Jubilee Without

Excitement

Cooks 50 Years of NZ Rule

THE Cook Island formally became part of the Dominion of New Zealand on June 11, 1901.

The Golden Jubilee of NZ rule, which occurred last month, seems to have passed without any great excitement either with in the Dominion or in the Cooks.

New Zealand has had her hands full dealing with striking seamen, miners and wharfies and the residents of the Cook Islands, at the time of the anniversary, had been isolated from their motherland for about five months. It was only after the anniversary was over that the Maui Pomare, manned by a volunteer crew, left Auckland to relieve the acute food short ages that had developed in the Group since the ship’s last call—in February this year.

In her 50 years of rule, New Zealand has done remarkably little to develop the Group. However, it is doubtful if any other nation would have done more. The Cook Islands have nothing particularly vauable to offer the world—no minerals, and a population that prefers to work for itself.

Its only commercial activity of note is the export of fruit to the Dominion citrus fruit mainly, plus tomatoes, in the season when New Zealand growers cannot produce them, pineapples, etc. There is also a small amount of copra exported.

About 22,000 cases of bananas were ex ported in 1935 but in 1947 this trade had fallen off to only 18 cases.

There may be some revival of the fruit trade in the Cooks when the Union Steam ships Co’s new vessel Tofua comes into service in a few months time. Since the war, any progress that the Group may have made has been virtually ham-strung by lack of shipping facilities.

The population has increased slowly— -10,000-odd in 1926 and a little over 14,000 in 1947. There are about 1,000 Cook Islanders living in New Zealand.

The New Zealand administration of the Cooks has been benevolent enough but uninspired. Possibly there was a lot that could have been done in developing the Cooks to take care of NZ’s tropical needs —if it had been necessary.

The Cook Islanders, a peaceful people normally, were caught up in post-war Nationalism, a few years back. Most of the trouble seemed to emanate from the Cook Island Progressive Association, sus pected of having Communistic sympathies.

The troubles reached their head in 1948 when a plane load of armed New Zealand police arrived at Rarotonga and called the CIPA bluff. Since then Cook Islands nationalistic troubles appear to have di minished.

The Produce Circular of the Bank of NZ, of June 1. reports that Samoan cocoa was then selling in London at around 295/- per cwt. for No. 1 and 280/- for No. 2.