Against Opposition

W. H. Watson Retains Seat Against Opposition Results of Rarotonga Election

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Mar. 16.

IN the election for the European member of the Rarotonga Island Council on March 14 Mr. William H. Watson was successful in retaining his seat against his opponent, Mr. Stuart G. Kingan.

Result of the poll was, Watson 47, Kingan 37. Mr. Watson, who has served three years on the Council, has been in business in Rarotonga since 1931. Mr.

Kingan has lived here for over two years, and is in charge of the ionosphere ob servatory for the NZ Department of In dustrial Research. He has performed a valuable voluntary service by instructing classes of young Maoris in electrical science. During his residence he has taken a keen interest in local political affairs.

It is many years since there was an actual election for Council member and the challenge of a young newcomer to a com paratively old resident caused a flurry of excitement and everyone followed the contest with the greatest interest.

On the European electoral roll for Rarotonga and the outer islands only two persons failed to register a vote. This is considered remarkable. We have a number of recluses hereabouts who are rarely seen or heard; indeed, some of them have never been seen by other resi dents who have lived here for many years.

Yet every one of these wes persuaded to take an interest in the issue.

MR. KINGAN’S policy was strongly critical of the Cook Islands admin istration and called for many re

forms. Other points in his programme were the urgent need for improved ship ping facilities; more stringent regulations for local shipping; some control over foodstuffs and insistance on hygienic handling.

An undercurrent of the election cam paign was a battle between Cook Islands Progressive Association sympathisers and the anti-CIPA element. Mr. Kingan pro tested that he was an independent can didate and strongly resented the sugges tion that he was “the mouthpiece of the

Cipa.’’

WHILE agreeing with the policy of Mr.

Kingan on a number of minor points, Mr. Watson’s programme was of a more moderate character, calling for amicable co-operation with the ad ministration on local problems. It pointed out that many piessing matters such as improved shipping facilities had already been gone into thoroughly and were being given attention by the govern ment. This also applied to medical and health matters. Mr. Watson stressed that the main problem in Rarotonga still was that of increasing agriculture.

He said that the native population of Rarotonga had increased from 3,676 per sons in 1926 to 5,600 persons in 1945, but that agricultural production had de clined seriously. In 1930 77,233 cases of oranges and 53,271 cases of bananas had been shipped. In 1946 only 4,790 cases of oranges and 21 cases of bananas had been exported. These figures Mr. Watson said, showed that the real problem is the great increase in native population together with the appalling drop in exports; that was the real cause of their present troubles and the only remedy was to restore the balance between the above two factors, which called for co-operation on the part of all parties to increase production and exports of fruit.