HIGH COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 21

HIGH COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED.

NEW ZEALAND'S OFFER - KESUBMITTED. ANNOYED AT THE FIGHTING. LONDON, April 11. The Government has sent further instructions to Mi' Maxse, the British consul at Samoa. Reuter's correspondent at Washington reports that Germany has officially raised the question of the legality of the events at Samoa, hence the m<ddle of March is added. llf Germany attempts any retrogression America will insist upon a return of the status quo existing at the beginning of February. The question of the commission "will be merely a matter of further consideration, unless the attitude of the Powers is modified. April 12. Germany has inquired what Britain's attitude is with regard to the Samoan Treaty. • Britain is annoyed at the fighting, which adds to the complications. Mr Rose/ the German consul at Samoa, is blamed for not supporting Mr Chambers, the Chief Justice. Germany and Ameiica proposed to despatch commissioners on the 19th inst, but Britain is unable to telegraph instructions in the interval, Germany will not appoint a Samoan High Commissioner until Britain has indicated how far she is satisfied "with treaty rights.

The Bi-itish press display a calm tone, but a section of the American and German, newspapers exhibit an inflammatory disposition in regard to the most recent outbreak of hostilities.

Mr W. P. Reeves, Agent-general for New Zealand, has resubmitted. to Mr 'Chamberlain Mr Seddon's offer of troops for Samoa.

/ April 11. Mr Reeves, on being interviewed, said that the best solution of the Sumoan difficulty would be for Britain to grant Germany territorial compensation on the Western Pacific, or to partition Samoa. BERLIN, April 15.

In the Reichstag Baron yon Bulow, in a temperate but firm speech, upheld the Samoan Act, which would secure the principle of unanimity. The commission would assume the provisional government over the consuls and warships and restore order. He recommended that ''in future arrangements war by a civilised Power be criminal. Germany's treaty rights, the maintenance whereof the nation considered a point of honour (sic) Mataafa had been unanimously elected king, and it required a unanimous vote to depose him.

April 16. The Reichstag unanimously approved of Baron Yon Bulow's declarations' in reference to Samoa.

WASHINGTON, April 11. The American Government have appointed Mr Tripp, formerly Minister at Vienna, and a member of the Democratic party, as American representative on the High Commission for the settlement of the Sauaosm difficultj>

! . . \pril 13. I | Sir Julian Pauncefote jind Mi Hollenben.-j ihe German Ambassador, have expressed I concern at the fighting in Samoa. Mr Hay, Secretary of State, believes the fighting will not affect a settlement of the trouble, and withholds the despatch of reinforcements. April 14-. -_ Baron Speck de Sternberg, First Secretary of the German Embassy at Washing- j ton, has been appointed German repre- j sentative on the Samoan High Commission, j The Commissioners leave San Francisco for Samoa on the 25th inst. j April 16. America has despatched the cruiser Newark to Samoa. April 16. The members of the Samoan High Commission will confer here. j - April 17. I The authorities here consider Baron Yon i Bulow's speech was friendly and sensible. SYDNEY, April 13. Admiral Pearson, on being interviewed i in regard to the situation at Samoa, said \ that so far he had taken no further action ! than to despatch the Torch, which carried ' a large supply of ammunition. The diffi- | culty had been the want of unity of action I on the part of the nations concerned ; but | the American forces had been in perfect I co-operation with the British. It was a-"' serious business, but he could ~not say what ( course would be pursued from here. The Admiral hays thai, so far as he can see at present, the Royal Arthur will not proceed to Samoa. * April 16. In the course of an interview Majorgeneral French said he considered 1000 men were necessary to quell the Samoan rebels. DESPATCHES FOR COMMANDERS. ~ AUCKLAND, April 13. It is stated despatches were received in" Auckland prior to the sailing of the Hauroto from the three Powers interested in Samoa, to be sent on to the» commanders of the forces at Apia. These were taken , by. the Hauroto, and will reach Samoa to- • day. It is reported that these despatches j were identical in purport. They informed the commanders that a commission had been appointed to inquire fully- into affairs at Samoa ; that the commissioners would as soon as possible come to the islands and take evidence on the spot, and in the meantime active operations were, if possible, to be suspended. THE AUCKLAND VOLUNTEERS. During yesterday the offer of an Auckland detachment 'for Samoa was renewed, an offer to that effect having been sent to the Premier, and last evening, at the Drill i Hall, the corps on parade mustered very j largely, and on all hands inquiries made j as to the prospect of an armed force being \ despatched to the seat of trouble. Should the Premier receive an intimation of the acceptance of the offer made on behalf of New Zealand, there will not be the slightest difficulty in getting together the required i force in Auckland on very short notice. ' The Tutanekai has been at Awanui, in the north, for the last two da 3's awaiting telegraphic news. This morning she left Awanui for Auckland, and will arrive here late to-night. Gangs of men are engaged to coal her. April 17. A wreath has been sent by the Moana to Samoa by members of the Auckland Club to place on the grave of Lieutenant Freeman, of H.M.S. Tauranga. Corporal Foxworthy and Seaman Hunt, of the Royalist,, are making a good recovery from their wounds at the hospital. Soon after the Moana left for Samoa and San Francisco important despatches were received from Wellington to be forwurded to Samoa. " The post office authorities communicated with Mount Victoria and Tiritiri, and on each flag station signals were hoisted requesting the mail steamer to return. Apparently neither signal was observed from the Moana. As the Tutanekai has arrived probably she will go to Samoa with the despatches. A large quantity of rifle and Maxim gun ammunition in cases has been landed by tha EHngamite from Wellington, and conveyed across to the defence works at the North Shore. It is intended presumably to augment the local supply at the forts in- case any should be required for Samoa." THE TUTANEKAI'S DESTINATION. WELLINGTON, April 13. The Cabinet does not deem it necessary to renew the offer of assistance to Samoa, but everything is in readiness for carrying into effect the previous offer should it be accented b\ r the Imperial Government. April 14. It is reported that the Defence department sent a seewnd Maxim gun to Auckland yesterday for service at Samoa, if needed. (From Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, April 14. In connection witli the Samoan episode, and in particular in reference to the proposed departure of troops from Auckland to Samoa, it may be interesting to note that should a New Zealand contingent of Permanent Artillery or volunteer forces be sent from Auckland to the seat of war in the Government steamer Tutanekai the boat will be Commanded by an American " skipper in the person of Captain. C. I* 1 . Post, who is captain of the Tutanekai, and a native of Connecticut, U.S.A., all forming a happy combination of New Zealand military enterprise, English military experience in the person of Colonel Pen ton, and Amercan and British interests in the Southern Pacific. The Tutanokai has taken in a large quantity of stores and coal so as to be ready to proceed to Samoa or Tonga.

