After 33 Years

NZ Prime Minister Visits Cook islands

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Jan. 2.

A MONTH after the inaugural landing of a plane on Rarotonga’s new air port, the island was visited by Mr.

Fraser, Prime Minister of New Zealand (who is also Minister for Island Terri tories) and a party of officials. The visit lasted from December 29-31; before its arrival in the Cooks, the party (Mr. A. G.

Osborne, MP, Assistant Minister of Island Territories; Mr. Ross Fraser, Acting Dir ector, Internal Marketing Division; Mr.

G. R. Laking, of the Prime Minister’s Department: Miss Jordan, private secre tary: and Mr. Wemyss, Official Cine matographer) studied conditions in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, and gathered all pos sible information on Islands’ affairs.

Mr. W. Tailby, Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands, welcomed the visit ors. It was, he said, the first official visit of a Prime Minister of New Zealand to the Cook Islands for 33 years. Mr.

FraSer, in reply, said that the object of his call was that he personally investigate every department of,, the islands’ social and economic life, to learn just what was required for the benefit of the population.

At the conclusion of the traditional Polynesian welcome ceremonies, the party was conveyed to the Residency to pre pare for the combined Maori and Euro pean reception and luncheon at Taputa puatea, the residence of the paramount chieftainess, the Makea Ariki Nui, Mrs.

Love. At Taputapuatea there was a kava drinking ceremony, followed by the pre sentation by the Arikis of gifts, in the form of articles of native craftsmanship, and the guests were again laden with flowers and brightly coloured artificial - garlands.

In the afternoon, the Prime Minister’s party inspected the site of the tuberculo

sis sanatorium which is now in the course of construction. Dr, E. P. Ellison, who for many years has worked for the estab lishment of a sanatorium in Rarotonga, gave some interesting facts on the health of the Group, particularly the distressing prevalence of tuberculosis and the neces sity for means of combating the disease.

The matter of sending more Cook Island boys to the Fiji Medical School for training as medical practitioners was also fully discussed; also the possibility of sending the most intelligent students to the College of Tropical Medicine at Dune din, NZ. Two more Rarotongan boys are already on their way to Fiji.

THE following morning was devoted to discussions with the Island Council on Island problems. And, at the same time, Mr. Osborne, Assistant Minis ter, Mr. Ross Fraser, of the Internal Mar keting Division, and Mr. M. Baker, Dir ector of Agriculture in Rarotonga, were engaged in a coats-off wrestling match with the Rarotonga Fruit Advisory Com mittee, headed by Mr. W. P. Browne. The visitors endeavoured to convince the Rarotongan party that the Internal Mar keting Division of NZ is definitely not making a handsome profit from the sale of Cook Islands fruit—as appears to be the general opinion of Rarotongan growers.

Every effort was made to persuade the Fruit Committee to embrace a scheme of long-term planning of citrus fruit plant ing for the future prosperity of the islands.

An excellent suggestion by Mr. Osborne was that some of the most intelligent Cook Islands youths should be selected for special training in modern fruit growing methods, in order that know ledge of fruit-culture should be instilled into the planters of the future. Ignorance of proper methods —particularly in regard to putting life back into the impoverished soil —is largely to blame for failure of native growers to get the best from their lands.

Dinner at the residence of the Makoa Ariki Nui, Mrs. Love, accompanied by Polynesian singing and dancing, con cluded the second day’s programme.

The following morning (Sunday) the partv attended an early service at the IMS church before proceeding to the airport, where an Islands farewell of songs and flowers was given the Prime Minister and his party.