Judge Ayson

III-health Causes Retirement From Cook Is.

From Our Own Correspondent Rarotonga, Sept. 23.

IT was officially announced in Rarotonga on August 27 that Judge H. F. Ayson, CMG, Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands, had resigned.

Judge Ayson was born in 1884 and educated at Wellington University. After several years’ practice as a barrister and solicitor, he was appointed Judge of the Cook Islands Native Land Court and High Court. In 1922 he was appointed Resident Commissioner. In 1937 he was trans ferred to the Land Court in New Zealand

but, at the end of 1938, after some local unrest, he was re-appointed.

During the last two years, Judge Ayson’s health has been bad and, when it became clear that it probably would not improve, he resigned.

On his departure in 1937 many fine presents were made to him, including a handsomely-carved table of native wood and pearl-shell. He has made it clear now that no further presentations are desirable, but it was felt that he would not refuse a letter of thanks signed by all the residents of Rarotonga, and a committee has been set up to approve a suitable memorandum.

Mr. Tailby to Act as RC

MR. WILLIAM TAILBY, secretary of the newly-created Department of Island Territories at Wellington, has been appointed Acting-Resident Commissioner and is due to arrive in the Cook Islands shortly. Mr. Tailby is, of course, well-known in Rarotonga, where he was Treasurer to the Administration for many years before being transferred to New Zealand in 1938. He has been successively inspector, assistant secretary and secretary of the New Zealand De partment, and may be rated as a man who is thoroughly familiar with the af fairs of New Zealand’s tropical territories.

Mrs. Tailby, also, is well known in the Cook Islands.

Judge and Mrs. Ayson at a garden party at the Residency, Rarotonga, in 1939.