trees in all the various stages of fruiting simultaneously, from the ripe fruit to the flower. The mummy apple, or pawpaw tree grows from seed to bearing in 12 months, and is a prolific source of food which is not only tasteful but healthful, containing great medicinal qualities. For a tree in ’a year from seed sowing, the pawpaw has a long life. It is in fruit and flower all the year, and is pronounced the most prolific food plant known. The banana, which originates from a sucker springing from roots of the parent plant, reaches maturity, produces its abundant crop of fruit, and dies down within a year, perpetuating itself by mearc p»

suckers. The forests which adorn the land with their grand or giant foliage abound, in other trees producing food, the cocoanut, the bread fruit, and many other kinds of edibles. Then there is the prolific cocoa tree, which is a source of some wealth. As to the cocoanut, which attains a great height, and year after year goes on bearing in abundance, its fruits are prized for their milk and the copra derived from their flesh. Oopra is a commodity for which there is a great demand in manufacturing countries. The cocoanut is a source of wealth of a permanent character. The Germans recognised tihe fact, for they erected plant for treating copra and preparing it for export. That plant has now passed into British hands. Another prospective industry is that of rubber production, which has not been exploited to any extent, while cifrous fruits would assuredly thrive in such a soil pnd climate. Samoa seems to be deficient in building material to _ meet European ideas of buildings, though it .produces in amplitude the whole of the requisites for the erection of tihe quaint, but healthful, dwellings of the natives. On the mountains there are plenty of large trees, but the possibility of these' producing building timber has not yet been _ put to the test. Tims the building materials have so far been imported, except for the more imposing structures, wihich are constructed of blocks of limestone obtained from the coral reef cemented together with lime made from coral. AN ARCADIA IN THE PASSING. Samoa cannot be strictly described as a land flowing with milk and honey, but, figuratively speaking, it is so. With its abundance of edible fruits on its land and fishes in its water, generous Dame Nature, without the helping hand of man, has produced and maeje provision for continuing to produce food for the sustenance of mankind, living in a primitive, easy, and contented fashion. It is a land where wants are few and these readily supplied without the expenditure of much energy. The Samoans have been described as an indolent people, but they really have had no need to work. Food has been and is to hand for the gathering, and their small requirements in the matter of raiment have been supplied by the application of little labour and much ingenuity- in the production of a sort of fabric from the bark and foliage of their richly .clothed trees. The Samoans are already inclining towards European tastes by indulgence in tinned meats and a hankering after European dress on the part of the younger generation. Contact with whites and education will probably give an impetus to newly acquired tastes and ambitions. Then will the Samoans become workers, and it will have to be written that civilisation has invaded an arcadia and destroyed it as a scene of primitive life under charming conditions. (To be continued.)