We (Oaraaru Mail) are able to state, on reliable authority that no official news has yet beeu received re Samoa, and that the Tutanekai will not be wanted to carry despatches, but that she may convey the latest intelligence to the Governor and the captain of the Mildura at Rarotonjja, and.

that the Milqura. may then proceed fc«r Samoa, his Excellency returning tc th« colony in the Tutanekai from Rarertonga.

An official, though rather enigmatic, utterance on the situation in Samoa has been made in the Reichstag by Herr yon Bulow. This., in its full text, was telegraphed by a Berlin correspondent of a Home paper: — "By th« General' Act of 1889, a triple rule was established in Samoa between Germany, England, and America," said HeiT yon Bulow, who. | continued, " If a condominium is wont to lead j to unpleasantness, this is still more the caso • with a tridominium. Since the General Aci ( came into force there has been- no lack o£ j friction between the representatives of the different Powers. Added to thit is the disorderly character of the population. A« early as 1891 a ferment, which went deep, showed itself in Samoa, and in 1893 a civil war openly broke out between the followers of Malietoa and Mataafa. In consequence oi the intervention of the German and British naval forces, Matoafa was deported to the • Marshal Islands. A fresh insurrection', wlfteh broke out in 1894, ended, after the German and English ships had intervened, in the overthrow of Tamases£. Last year the j three consuls proposed thai Mataafa should j be brought back to Samoa, and Malietoa ex- ! pressed himself to the same effect. The j Powers assented to Mataaf&'s return. At j this juncture Malietoa died. The three conI suls de'clnred that his death was no impedi^ ment to the recall of Mataafa, who then .re- • turned on board a' German ship of war. Tai I his instalment ns 'successor to Malietoa there I arose an opposition party, who proclaimed | Tanu. a son of Mnlietoa, and still a minor, as a candidate for the throne. Both, parties appealed to the decision of the Chief Justice,who pronounced in favour of Tanu. The result wan that Samoa became the scene of open fighting, in which the .party of Mataafa w&s victorious. The three consuls recognised the fait accompli, and the Provisional Government formed by Mataafa's followers. The final settlement of the succession question rests with the Powers," continued Herr yon Bulow. "I refrain from delivering a decisive judgment on the whole course of events in Samoa until written reports are to hand and closely examined, but I hold strongly to the hope that we-riiall succeed in disposing also of these latest troubles in Samoa, with due protection of German rights and interests, and in a manner which corresponds with ' th« ' friendly relations existing between the threa I Governniprus. " concerned. That things in j Samoa require readjustment isa principle j which is acknowledged on all sides. It eanj not be denied that the .tridominium has not stood the ordeal. We should be prepared foi 'ourajart, .to consent to 'a clean separation' if tne two other Powers . agree ; but so long as this agreement does not exist we hold to the ground of the act of 1889. We shall not allow the rights which that, act gave us to be curtailed, or our interests to suffer diminution, but we shall also respect the rights which accrue to others in*virtue of the Samoa Act."\

Commander Tilley, of the Abarenda, is in Washington to consult with the authoritiei , of the Navy department previous to his departure for Samoa, He will open a coaling, station at Pago #ago, .Avhich port the Unitejd .Slates holds under special treaty. The Abarenda carries over 4000 tons of coal, and 14011 tons of steel building material; The latter ii for the construction of a wharf and coal sheds. When the coaling station is established, Commander Tilley -will take charge' of it rb /first commandant. The Abarenda .has been equipped with- a good battery of rapid-firing^Kuns. She will be an efficient cruiser, with a large radius of action. The treaty obligation that United States warships shall from time to time appear in Samoan waters will no lorlgei be overlooked, as in the past.