"Frontier Forsaken" Is Twaddle

More About Mischief-Makers In the Cook Islands

By James E. Carmack

rAT the Cook Islands is “a house divided against itself” must be patent to readers of this journal.

The screeching of our Polynesian oreed of Kilkenny cat is stirred to a crescendo by a group of Leftists who, fitting into the pattern of the times, stand at a dist ance with upraised hands, suddenly aware of a great regard for Brown Brother— whom they had never before seen, and of whose economy they are crassly ignorant.

Into the arena has now been flung a

bundle of paper-covered books bearing the melodramatic title appearing at the head of this article. This impassioned contri bution from “Challenge Publication” press, Auckland (where red ink flows freely* is designed to educate the ignorant in the history of the peoples of the Cook Group —a history punctuated with such provok ing expressions as: “Once again they were driven downhill”; “We found them free and we reduced them to servitude”; “We found them prosperous and we reduced them to direst poverty;” “Their protests were so successfully stifled that few out side the islands even heard them.”

This little book —which resolves itself into an indictment of the white man and his efforts to uplift the Maori people—is a heterogeneous mass of truth, error and gross exaggeration, so crudely stated as to be easily recognised by local residents, but calculated to deceive unwary wharfingers and their ilk, who will greedily lap up such intoxicating brew.

This is not intended as a review of “Frontier Forsaken,” nor is it the writer’s purpose to give expression to the pros and cons of Cook Islands problems. The froth and bubble we leave as so much trash, while most of its falsity is treated with the contempt deserved.

But I feel in duty bound to give the lie to Chapter 13, a section dealing with “The Scandal That Could Not Be Hushed Up.” Not only does the author reveal his ignorance of the facts (or contempt of the truth) but he deals the Resident Commissioner a dirty blow beneath the belt. rE subject is introduced with: “The year 1945 marks the turning point in the native struggle for emancipa tion. In that year New Zealand heard the story of the abominable scandal at Makatea, the worst labour scandal in New Zealand history.

“The Makatea case was fully investi gated at a meeting at the house of Mrs.

Love (Makea Nui Takau Ariki) in Raro tonga, on April 18, 1945. Besides Mrs.

Love, there were present other leading members of the community—the Revs.

J. E. Cormack (who presided) and R.

Chains, Father Übald, Colonel Marshall, Judge McCarthy, Messrs. R. Tepuretu and H. Ward, an interpreter and a steno grapher.

“Twenty natives were in attendance to give evidence concerning the appalling conditions they had endured on the French phosphate island of Makatea.

“The evidence showed conclusively that over 400 Cook Island Maoris had been virtually ‘biackbirded’ to slave for a French" Company (whose headquarters at the time were under Hitler domination) —and this with the complicity of the Cook Island Administration.”

The remainder of the chapter is punctuated with such conclusive ex pressions as “charges proved to the hilt,”

“having heard these appalling revelations, the Rarotonga meeting unanimously passed a vote of condemnation on Maka tea,” etc.

Not only do I challenge the veracity of the statements, but I strongly protest against the low rating thus placed upon the intelligences of the people named. It would be absurd, to say the least, for a meeting of representative citizens to even attempt to “prove to the hilt” the charges put forth. It is utterly false to state that the meeting “unanimously passed a vote of condemnation on Makatea.”

Intelligent persons do not condemn on hearsay, nor do they stoop to the methods of modem “champions” of native races by

passing judgment or drawing conclusions at such a distance from the area under review.

IN reality, the meeting was called to hear a report by a Mr. Ward, a verit able bird of passage, on alleged con ditions obtaining at Makatea, more par ticularly the conditions which affected the social lives, health, etc., of the Cook Islanders there. After hearing Mr. Ward, the meeting addressed itself to question ing three (not twenty) natives who had recently returned from the phosphate fields.

Far from attempting to “prove the charges to the hilt,” it was decided by the meeting to pass on a report of the proceedings to the correct authorities, with a strong recommendation that the charges be investigated on the spot by a competent officer. Instead of “unanimously passing a vote of condemnation,” the meeting asked me to head a delegation, comprising Makea Nui Takau Ariki and three clergymen, to wait upon the Re sident Commissioner with a report of the public meeting, and with the request that the document be forwarded by him to New Zealand.

