Against Nz Taxation

Cook Islanders Fight

Despatch from a Lively Battle Front

The Pacific Islands Monthly’s Special Correspondent, James P.

Shortall, reported as follows from Rarotonga in mid-May: THERE probably never has been an Islands Administration, any where in the Pacific, which has met with the approval of the majority of the administered people.

That is certainly true of the Cook Islands to-day.

The criticism is not directed much against individual officers of the Administration. There has not been a more popular Resident Com missioner for many years, and the majority of European officers are liked. They have the interests of the people at heart, and a percent age are married to Islanders.

Yet, more than ever before, there is an undertone of increasingly sharp anti-European feeling in these Islands. It is not evident so much on the surface —there is still the pleasant smile and the greeting by the man in the street —but when the bush-beer begins to flow, and tongues are slackened, there is no doubt whatever that a great deal of bitterness exists in this New Zealand territory to-day.

This is in spite of the facts that not a penny is being contributed towards the administration by the local people, and that the New Zealand taxpayer this year will have to hand out £25 per head for every one of the 16,000 men, women and children in the Cooks, with a steady increase in that amount year by year in the years ahead.

Aggravated considerably by the arrival of two taxation assessors in the Group a couple of months ago, there appear to be two main causes of discontent and discouragement on the part of the Cook Islanders.

Firstly—although they themselves pay nothing towards the cost—they are angered that such a large pro portion of the monies assigned to the Cooks is spent on housing and comforts for the European adminis trative staff, as compared with monies spent on facilities contribut ing directly to the betterment of the lot of the Islanders themselves.

Secondly, they see discrimination and unfairness in the fact that even when they reach the standard of qualifications held by Europeans, they are retained on considerably lower rates of pay.

Together, these factors are caus ing a constant diversion of partly trained technicians and skilled workers to New Zealand, and a feel ing among the people that they are, for this very reason, making very slight progress towards self-govern ment.

The feeling is certainly not con fined to the Islanders. There is not a non-government European in the Group who is not outspoken in his criticism of the situation—though few have any solution to offer.

Either some financial encourage ment must be given to tradesmen and others to remain in the Cooks and gradually take over the posi tions now held by trained New Zealanders; or the Cook Islands must forever remain a training

ground for emigrants to New Zea land.

THE Ariki and the community leaders are emphatic that the people do not expect full New Zealand rates of pay; but they do insist that existing rates of pay for native administrative staff are wholly inadequate and not a living wage, that although rates lower than those paid to trained Euro peans are fair in the junior ranks, these rates should gradually merge into the European scale as Islanders progress towards the more senior positions. They are satisfied that New Zealand does not intend to let Islanders hold the higher positions of administration —however incor rect that may actually be. (Over)

There certainly have been some discouraging instances of what the people see as discrimination in appointments. There is evident dis crimination in other directions For example, Maori clerks and staff in the Administration office in Rarotonga are required to cross the road to a special toilet, and are not permitted to use that provided for European staff, though Maori and European clerks are working side by side in the offices. r[E living standards of the European public servants in the Cooks—luxurious, as compared with Maori islander standards, though normal to New Zealand standards—are the main butt of the people’s wrath. They feel sure that NZ taxpayers do not realise that so much of the annual Cook islands vote is being spent on purely Euro pean facilities.

Apart from the housing—which is certainly on a high standard— they cite, for example, the electric power scheme, which is enormously costly to maintain, and is used by a comparative handful of Islanders, as few can pay 1 6 per unit for electric power (falling to 6d per unit after the first 16 units).

The power scheme itself is effici ently operated and cannot be faulted—but is it really necessary, or worth what it costs, or even morally justifiable when an exam ination of Cook Islanders’ standards

of living is taken into considera tion?

Work is planned and is proceed ing on various facilities that will serve the population in general—an urgently required improved water supply throughout the Group, im provements to roads, educational facilities^ —but (say the people) these things should have come be fore power schemes, high-grade housing for European staff, etc.

THE arrival of the two taxation assessors from Auckland in March brought these murmur ing s to a head. Telegrams have been flying between the Rarotonga Island Council and the Prime Min ister in Wellington.

The Council demanded the with drawal of the assessors; the Prime Minister asked for co-operation on the part of the people; the Coun cillors declared that not only was the law which made taxation applicable to the Cook Islands neyer passed by the Legislative

Council of the Cook Islands, but was emphatically rejected by the Coun cil; the Prime Minister expressed his surprise that this was so; the Councillors demanded an immedi ate Royal Commission to look into all phases of Cook Islands affairs.

And communications still are passing back and forth.

At the end of April the Prime Minister advised the Island Coun cil that the taxation assessors would return to NZ in June, pend ing a report.

In a letter of reply the Ariki and Councillors of Rarotonga in dicated their firm intention to com pletely boycott the Island Council and the Legislative Council unless a Royal Commission is appointed.

They have already declared they are not opposed to taxation, but they are uterly opposed to the im position of the NZ form of taxation when rates of pay and standards of living are entirely different.

Though actually only a very small

number of Maoris would have to pay anything, the Councillors and Ariki—who include most of the tax payers affected —feel that the pre sent move is the thin edge of the wedge, and that soon sales tax and land tax and wages tax would follow. The time has come now to take a firm stand, they say; and they are taking it.

ACTUALLY, the taxation laws were made applicable shortly before World War II: but, due to war intervening, and to staff problems in the Taxation Depart ment in NZ, no action has been taken, until now, to collect income tax in the Cooks.

Last year Mr. D. C. Brown, a lead ing Maori trader in the Group, was intercepted in New Zealand when he applied for a passport and clear ance so as to proceed on a business voyage to Europe. A very large sum was impounded to settle taxes allegedly due by Mr. Brown. Un doubtedly, there are others who similarly would have to pay large sums. But the Maori leaders are emphatic that this is not influenc ing them in the present stand.

Much more is likely to be heard of the Cooks in the near future if the present stand is maintained by the Island councillors, who have been organising meetings of people in Rarotonga and urging them to indicate their opposition to this taxation development.

The present feeling in Rarotonga can be summed up in the state ment of a leading Maori Island Councillor. He was asked whether, in his opinion, the Cook Islanders would prefer the entire NZ set-up to withdraw from the Islands, leav ing the Cooks in complete isolation and to their own devices.

He replied that he was certain that a considerable majority of the people would vote in favour of such a move. In fact, he considered that it would inject new life into the Islands. There would be a new re vival of interest in development of the land, and especially of food crops. He felt that many Islanders

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would, in fact, return from New Zealand, to lower standards of liv ing certainly, in order to participate in an Administration which would be truly a Cook Islands one, with every penny of local taxes spent, not on luxury houses and facilities out of all proportion to the re sources of the Group, but on things really required by the people—water supplies, medical aid, land develop ment, education, etc.—without the costly overhead associated with European staff.