SEIZURE OF SAMOA.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 4944, 18 September 1914, Page 7

SEIZURE OF SAMOA.

NOT A SURPRISE. Electric Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. According to a statement made by Dr. Sellu 1 tz, ex-Governor of Samoa, who has landed in Auckland as a prisoner of war, the taking of Samoa was far from being a surprise. Its (capture had been expected for days. In the course of an interview, Dr. Schultz smilingly pointed out that the task of the Expeditionary Force was not a hazardous one. He had been told that in New Zealand reports had gained credence that there were a thousand white people in Samoa. As a matter of fact the total white population, men, women and children, including German, English, French and Danish settlers w>as not more than 500. while there are more than 30,000 natives. Asked whether the visit of the Expeditionary Force was expected Dr. Schultz replied in the affirmative and volunteered the information that the authorities in Samoa were apprised of the coming of the New Zealanders by the simple means of tapping wireless messages. Samoa possessed a powerful wireless station and they were thus able to intercept messages from troopship-. “We realised from the very outset,” continued Schultz, “that surrender was inevitable because of the primitive defences of the place. Our forces consisted of 20 soldiers and special constables and our fortifications of one gun. This was religiously fired every Saturday afternoon and took half an hour to load. Our only other defonsive wen pons were 50 rifles of an 1871 pattern.