Japanese Squadron Visits

Western Samoa

From Our Own Correspondent.

APIA, June 7.

THE visit of the Japanese squadron, the training ships Asama and Yakumo, expected on the forenoon of King’s Birthday, was postponed until the next day on ac count of the sudden death of an officer, Paymaster Captain Hamano, who died on May 31, during the squadron’s visit to Suva, Fiji. He was cremated on board and accorded a funeral with full naval honours. This incident delayed the de parture of the squadron from Fiji by a day.

By a strange coincidence, Captain Ha

mano was the only officer on board the squadron who had previously visited Samoa in 1915, when serving on the cruiser Nisshin during the war.

After the official calls, the ships were thrown open to visitors, while the crews and officers were granted shore leave in turns. Soon the beach and the roads in and around Apia were crowded with groups of neatly uniformed, smiling and well behaved little sailors of Japan, dignified and often bespectacled officers and youth ful cadets, who inspected native life and especially the flora of Samoa with great interest. Occasionally they tried coco nuts, oranges or bananas hospitably offered by friendly Samoan natives. The sailors seemed somewhat disappointed to find none of their countrymen in Samoa, while Chinese coolies did not seem amic ably disposed towards the Japanese.

Officers of the squadron were taken for drives into the country and witnessed songs and dances given in their honour by boys of the Government school at Avele.

Their scant naval pay did not allow the visitors to spend much money in Samoa, though souvenirs were bought by officers and large numbers of photographs and view cards were purchased.

The cruisers left on the afternoon of June 4 for Honolulu, from whence they will return homewards, calling at several of the Japanese mandated islands.

Mrs. J. Arnold, a native of Belgium who had resided in Fiji for over 30 years, died at Suva in May.