How The Americans

Entered The Pacific

In the early 1900’s, after American colonists had proved their claim to govern and own their vast continent from east to west, they turned to the lands of the Pacific. In his book, The United States Enters the Pacific, Lionel E. Fredman, traces the early history of the United States and links its growth with the expansion of Europe into the Pacific.

In 1783 a group of American merchants proposed to break the stranglehold Britain’s East India Company maintained in Asia. Enter prising seamen and merchants sold to

China the sea otter furs of the north west American coast, sandalwood and beche-de-mer from the Pacific Islands and sealskins from the Aus tralian coast.

The first of many New England vessels in the Islands trade took its cargo from Fiji in 1806, and the promised rewards of the Pacific trade loomed closer as treaties were negotiated with China in 1843 and Japan in 1854.

Two-thirds of the world’s whaling fleet at that time sailed under the American flag, and these ships ranged far and wide to all reaches of the Pacific.

Whaling and trade required way stations or what the owners and sea men called euphemistically refresh ment ports. There were a number of islands well suited for safe anchorage, which had agreeable climate and friendly islands girls. Contact also brought missionaries and consuls to control the seamen and collect Customs duties.

Hawaii soon became a busy way station and in 1898 after a series of upheavals, was annexed.

Meanwhille the new steamship services to Australia and elsewhere increased demands for naval bases and coaling stations. Pago Pago on the Samoan island of Tutuila be came a coaling and trading station in 1878, and Germany and Britain also became interested in Islands bases and coaling stations.

In 1889 the three powers agreed upon a tri-partite protectorate and an administration which guaranteed some Islands territories’ independence.

However, 10 years later the kingship of Samoa was abolished and divided between the US, (Tutuila and the Manua Group) and Germany (Western Samoa). Germany relin quished her claims to Tonga.

Mr. Fredman’s book is useful in that it does provide a painless way of absorbing large quantities of history, but more clarification on many points and more details on Islands history

would have been interesting.-

Rlr.

Fthe United States Enters The

PACIFIC, Angus & Robertson. $2.25).