SAMOA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14131, 10 February 1910, Page 4

SAMOA.

A GERMAN DESPOT. BRITISH RIGHTS RESPECTED. MR. F, HARMAN INTERVIEWED. “Don’t believe any stories about German administration in Samoa harassing British and American traders. They are not true,” The statement was made to a Sydney Morning Herald representative by Mr. F. Harman, the manager of several largo plantations in the German colony, who is on a business visit to Sydney. “The Gormans arc carrying out both the spirit and tho letter of .the treaty of 1890, which gave to the British equal rights. Tho colony is managed much on tho same lines as tho British Crown colonies. Dr. Solf stands at the head as a sort of benevolent despot, and he is assisted by a council. The council consists of four official and eight unofficial members. Of the unofficial members, two, including myself, aro British. Until recently there wore three British unofficial members. But one died, and two Germans were added, leaving tho proportion 6 to 2. “Gorman, of course, is tho official language. But it is the regular thing, when desired, to address communications to official quarters in English. In tho courts interpreters are provided. No attempt is made to force the Gorman language on anybody. It is not true, as stated some time ago, that tho natives aro being forced to learn Gorman. The facilities' are provided for them. But it is a purely optional matter. There is no compulsion.

“Tbo talk of British and American traders being penalised arose out of the recent now taxation. The colony is now almost self-supporting. The German Government wants to make it entirely so. Therefore, higher taxation was imposed. But it hits German, Briton, and American equally. There is no discrimination. Tho thing chiefly objected to is a general trading license of £ls a year, which applies equally to the small and tho largo traders. The other taxation is comprised mainly in an ad valorem customs duty of 10 per cent. Of course there are specific duties on such things as boor and tobacco. That is all tmwe is to be said on tho taxation question. “Tho Germans are making no attempt to. fortify Samoa in any way, or to prepare it for a coaling station. Although it is an off shoot of a military nation, there is not a soldier to bo seen. There is practically no harbour at Samoa, and to construct one suitable for war vessels would cost an enormous amount of money.

“The native trouble last year was easily corrected by tho German authorities. Alatanfa, the high chief, was at the head of it all. Strangely enough, among .the natives is a democratic party which aims at self-government. It had some crude proposal for self-government by its own selected high chief and a native council. But whatever the aims and objects, they were shattered by the dispatch of a coiiplo of German cruisers and tho deportation of several ambitious members of tho democratic party. ,

‘‘Samoa is going along with great strides. It is destined to become a place of considerable trading imoprtanoe. There is much British capital invested there, but German capital predominates. Nino years ago I formed a company in England to work a cocoa plantation. Five years later I did the same for a Scotish syndicate, to work a rubber plantation. Both these ventures have been successful, and now' I am forming a Sydney company for tho cultivation of rubber. And in addition another big British company is at present being formed in London. Australian people don’t seem to half realise the importance to them of tho Pacific Islands.”