§1661 — Title 48 Territories and Insular Possessions | U.S. Code

Summary

The United States accepted and confirmed the chiefs’ cession of Tutuila, Manua, and nearby Samoan islands lying between the 13th and 15th degrees south latitude and between the 167th and 171st degrees west longitude, on April 10, 1900 and July 16, 1904. U.S. public‑land laws do not apply there. Congress must make special laws to manage those lands. Money from the lands, except amounts used for U.S. civil, military, or naval purposes or given to the local government, must be used only for the islanders’ benefit, for schools and other public needs. Until Congress passes governing laws, the President will appoint the people who hold civil, judicial, and military authority there, and may remove them and fill any vacancies.

Title 48, §1661

Territories and Insular Possessions — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The cessions by certain chiefs of the islands of Tutuila and Manua and certain other islands of the Samoan group lying between the thirteenth and fifteenth degrees of latitude south of the Equator and between the one hundred and sixty-seventh and one hundred and seventy-first degrees of longitude west of Greenwich, herein referred to as the islands of eastern Samoa, are accepted, ratified, and confirmed, as of April 10, 1900, and July 16, 1904, respectively.

(b)The existing laws of the United States relative to public lands shall not apply to such lands in the said islands of eastern Samoa; but the Congress of the United States shall enact special laws for their management and disposition: Provided, That all revenue from or proceeds of the same, except as regards such part thereof as may be used or occupied for the civil, military, or naval purposes of the United States or may be assigned for the use of the local government, shall be used solely for the benefit of the inhabitants of the said islands of eastern Samoa for educational and other public purposes.

(c)Until Congress shall provide for the government of such islands, all civil, judicial, and military powers shall be vested in such person or persons and shall be exercised in such manner as the President of the United States shall direct; and the President shall have power to remove said officers and fill the vacancies so occasioned.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The existing laws of the United States relative to public lands, referred to in subsec. (b), are classified generally to Title 43, Public Lands. Codification Subsec. (d) of this section, which provided for recommendation of legislation concerning the islands of eastern Samoa by seven commissioners as soon as reasonably practicable, was omitted from the Code. Section was formerly classified to section 1431a of this title.

Amendments

1929—Subsec. (d). Act May 22, 1929, substituted “seven” and “three” for “six” and “two”, respectively, and inserted “or high chiefs” after “chiefs”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Authority of Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands To Enact Revenue LawsSee section 1271 of Pub. L. 99–514, set out as a note under section 931 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code. Submerged Lands, Conveyance to TerritoryConveyance of submerged lands to the government of American Samoa, see section 1701 et seq. of this title.

§1661 Islands of eastern Samoa