Concern For Cook Islanders' Welfare

CIPA and Union Bosses Battle Grimly On

See also later article: “NZ Police Go To Rarotonga.”

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Jan. 25.

THERE has been no improvement in relations between the local sup porters of the Cook Islands Pro gressive Association and the Cook Islands Workers’ Union. But they watch in tently the battle being waged in New Zealand between the Labour Government, Federation of Labour, Waterside Workers’

Union and Communists for the welfare of the Cook Islanders.

The government and the Federation continue to recommend the advance ment of a solid “workers’ union” as the best assurance of fair conditions for the workers, while the NZ Waterside Workers and the Communists remain the staunch allies of the “down-trodden” Raroton gans in the fight against the capitalistic employers.

All parties overlook the fact that Rarotonga is essentially a peasant com munity, that the total number of persons engaged in regular jobs is comparatively small and those who engage in water side work only do so for quite a small number of days per year.

It seems certain now that some sort of delegation will visit Rarotonga soon. Con siderable publicity has already been given to this matter as a result of the insis tence of -the NZ Waterside Workers’

Union that they be represented in any such delegation.

ACTING upon suggestions contained in a letter from the president of the Federation of Labour, the local secretary of the Cook Islanders Workers’

Union earlv in January requested the manager of the Union Steam Ship Co.,

to draw up a register of workers who had customarily performed waterside work over the past five years. When the list was completed the secretary then in vited representatives of the CIPA to attend a meeting with representatives of the Workers’ Union and the manager of the shipping company in the USS Co. office.

The meeting took place on January 9.

An hour before it was due to start a message was received from the president of the CIPA which stated that Mr. Albert Henry had been appointed to appear on behalf of the CIPA. Mr. Henry duly arrived, accompanied by another CIPA member. . A , .

After the register of workers had been examined by both parties, the secretary of the Workers’ Union explained the reason for the meeting, and read a pas sage from the Federation president’s letter which suggested that all regular water side workers who were not already mem bers of the Workers’ Union should be re quested to join.

Mr. Henry then refused to have any thing to do with such suggestions and said that he would wait until the ar rival of the NZ delegation. This brought the meeting to a close.

THE determined attempt to control ship-handling labour throughout these islands, in particular, appear as part of the next step in the CIPA “independence” plan which aims at wrest ing the trade of the group from the hands of established business.

Mr. Henry himself denies any such am bitions: but other CIPA supporters are

not so reticent regarding the aims of the movement.

Throughout the lower and northern groups, large quantities of copra, as well as other native products, have been accu mulated by the CIPA for shipment in a chartered vessel of their own.

The recent sale of the motor-vessel “Rosalie” to a French company in New Caledonia, came as a severe blow to the CIPA, as this was the ship which was supposed to have been coming to collect for the' organisation.

For many months the arrival of their “own ship” had been keenly anticipated by CIPA followers throughout the group, but for reasons not generally known it was continually delayed, and now comes the news that the vessel has been sold to outside interests.

Any further plans in this direction have not yet been revealed.