Reports

Resident Commissioner Reports To island Council Few, if any. Quick improvements Can be Expected in Cook Islands Affairs

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, May 12

rE Resident Commission of the Cook Islands, Mr. Tailby, who has been absent from the Group for several months, returned to Rarotonga in April.

During his absence he attended the South Seas Conference in Canberra, at tended to Cook Islands affairs in New Zealand and also had some weeks of ful lough.

On April 24, shortly after his return, he attended an Island Council meeting at which he gave a report on his activities and affairs affecting the Cook Islands.

He said that he had made the stron est representations to the New Zealand Government on the question of fruit prices but within the present marketing framework the NZ'- government had given the highest price that was possible for Cook Island oranges. He had seen the figures of the Internal Marketing Div ision and it was evident that they would lose in the handling of GI oranges this year, unless the fruit arrived in good con dition. A very small profit had been made last year by the IMD. If it had not been for the efforts of the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Under-Sec retary the price offer to Cook Is. orange growers this year would not have been obtained.

The proposed new jail in Rarotonga would be commenced as soon as materials became available. The matter of the hos pital and medical treatment had been in vestigated and a report made. There was no need, said Mr. Tailby, for anyone to doubt that the hospital was not com petant to deal with most things. Re commendations for repairs and enlarge ments to the hospital had been made and were now awaiting the attention of Dr. Buchanan upon his return to Welling ton. Also in hand were approvals for the erection of new hospitals at Aitutaki, Mauke and Manihiki.

The much discussed inter-island vessel would be provided by New Zealand. The vessel is a Fairmile launch; the New Zea land Marine Department is re-fitting the boat with twin Diesel engines, altering the interior for the accommodation of patients and official passengers, and mak ing provision for native deck passengers under cover. The construction of a slip way at Ngatangiia harbour was under consideration.

Mr. Tailby said that shipping was the greatest problem of the present time. No suitable vessel had been purchased to re place the “Maui Pomare”, although three attempts had been made in England to obtain a ship; the NZ High Commissioner in London was still trying. The problem of shipping was not, of course, confined to the Cook Islands. But it took a long time to build ships, and the position was

that no small refrigerated ship, suitable for Island needs, was available.

The NZ Public Works Department was trying to make an engineer available to survey the reefs in the other islands in order to ascertain how passages could be improved. At present the department was short of men and it was difficult to release one for the purpose. rE Commissioner said that regulations passed in NZ on April 14, 1947, re quired that later this year that each Island Council would have to elect repre sentatives to sit on the new Cook Islands Legislative Council. The Prime Minister of NZ, Mr. Fraser, and Mr. Osborne, Par liamentary Under-Secretary, had been asked to attend the first session of the Legislative Council. The Prime Minister has replied that if it is possible for him to attend he will be happy to do so, failing that he will endeavour to arrange for Mr.

Osborne to attend. As Parliamentary affairs would not permit them to leave NZ until late in the year, it was sug

gested that the inaugural meeting of the Council be arranged at that time to fac ilitate a visit.

Regulations for the registration of Trade Unions in the Cook Islands, West

ern Samoa and Niue, were then before.

Parliament. There would be no compul sion for anyone to form unions but should! they wish to do so the provisions would be there for the purpose.

AT the conclusion of the meeting the RC was asked if minutes of all Council meetings could be made public and distributed in both English and Maori, Mr. Tailby replied that he was heartily in favour of this but that each time it had been tried in the past it had broken down under its own weight.

The real difficulty was the Maori trans lation. This could not be undertaken un til an official interpreter had been ap pointed. In the meantime a number of copies in English would be made avail able.