The Old German Trading Firm Of Western Samoa.
p. 13 · Read in the full issue
WE are indebted to Hon. O. F.
Nelson, of Auckland and Samoa, for permission to reproduce this very interesting photograph of the famous Ger man trading firm. It was com monly known in old South Sea days as “the long handle firm,” on account of its sesquipedal name.
It was officially called the “D.
H. and P. G.,” which are the in itials of the full title, namely: “Deutschen Handels und Plan tagen Gesellschaft der Siidsee Inseln zu Hamburg” (German Commercial and Plantation Company of the South Sea Is lands, of Hamburg).
The head office in Hamburg was known under the above style. The head operating branch was in Apia, Samoa, which was distinguished from the head office by the additional prefix to the above of “Haupt Agentur der” (Head Agency of); and as the other Island branches of the same firm were sub branches of Apia, the designa tion for Tonga Branch was "Tongatabu Agentur der Haupt Agentur der” (Tongatabu Agency of the Head Agency of) —and then followed the rest of it. The Mioko (New Britain) branch had a special title of “Zweigniederlassung der” (Spe cial Branch of).
Staff of the “Big Firm" at Apia. (1898), Sitting (left to right): G. Kaumann (Office Manager), Dr. B. Funk (Medical Adviser), A. Krueger (Manager Mulifanua Plantation), O. Riedel (General Manager). K. Burchardt (Visiting Hamburg Director), Captain H. Hufnagel (Manager, Vailele Plantation), C. Tiedemann (Manager Vaitele Plantation), A.
Haidlen (Company’s Land Surveyor), C. Koenig (Manager. Merch. Department).
Standing: A. Zimmermann, G. Lober (Assistant Merch. Manager), M. de Silva (Asst Yard Foreman), P. Schuster (later Manager at Rabaul), H. Milford (Chief Shipwright). A. Schultz (Cashier), A.
Willis (Architect and Chief Builder), P. Ravittza, P. Rasmussen (Chief Yard Foreman), E. Duesterdick (Plantation Inspector), G. Nuszhaer (Mechanical Engineer), F. Stange, A. Anton (Ledgerkeeper), G.
Knudsen.
Lying: O. F. Nelson (office boy), H. Hunkin (apprentice).