Finances

Samoans' Dime Fund Finances Own Merchant Marine

Honolulu, Apr. 20

rE people of the Manua district of American Samoa will soon have their own merchant marine.

It is the 256-ton former Pacific Fleet minesweeper YMS-431. Scraped, cleaned, painted and refitted, it will sail late this month for the South Seas to enter ser vice between the seven villages of the Manua district and Pago Pago.

The ship was bought with nickels and dimes thrifty Samoans have saved since 1942—plus generous donations from thousands of US sailors who visited the district during the war. Renamed “Manu’a Tele” (Great Manua), the veteran combat-ship will carry passengers and freight on a non-profit basis. It has space for 70 tons of cargo and will be fitted to carry about 50 passengers.

The vessel will be the property of the people of the district and will give them first regular communication with Pago Pago and other islands of the group.

Tufele-Faia’oga, Manua district gov ernor, came to Honolulu in January to purchase the ship and arrange for its refitting. He and a volunteer crew will sail it to its new service. They expect to leave Pearl Harbour late in April.

On hand to help the governor in his negotiations was Rear-Admiral E. W.

Hanson, USN. Commandant of the Pearl Harbour naval base. As military governor of Samoa from 1938 to 1940, it was Ad miral Hanson who proposed the money raising campaign that made purchase of the vessel possible.

The Samoan Community on Oahu turned out to aid in refitting the ship.

They swarmed into the drydock at Pearl Harbour recently to help a navy crew to scrape and paint the hull. The whole Samoan population of Hawaii turned out, along with Admiral Hanson and other navy officers, for re-christening and com missioning ceremonies.

The little vessel will sail from Pearl Harbour displaying its own Samoan en sign under the Stars and Stripes. The ensign is three large red stars on white and seven small red stars on a blue field. The large stars represent the three main islands of Samoa; the small ones, the seven proud villages of Manua district, whose 2,700 inhabitants now own their own merchant marine.