A SAMOAN CELEBRATION.

Wairarapa Age, 9 May 1924, Page 5

A SAMOAN CELEBRATION.

THE AMERICAN JUBILEE. A well known resident of American Samoa, writing to a friend in Masterton, says: “Wo have just had,a pleasant visit from General Richardson, the Administrator of Western Samoa, in connection with the celebration of the hoisting of the United States flag over these Islands on April 17, 1900. He came over in the United States man of war Ontario with Mrs Richardson, a staff of officers and their wives, the American Consul and his wife, Dr. Roberts, and a large number of the Apia or Western Samoan Chiefs, with whom it was a great pressure to meet. “The Samoans of American Samoa made a point of indulging in the extreme of hospitality to their visitors. In fact, the visit of the chiefs was a greater attraction than the actual celebration of the hoisting of the Stars and Stripes, and at the exercises the representatives from British Samoa attended in greater numbers than the people of American Samoa, ft appeared as a British Samoan Day in Amerr can Samoa. “General Richardson usual made a sensible and appropriate speech and surprised the hearers in reading his speech after delivering it in the English language, in the Samoan language. W He read fluently and any one who understood the Samoan language could easily follow him. He ‘got on’ to the difficult Samoan accent and * break’ when speaking.”