plight

Smokers' Desperate

Experiences of a Ship-less Island

Prom Our Own correspondent

Rarotonga, April 27.

rE inhabitants of comparatively sophisticated Rarotonga recently spent an exciting five months, dis covering quite a lot that they did not know before.

The absence of any ship connection, from the beginning of December, 1941, until May, 1942, has produced some most astonishing conditions, which provided much food for thought to brown man and white man alike.

Both found that life is entirely sup portable without bread for his breakfast, or sugar for his tea, or imported tobacco.

Lack of benzine compelled all to take more healthful exercise, liquor “permits” have been reduced from two to one per month, and the absence of sugar more or less banished the euphemistically-termed “bush-beer” (fermented orange-juice) from the island.

Many new ways of preparing the native foods, such as taro, breadfruit,

cassava and tarotarua (to mention but a few) entirely changed most Europeans’ attitude towards these wholesome foods.

The most important lesson to the Maori population—which will be only too surely disregarded—has been to show that it is just as well off when living on its QWn f 00( j S) produced by itself, as on tinned meats, flour, sugar and rice, bought with money. As a consequence of the Maoris not being able to spend their money on these European food stuffs, many have been able to turn their cash to more profitable account, by buy ing lasting articles, such as bicycles, clothing and hollow-ware.

The most amusing aspect of the situa tion was to be found in the tobacco shortage. . .

Europeans, who previously disdained imported black plug fell on it with zest, in the absence of usual supplies; it was therefore not long before the black plug was but a beautiful memory. Then the little-known native tobacco came into its own. Every other smoker had a different method of curing and preparing his leaf, and, of course, each claimed that his process produced the most appetising and delicate “smoke”. (Incidentally, the handful of tobacco planters on the island made small fortunes.) With the finish of the native tobacco, one raked through one’s old butts—until

somebody found that common tea, pre ferably mixed with a shred of tobacco, lights perfectly well. Fortunately, the island’s supply of tea had not been exhausted when the long-awaited miracle came to pass, in the shape of a steamer.

Messrs. R. Walker, Director of Educa tion at Rarotonga, and J. W. W. Graham, Headmaster of the Avarua School, recently returned to the Cook Group from furlough in NZ.

Mr. R. J. A. Ingram, for some years an employee of A. B. Donald Ltd., at Rarotonga, has joined the staff of the Cook Islands Administration as clerk in the Fruit Control Department.