Show GERANS SELL GUNS TO REBELS Great Scandal During the Last Month at Apia Samoa EXPOSED BY A NEWSPAPER Rifle Cases CameFrom Germany Labelled Toys I I First Installment Would Have Keen FolIoTvc By Many More Samoa XoW Visited By n Plasno in the Form of thc Dcngnie Fever I Which Ilns Laid TJi Almost Every Foreign Heaideiit and Many of the Natives Mmiy Deaths Have C Alreaily IJeeii Iteyortcfl I I Apia Samoa Jan 30 Correspondence Correspond-ence of the Associated Press per steamer Mariposa The great scandal during the last month has been the discovery that Frings Spatr a large German firm here has been importing and selling to the rebels rifles and ammunition For sometime past it has beep known that munitions of war had been supplied to the rebel party and that thereby they were enabled to maintain an armed opposition to the Malietoa government gov-ernment I was suspected that the offenders in this respect were Germans Ger-mans and not much surprise was felt when no proper efforts were made to bring them to justice Work of n Kcrrspspcr One of the local papers has been very keen in endeavoring to trace the offence of-fence home to the guilty persons and early this year it found its opportunity opportun-ity By some means it acquired information in-formation in regard to this contraband trade and the next issue of the Herald I contained an article which forced the authorities to take such action that the whole disgraceful business was exposed The rifles had been imported from Germany packed in cases labeled la-beled toys and owing to the imperfect im-perfect customs arrangements had got intb Samoa This first installment was but part of an immense quantity now stored in Sydney by the firm in question ques-tion and which they have admitted were intended to be Introduced into Somaoa I will scarcely be believed that for such a heinous offence in direct di-rect contravention of the Berlin treaty the German consul had simply fined the two partners of the firm 53750 each Great indignation has been expressed ex-pressed together with n certain amount of satisfaction that at last the in o famous perpetrators of this outrage of supplying the natives with the means I 1 of shedding each others blood have at last been discovered and that neither 1 I Britishers nor Americans are involved I j I Visited By u Plague I Samoa has been visited by a plague in the form of the Dengue fever which has laid up almost every foreign resIdent resI-dent and most of the natives At present pres-ent ConsulGeneral Mulligan is SP verely attacked Many deaths have ataclced 1Ian resulted and although the fever has I nearly abated in Upolu it Is raging fiercely in the other islands i British Consul Cusack Smith has left for England His successor is Mr Woodford His action in regard to exposing ex-posing the individuals who have supplied II sup-plied guns and cartridges to the natives na-tives is much commended I I I The British warship Wallaroo left for New Zealand on the 5th inst so that the only vessel present in harbor is the German ship Falke I Municipal Elections I The biennial municipal elections are at present in full swing and as usual the contest has become an interna tonal one as between Germans and Britishers and Americans The fight for the position promises to be a very hot one The land commission has finally concluded con-cluded its labors |