and Poorer

Cook Is. Getting Poorer

But PM Fraser Thinks Islanders Show Good Taste in Migrating to New Zealand

From a Special Correspondent

Auckland, May 2.

A CONSIDERABLE amount of atten tion has been focussed on the Cook Islands by a controversy that fol lowed the presenting of a petition to the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, and Native Minister, Mr. Mason, on April 24.

The petition, which drew a pathetic picture of the lot of the Cook Islands generally, was presented by Mr. Drury Low, a European resident of the Cooks who is in New Zealand on leave.

The petition which blames the Govern ment fruit control for most of the Group’s ills, states that the Cook Islands are becoming so poor that the young people are flocking to New Zealand to earn a living, and that here they fall into bad living conditions and bad company.

Many of the young girls who have gone to New Zealand have developed TB and have either died there or returned to the islands to die. Under normal conditions they would have remained in the Cooks to raise large families.

It is alleged that the Islanders are not permitted to ship big oranges to the Dominion, but only medium and small fruit—this means a loss of thousands of cases a year—and resulted in the brew ing of “bush beer” from the large fruit that would otherwise be wasted. Twenty years ago, it was stated, Aitutaki sent between seven and nine thousand cases of fruit a month to the Dominion, but now the annual shipment does not ex ceed 250 cases.

The petition urged Government encour agement for the growing of cocoa and coffee: parliamentary representation for the 20,000 Maoris of the Group; raising the present ivages of from 2/6 to 4/- for an eight-hour day; the appointment of more doctors and the “reinstatement” of Dr. Ellison: a service of faster and larger ships and cheaper freights and fruit cases; the repeal of obsolete laws (9 p.m. curfew); the same law for Europeans as for natives (they claim that they are not getting justice in the Courts); and a voice in the appointment of Resident Commis sioners who make all other appoint ments.

MR. FRASER replied to the petition— or, more correctly, to the publicity that the petition received with usual ministerial facility, refuting all of the charges made by the Islanders and proving that they live in a proverbial land of milk and orange juice.

Probably somewhere between the some times extraordinary allegations of the petition and the easy denial by the PM, lies the real truth of affairs in the Cook Islands.

Mr. Fraser said that the statements in the petition were “misleading.” It was not surprising that Island people wished to come and live in New Zealand. Many people from other lands wished to do that also!

If the Government fruit control had not proved a success, as the statement alleges, certainly the price to the Cook Islands growers is no failure, for in 1932-36 the average that growers received for oranges was 2/6 a case; in 1939 it was 3/9; and to-day it is 7/-, plus a bonus of 2/- to every grower who is maintaining his output and shinning properly pre pared fruit.

The statement that large oranges are refused shipment is also misleading, he said. Oranges large enough to count 96 to a 70 lb. case are handled and most oranges do not come up to this standard.

Mr. Fraser thought also, that the 250 cases referred to as present annual ship ments must refer to bananas and not to oranges.

In the past two years an average of 11.000 cases has been shipped from the Cooks to the Dominion, although it was “unfortunately true” that during the war years shipping difficulties interfered with exports.

Wages are at least 50 per cent, higher than the petition claims, and the curfew law was made by the Aitutaki Island Council consisting of the four Ariki, four other members, and the Resident Com missioner. They were free to repeal it at their own discretion. rE president and secretary of what is called the “Cook Islands Progressive Association” then entered the fray.

They stated that the price of 7/-, plus a bonus of 2/- to every grower maintain ing his output and shipping properly prepared fruit had not yet been paid, but had been promised for the first ship ment this orange season, which would start in May.

The statement by Mr. Fraser that the assertion that onlv 250 cases of oranges were shipped from Aitutaki annually might refer to bananas was incorrect be cause bananas were exported onlv from Rarotonga, they stated. Further, accord ing to a report presented by Mr. Fraser to the House in July. 1945. no oranges were shipped from Aitutaki during the year 1943-44.

With regard to the Prime Minister’s statement that the Island Council was free to repeal the curfew—they said that no member of the Council was elected and the Commissioner had the power of veto, and therefore they were not free to repeal it.

The engagement has been announced of Mr. H. C. Halliday, formerly of Wau, and now of Milne Bay, to Miss I. Perkins, of Garden Vale, Melbourne.