Judge Ayson, C.M.G.

Leaves Cook Islands After 15 Years

TUDGE Hugh Fraser Ayson, C.M.G., has ** retired after occupying for five con secutive terms, with marked success, the important and delicate administrative position of Resident Commissioner in the Cook Islands.

Fifty-two years of age last November, Judge Ayson was educated at Wellington College and Victoria University, N.Z., whence, scarcely out of his ’teens, he entered the Law, practising as a barris ter and solicitor in Wellington from 1905 until his appointment as Judge of the

Native Land Court in 1916, in which year he first joined the Cook Islands service.

In October, 1922, Judge Ayson was ap pointed to the triple post of Resident Commissioner, Judge of the High Court, and Judge of the Native Land Court at Rarotonga, thus taking upon his shoul ders duties formerly borne by two separ ate officials, and which he has success fully carried out single-handed for 15 years.

Last month Judge Ayson announced that in view of impending changes in the personnel of the New Zealand Land Court it would be necessary in his own interests, to return to the Dominion and the Department from which he had been “on loan” to C.I.

Any attempt to estimate the work and influence of Judge Ayson locally must

take into account the fact that the ad ministration of a small territory, con taining many diverse interests, is a far more hazardous undertaking that a simi lar office in a larger area, where the conflicting elements are widely diffused.

In Rarotonga, where every third Euro pean is connected with the Administra tion, the “Government” is virtually on people’s doorsteps, with the inevitable result that official actions are liable to be regarded as biassed, so that unless the Commissioner is prepared to forego the common privilege of friendship, he is certain to incur the charge of having his policies influenced by his friends.

In such circumstances no small degree or skill is required to combat the pre judices, the petty jealousies and ambi tions of constantly warring factious, each seeking to advance its own interests at the expense of the others. And behind these is the great semi-inarticulate yet by no means unintelligent body of native opinion, easily offended and still more easily persuaded that its welfare is tak ing second place.

A natural tactician, Judge Ayson has sedulously eschewed party politics, and with enviable dexterity has set his course so that each political, commercial or social breeze has combined to blow him along in the direction he wished to go, and which was often quite contrary to where it was hoped they would carry him.

That this course has led to the better ment of the group is plain from the briefest perusal of the improvements effected during his administration, des pite the fact that almost half his term of office has been spent under “the de pression,” with its slashing seductions in Dominion subsidies.

In 1922, there were four Government schools in Rarotonga and four in the Lower Group islands, with a total of 1,300 pupils, functioning at an annual cost of approximately £9,000. By 1935, a new syllabus had been introduced, all existing schools enlarged and improved, and others established in the Northern Group, bringing the attendance roll up to 2,816 children, with a teaching staff of 71, 12 of whom are qualified Euro peans, the whole operating at an annual expenditure of a little over £6,000 In the medical realm, extensions have been added to the hospital, including the installation of an X-ray plant. Soil sani tation, too, has been undertaken on a la,rge scale and the Government, in con junction with the Rockefeller Institute,

have erected over 2,000 fly-proof closets of cement construction, thereby substan tially reducing disease from ground-borne infection. In 1926, a school dental clinic was inaugurated, with the part-time ser vices of a professional dentist.

Radio communication in 1922 was limi ted to the single station at Rarotonga.

To-day, there are substations on the tour main Lower Group islands and a fifth on Manihiki, 650 miles, to the north.

The population of the Cook Islands, 8.000 in 1900, has risen to 12,000 and 2.000 of that increase has occurred dur ing the past ten years.

Excellent as these improvements and innovations are, one feels that Judge Ayson’s claim to remembrance will proo ably rest less on his material achieve ments than on his administrative policy, which has successfully kept the Group from any of the undesirable sort of front page publicity, such as has been so marked in the case of Western Samoa.

With almost uncanny intuition, he has always been at least one jump ahead of those who might have desired to throw sand in the machinery.

In so many-sided a personality it is difficult to specify any one aspect as rep resentative of the whole, although per haps characteristic of Judge Ayson is the unswerving loyalty and support which he accords to his subordinates — an attitude which can only be appreci ated to the full by those who have actu ally served under him.

Judge Ayson is still a comparatively young man. Unless rumour lies, he leaves the Cook Islands for one of the most responsible judicial positions in New Zea land. With him will go, the hearty good wishes and congratulations of this small community.

Julian Hill As.

Rarotonga, May 19.