Baron Saurma to Mr. Gresham.
Washington, September 11, 1893.
Mr. Secretary of State: I have the honor to inform you, in obedience to instructions received, that his excellency the chancellor of the Empire has been glad to see, by the two notes of the Department of State of the 1st and 10th ultimo, that a final understanding has now been reached by the treaty powers concerning the appointment of Mr. Ide as [Page 686] chief justice of Samoa and of Vice-Consul Schmidt as president of the municipal council of Apia.
Vice-Consul Schmidt intends to sail in October and expects to reach Apia in the latter part of December.
With regard to refunding the traveling expenses of both these officers, it is proposed by the German Government that a lump sum of $1,500 in gold (one-third of which shall be contributed by each of the governments) shall be paid to each of them, as was suggested in the note of Mr. von Holleben, of the 8th of July last, regarding the return expenses of Mr. Cederkrantz and Baron Senfft von Pilsach.
The salaries of the new officers should be computed from the day of their arrival at Apia.
Mr. Ide’s wish in respect to his annual leave of absence might, in the opinion of the Imperial Government, be complied with, at least so far as can now be foreseen. The duties of his office would be performed in his absence according to section 2, Article iii, by the president of the municipal council.
Mr. Schmidt has not expressed any desire for leave of absence from his post. He has, however, requested that he may be placed in possession of the dwelling which was erected two years ago for the president of the municipal council, for which he is willing to pay a reasonable rent. As the Imperial Government has learned, this dwelling was occupied by Malietoa and his family after the departure of Baron Senfft von Pilsach. As the building in question is a part of the property to be managed by the consuls as the representatives of the municipal president, and is not the private property of Malietoa, it behooves the consuls, in the view of the Imperial Government, to see that the said building is not used for any other than its legitimate purpose. Malietoa or other natives should, moreover, not be allowed to obtain control of the dwelling hitherto occupied by the chief justice, to the use of which Mr. Ide is clearly entitled.
It might be well, in connection with this matter, for the consuls to be furnished with identical instructions, in accordance with section 5, Article v, of the Samoa act.
With regard to the closing passage of your Department’s note of August 10, I am instructed to state that Baron Senfft von Pilsach, since his arrival at Berlin, has applied to have his traveling expenses refunded to him.
Our proposals regarding the payment of the return expenses and of the salaries of Baron Senfft von Pilsach, and Mr. Cederkrantz, the two retiring officers, have already been concurred in by the U. S. Government, as stated in your favor of the 31st ultimo, a copy of which I have not failed to transmit to my Government.
I beg to be favored with a reply relative to the payment of Messrs. Ide and Schmidt’s traveling expenses, and also to the question as to the dwelling houses to be occupied by these two officers at Apia, and I should be greatly obliged by some information touching the issue of instructions on this subject to the American consul at Apia.
I avail, etc.,