Cook Islands Sunday

Mission Bodies in Lively Discussion

A PLEA that the Cook Islands community be compelled by law to observe the Christian Sunday, and that the working of ships in Cook Islands ports on Sundays be prohibited, has been made to the New Zealand Government, The petition was promoted by ad herents of the London Missionary Society, which has a considerable following in the group.

The petition, however, has been strongly opposed by adherents of the Seventh Day Adventists, who also have a large following in the Cooks — and who observe Saturday, and not Sunday, as the Sabbath Day. They insist that freedom of religion is the foundation-stone of our democracy, and that all people should be at liberty to worship how and when they wish.

The discussion has provoked a certain amount of lively controversy.

It will be remembered that it was the early missionaries who introduced to the Cook Islands the notorious Blue Laws, under which they tried to stamp out that easy relationship

between the sexes which has been a characteristic of Polynesian life for centuries. Some remnants of the Blue Laws still are in force in the Cooks.

Apropos of efforts now being made to cross European with Zebu cattle in New Guinea, to overcome climatic disabilities, Mr. A. P. Lyons, for merly of PNG public service, recalls that Zebu cattle were imported into Papua about 30 years ago by Kitchen

and Sons for their Giligili plantation in the Milne Bay district. Another old Papuan, S. H. Chance, says, “they had 1,700 cattle, some Zebu Crosses, at Giligili in 1934 and supplied the Samarai freezers with meat at 6d per pound.”

Mr. J. D. Ryan, recently Medical Assistant at Kavieng, returned per Malaita late March after leave in Sydney. He will be stationed at Kokopo for his next term of duty.