AGAIN I quote: “If the matter had been confined to official circles, its ulti mate fate would probably have been to lie in the office files. But it did not end there. Documented reports of the meeting were sent to Mr. T. (Pat) Potter, Maori Liaison Officer to the Auck land Trades Council. Immediately he had the whole affair published in the Trade Union paper, ‘Challenge’! It is said that copies of this reached the Government before ever the Resident Commissioner got his report in.”

Let it be clearly understood that no reports were sent officially, or with the knowledge of the people present at the meeting, to this self-styled “Maori Liaison Officer” at Auckland.

The celar inference from the paragraph quoted is that the Resident Com-

missioner purposely delayed forwarding

the report to the New Zealand Government till the Government had received a copy from another quarter. That is untrue.

This is what transpired in the Resident Commissioner’s office: The report was presented, read and freely discussed. official correspondence with the New Zealand Government on the Makatea question was produced, which satisfied the

delegation that the matter was already well in hand, and it was unanimously requested that the report be not forwarded for the time being, pending the outcome of official representations already being made. The Resident Commissioner under took to forward the report later if he felt that his own representations needed seconding, fIIHE meeting is reported as having evid- JL ence which “showed conclusively that over 400 Cook Islands Maoris had

hcen virtually ‘blackbirded’ to slave for a French Company and this with the complicity of the Cook Islands Administrauon.

This is more unadulterated twaddle. I have a copy of the report before me and it does not contain one word to support this ridiculous untruth on an aspect of the question which was certainly not discussed at the meeting. On the contrary, amazement was expressed at the eagerness of so many ex-Makatea men to return to the alleged “shocking” conditlons - Actually, labour is recruited without constraint or coercion, entirely free from peremptoriness; at each recruiting many volunteers are turned away disappointed, T . he ,, men are returned to their homes at the expiry of one year’s service at Makatea and there is always' a rush to sign up again.

So these “blackbirded” Cook Islanders slaved “for a French company whose headquarters at that time were under Hitler domination!” Actually, during the war years, these brown “slaves” did their bit in fighting Hitler and Tojo as surely as did the rifle-to-shoulder heroes overseas. When New Zealand and Australia were divorced from their phosphate sources (Nauru and Ocean Island) Makatea and the Cook Islands stepped into ttie breach the former supplying the

fuccceKtful camplten to the* fmd

£ a „P algn t 0 asslst tne f °odproduction front. vro Mason and Dixon’s line exists in JN the Cook Islands, where Europeans and Maoris mix without distinction in business, pleasure and domestic life, “Frontier Forsaken” notwithstanding.

The subtle falsity of the book is noticed in the illustrations, which have been carefully chosen to show the native at a disadvantage. Page 101 comprises a delightful picture of the palm-fringed rinks

of the Rarotonga Bowling Club, with the footnote: “European traders and top ranking members of the Administration relax in the pleasant atmosphere of the Rarotonga Bowling Club. The one native present is a special exception, as in all realms of sport a colour-bar exists in the Cook Islands, despite—or may be rather, because of—the native’s natural aptitude.’’

Naturally, European residents like to have a corner where they can gather to gether to enjoy the society of their fellow countrymen. But this does not indicate a colour-bar! And what native would in terest himself in bowls, anyway?

Maori members are included in the tennis club, and some of them are fine players. As Treasurer of the Rarotonea Sailing Club, I am able to say that the membership list includes several natives some of whom own and sail their own boats. Every effort possible is made to encourage Maori members of the corn munity to take an interest in the club and at each regatta special prizes are offered as an inducement to natives, Attend the ballroom, and you will find our most respected European ladies danc ing with Maori partners, the only re quirement being courtesy and sobriety In other realms of sport natives and Euro peans mix with the utmost freedom and goodwill.

W e are interested to learn that -“to day the ' slanders a l e °. nce « aln a “tertog on a period of awakening, of striving to wards national unity and emancipation.”

M&i? £ e

failings ofm’esent and pas^Adndnkh^ 8 tions but we do deotore ttjp

Sment of this flie race o™opkTat

the hands of a few 111-advised, mendacious meddlers whose interference in the affairs of the Cook Islands is an evil calculated to bring untold harm to a people de serving of the best we can give them in leadership, precept and example.