From the German Embassy, August 28, 1894.
trade and commerce in samoa.
When the statistics of the trade and commerce of Samoa in the year 1893 are considered the preponderance of the German interest in the trade of Samoa, as compared with those of other States, becomes constantly more evident.
German capital and German enterprise control the trade of Samoa. The Germans are, however, in consequence of this the ones who suffer most from the constant political disturbances of the country. They alone own plantations there, and during every war or insurrection, those chronic diseases of Samoa, those plantations are exposed to plunder and devastation. The exportation of dutiable goods is in the hands of the Germans exclusively. In the year 1892 the English exported 38 per cent of the goods that were exported, but in 1893 they exported nothing at all. The exportation of nondutiable products is so unimportant that it need not be considered; for the year 1893 there was probably nothing to mention in this line save the copper and other material that belonged to the two American war ships Trenton and Vandalia, which were wrecked during the hurricane during the year 1889.
In two respects only do foreign interests appear to exceed German interests in importance. In the first place, inasmuch as, according to the recent statistics, 57 per cent of the imports were from Australia, while only about 22 per cent were from Germany. In this connection, however, it should be borne in mind that of the goods imported from Australia, many were originally from Germany or other European countries. The second respect in which Germany is behind America and England, is navigation. Exportation takes place almost exclusively in sailing vessels, and, together with large quantities of unpacked goods (such as grain etc.), much wood from America and coal from Australia are imported in such vessels. The postal service is performed and incoming freight is for the most part brought in by American and British steamers. Yet the great amount of tonnage by which America and England are consequently represented in statistical reports is not to be considered as evidence of import interests. The mail steamship companies, the Oceanic Steamship Company, of San Francisco, Cal., and the Union Steamship Company, of Auckland, for instance, whose steamers call at Apia, are so far from considering these calls lucrative that they assert that they derive no profit therefrom, but rather incur a loss. They consequently received an annual subsidy of $1,500 while the Government and municipality of Samoa were able to pay it, and are still exempted from paying pilotage and port charges. Even if these complaints are exaggerated, the profit is, at all events, so small, that it is not worth considering in a comparison of the interests of the Germans with those of England and America.
The statistics of trade and commerce that are given below are based upon those prepared by the Samoan customs authorities, which, even if they are not absolutely correct, give a relatively clear and accurate atateraent of the interests of the different nations. The money referred [Page 720] to is the gold dollar, which is the money of account in common use in Samoa.
The value of the imports in the year 1893 was $330,193, as against $336,594 in the year 1892. Of this amount, goods to the value of $73,678 in 1893 and $71,704 in 1892 were imported from Germany.
A surprising picture of the great importance of the German, as compared with the non-German firms, is shown by the following statement, from which, at the same time, the absolute increase of German imports appears:
The German imports for the year 1893 amounted to $182,413, or 55.2 per cent of the whole. The German imports for the year 1892 amounted to $159,077, or 51.6 per cent of the whole.
The non-German imports amounted in 1893 to $147,780, while in 1892 they amounted to $150,828; that is to say, the value of German imports increased by $23,337 while that of non-German imports decreased by $3,048.
The exportation of dutiable products, as has already been remarked, has been in German hands exclusively. The value of the exports increased from $121,676 in 1892 to $153,005 in 1893; the value of German exports from $75,449 in 1892 to $153,005 in 1893; that is to say, more than 100 per cent.
There are no complete statistics concerning the exportation of those productions of the country that are not subject to an export duty. This amounts to so little, however, that it would probably make no appreciable change in the aggregate of the exports.
The payment of duties and taxes likewise show the preponderance of German interests.
The Germans paid:
| Amount. | Per cent. | |
| For import duties | $11,861 | 63.8 |
| For export duties | 3,340 | 100 |
| For import and export duties | 15,201 | 68 |
The English paid 10.6 per cent of the customs duties and the Americans 9.7 per cent.
Of the entire amount of the taxes (exclusive of customs duties):
| Amount. | Per cent. | |
| The Samoans paid | $20,948 | 70 |
| The Germans paid | 4,781 | 5.9 |
| The English paid | 2,419 | 8.1 |
| The Americans paid | 684 | 2.3 |
| Persons of other nationalities paid | 1,144 | 3.7 |
Of the entire amount of the taxes and customs duties, as levied in pursuance of the Berlin treaty; that is to say, of the entire expense of the Government of Samoa in the year 1893:
| Per cent. | |
| The natives paid | 40.2 |
| The Germans paid | 38.3 |
| The English paid | 9.2 |
| The Americans paid | 5.4 |
| Persons of other nationalities paid | 6.9 |
With regard to the future of the Samoan trade only this much may be said with confidence, that it can not be developed, but is more likely to retrograde, so long as political affairs remain in their present condition. The joint control of the treaty powers is not adapted to effecting an improvement in the existing state of affairs, or to protecting the plantations of the Germans from wholesale robbery and pillage. When war prevails in Samoa, almost the entire population of the districts in which it prevails—men, women, and children—abandon their villages, the natural consequence of which is that, in the abandoned localities, the cultivation of all esculent plants, especially taro, is neglected, and that, in the districts occupied by the hostile parties, the provisions found are consumed in the most wasteful manner, when they belong to the enemy, and are even wantonly destroyed, so that in a short time the only articles available as food for large bodies of natives are cocoanuts (which, under ordinary circumstances, are made into copra) and the products of the German plantations. The copra trade is thus brought to a standstill, the yield of the plantations is checked, the ability of the natives to purchase is diminished, and both exportation and importation languish.