Legislative Council For Cook Islands

mHE following statement was made on J. August 2, in a letter from the Prime Minister of New Zealand to a resi dent of the Cook Islands: “You will have heard that during my recent visit to Rarotonga, I met repres entatives of the various Islands. With their concurrence it is proposed this year to ask Parliament to authorise two major changes, i.e.— “(1) That Islands Councils, while re taining Ariki as ex officio members, will also have freely elected mem bers. In total, throughout the Group, indications are that the elected members will be more nu merous than the ex-officio mem bers.

“(2) That, thereafter, the Islands Councils so constituted should elect from their own numbers the elected members of a Legislative

Council of the Cook Islands to be comprised partly of such elected members, and partly of official members.

“This plan for a Legislative Council and its constitution is based upon experience in many other parts of the British tropics, and there is no doubt from its operation elsewhere that it provides good means for representative expression of public opinion.”

As the New Zealand Government was returned to power in the general election on Novemjber 27, the foregoing may be regarded as a declaration of policy in relation to the future administration of the Cook Islands.

Closing date of tenders for the pur chase of the Fiji Government vessel “Viti” has been extended to December 16 in order that certain prospective purchasers may consider ways and means of altering the vessel to their requirements.

Mr. E. V. Crisp, who has been appointed Managing Director of Steamships Trad ing Co., Ltd., Papua, in succession to Captain A. S. Fitch, retired.