Pitcairn’s Claims About Norfolk Is

Norfolk Is. Constitution

HHE people of Norfolk Island — [ currently at war with Canberra, and organising an appeal to the ueen (see article elsewhere) jviously are under the impression tat they live under a “Constitu- Dn" granted to them 100 years ago r Queen Victoria, and that they ally do not owe allegiance to Aus alia. They are quite wrong. But ,e error can be excused. NI has id a strange history.

Nothing has been found to sug st that this lovely isle ever was cupied by human beings before it st was taken over as a New South ales convict settlement in 1789. len, except for an interval of 13 ars, it was a convict station until 55. Somewhere in the early part ; the 19th century responsibility r the NI administration was trans rred from New South Wales to smania. [n 1856, Britain decided to remove 5 persons from Pitcairn to the w empty Norfolk. Of these, 46 ;urned to Pitcairn and 150 re lined to establish the present Pit irners’ community on NI. 3y an Imperial Order in Council 1856, the administration of Nor k Island was transferred from smania to the Governor of NSW, :h plenary powers; but NI was )daimed a distinct and separate tlement, with a Great Seal of

[own.

( N occasions, since then, the Pit cairners on NI have claimed that NI and all it contains 5 given to them by the Queen, t there is no documentary evid ;e of that. On the contrary, this Dn record, and having been con red to the Pitcairners in writing Mr. Toup Nicholas, “British tisul in the Society Islands”: I am at the same time to acquaint i that you must be pleased to ierstand that Norfolk Island can < be ceded to the Pitcairn inders, but that grants of allot nts of land will be made to the 'erent families, and I am desired further let you know that it is intended: at present to allow / other class to settle or reside occupy land upon the Island” ’his was sent to them in 1856, evidently never was clearly lerstood, because in 1900 the rfolk Islanders petitioned the ig, begging him to intercede to port their claim to lands, resid es and the NI Fund The tish Government referred the tter to the Governor of NSW; latter sent it to the Attorney leral of NSW; and an opinion > obtained from Sir Edmund ’ton, first Australian Prime Min r. The latter stated that the Jaimers in NI had no claim to

NI properties, except to those lands which had been granted to them individually, in allotments.

In 1906, the Governor of NSW (Sir Harry Rawson) visited NI (a dependency of NSW) and informed a public meeting that the matter had been settled and could not be reopened. In 1907, the British Par liament passed an Act providing that properties concerning which there had been so much argument belonged absolutely to the Crown.

Certain lands were designated as be longing to the Pitcairners and their descendants.

When the Island was given the status of a Crown Colony, NSW Governor Denison proclaimed, for the Colony, a simple code of laws: and these remained in force until July 1, 1914, when (in accordance with an Act passed by the Com monwealth Government and as sented to by the British authority) Norfolk Island became a Territory of Australia.

Whatever agreement was made by the British Crown with the Pit cairners in 1856 clearly was merged in the Code of Laws proclaimed by Governor Denison of NSW; and the latter, in turn, disappeared when the Australian Commonwealth took over in 1914.

The Apia Rugby Football Union is to investigate the possibility of a visit from a Fijian team next season. There are also possibilities of an invitation being extended to a Maori team to visit Western Samoa.

On Australia Day, January 26, the Consul for Australia in New Caledonia, Dr. Cumpston, and Mrs.

Cumpston, entertained 130 guests at a reception in Noumea. Those pre sent included French citizens as well as Australian and British nationals.

Spc

Official

In Canberra

Dr. Guy Loison, Medical Research Officer of the South Pacific Commission, attended the Health Education Seminar held in Canberra in January. An evening of the seminar was devoted to an exhibition by Dr.

Loison of posters, pamphlets, etc., pre pared by the Com mission’s technical staff for use among Pacific islanders. He is shown here (left) with other delegates.