PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The United States took control of Tutuila, Manua, and nearby eastern Samoan islands on April 10, 1900, and July 16, 1904. U.S. public land laws do not automatically apply there; Congress must make special rules. Money from those lands must be used for the islanders’ benefit—mainly education and other public needs—except funds or land used by the U.S. for civil, military, or naval purposes or given to the local government. Until Congress sets up a government, the President appoints people to run civil, judicial, and military affairs and may remove and replace them.

Title 48, §1661

Territories and Insular Possessions, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Ceded to and accepted by United States

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)Public land laws; revenue

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)Government

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