Apia’S Popularity.
p. 26 · Read in the full issue
Samoan Hospitality Pleases “Carinthia’s” Tourists.
From Our Own Correspondent.
Apia, Feb. 19.
THE Cunard liner “Carinthia,” with nearly 300 tourists on board, called at Apia on February 10, and the “Stella Polaris” on February 17 with another 50 passengers.
The “Carinthia’s” call, for which ex tensive preparations had been made, caused a lot of attention and excitement on the beach. A fleet of motor cars stood ready to take visitors to points of interest on the island. Yailima, the old Stevenson home, now occupied by the Administrator, Stevenson’s grave close by, the native school of Avele and cocoa plantations were visited by many.
The Samoan village of Batogo pro vided an exhibition of native craft and ancient fashions of preparing foodstuffs and materials. The native dames and sivas with songs in the old native dresses and decorations, especially at tracted and pleased the visitors, who remarked that arrangements and enter tainments in Samoa were much superior to those in Rarotonga and Tahiti, and regretted the shortness of their stay here, which did not allow them to see more of the beauties of Samoa.
An interchange of telegrams took place after the departure of the “Carin thia ” between the Administrator and the captain of the boat, the latter ex pressing the appreciation of tourists for the entertainments offered them.
Quite a bit of money was spent by the visitors, car owners and native en tertainers especially benefiting-. It is hoped that regular calls at Apia will in future be included in the world cruise schedules of the Cunard line and Cook s Tourist Agency.
The call of the Norwegian tourist vacht “Stella Polaris” with only a small number of tourists passed off much more quietly. This party also expressed ap preciation of Samoan attractions, though no large preparations and arrangements had been made for their entertainment.
The only people dissatisfied with the visits were native sellers of curios, who did very little business with the visitors —probably due to the latter’s fear of
overcharging,