A SAMOAN INCIDENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 15, 19 January 1915, Page 7

A SAMOAN INCIDENT.

HOTELS CLOSED TO THE TROOPS

Word comes from Samoa of a mild riot which resulted in the closing ol the hotels until further notice. One

account runs ins way:—“Some of oui fellows were in the Central Hotel at 3 p.m., wheif-in waked the provost marshal with a notice, »n which the

ink was not yet dry, and ordered the i hotel to he closed instantly. lids I was brought about* by the foolish conI duct ol some-of the chaps, who have,

of late, been Kicking' up a fuss about town. Last. Saturday night there was

a great row. ) “The proprietor of the Tivoli (a German) raised the price of hi?, quart bottle of beer from Is 6d to 2s bd. This was the signal to our fellows to hop in, and they accordingly started to wreck the snow. The military police arrived and cleared the 1 bar, hut were unable to get the men home. After tee police had turned their backs for a few minutes, a. start was made on a picket fence close 1 handy, and the palings thereof were , vipped off. One chap who was more | rowdy than the rest placed himself in front of the others who were lined lup in two ranks. Ihey w r eie iium- | hered off, and the leader ordered ‘Form fours.’

“The crowd then marched to the Tivoli, about 50 yards away, and at

about twenty paces the leader ordered, ‘On the left, form company.’ This was done, and the next command was ‘Charge/ The crowd brought the palings to the ‘engage’ and charged the hotel. You would have died (says the writer) if you had seen the mob take charge of the pub. They smashed in the front door, and took possession of the bar. helping themselves liberally to the booze. The bar and rooms adjacent were practically wrecked. “This was the cause of the hotels being shut till further notice. The notice reads : ‘All persons are prohibited from entering any hotel in Apia,’ or something to that effect. Thus, temperate men, who are the great majority, have to suffer for the indiscretion of a few. You will note that this proclamation does not prohibit officers from going to the British clubs.”—Auckland “Star.”