Mr. Mathison Back Home With New Ideas

A Minister Among the Coral Heads MR. MATHISON BACK HOME WITH NEW IDEAS

It has happened many, many times in the last 50 years. Another Minister of the Crown, having made his first grand tour of the Islands, has returned with a lot of new knowledge, and eager theories for the betterment of Islands residents.

MR. J. MATHISON, new Islands Minister in the new NZ Gov ernment, got back home on May 21, after a 26 days’ visit to West Samoa, Tokelaus, Cook Islands and Fiji. The Acting Secretary of the Department, Mr. J. M. McEwen was with him. He issued a long statement in which he said he “had come home with the facts and . . . more than a few Ministerial opinions, some of which may be wrong and unduly idealistic”.

However, it seems likely that NZ’s Islands Territories will—while Ministerial interest and enthusiasm last —get a good deal more atten tion than normally. Which is all to the good. It has happened many, many times before.

Obviously referring to criticsm of Cook Islands administration made by Auckland Star —one of the few New Zealand newspapers to show much interest in the Islands Terri tories —Mr. Mathison said: The Picture in the Garden “Let me say very firmly that I have seen little to justify that criticisim. That is not to say that everything in this particular garden is lovely, because it is not.

“But the administration is limited in its activities by the funds that Parliament is able to allot. There are many things the administration has long wished to improve—if it had the money.”

Mr. Mathison did not say so— but that one sure way of getting money is through well-founded and well-documented press criticism, however unpopular that may be with the administration.

Detailing what he had seen, under the headings of health, agri culture and economic progress, and transport, Mr. Mathison listed pro jects to which the Government would devote attention.

“Efforts are being made, and will be accelerated if possible, to in crease the degree of the Island Territories’ contribution to their own maintenance and develop ment”, Mr. Mathison said. "But it is clear to me that NZ must expect for a long time yet to augment, by parliamentary approval, the ex penditure the islanders’ own in come cannot yet hope to meet”.

Ministerial Reef-Crawling

Islands Minister Mathison’s fly ing-boat, from Samoa to Cook Islands, was late in setting down in Aitutaki’s big picturesque lagoon; and officialdom’s programme of

Islands night entertainment was sadly disrupted.

The flying-boat landing, near a small islet, involves a choppy, six miles launch voyage across the big lagoon to Aratunga village part of it through shallows, with many coral heads and no properly beaconed channel.

It is easy navigation in daylight, but far from easy on a falling tide in darkness.

The Minister and his party were able to accumulate some first-hand experience of “reef-crawling”. For a time the launch was grounded on a coral head.

Meanwhile the cooks in charge of the official dinner of welcome at Aratunga were saying uncompli mentary things, as they strove to keep the feast hot, without over cooking it.

For Aitutaki’s population, the big event was the dance at Araura school, which followed the feast, but at the end of a long and over interesting day it is possible that tn 3 Ministerial party did not relish this event to the full.

Later in the tour, however, ac cording to press despatches, both Minister and his secretary suc cumbed to the spell of that hot tempo island dance music, and rose to shake a hip with the best of the locals—to the enjoyment of all present.

The Horrors of an Islands Tour “I’d hate anyone to think this was a mere pleasure cruise”, said Mr. Mathison to reporters when he got back to Auckland.

Ke said that it rained on 20 out of the 26 days of the tour: he visited 13 different islands in 19 days; was aground at night in an otoll lagoon; conferred with an island council leader at the Toke ns while bobbing around on a Platform lashed to two canoes; and every member of his party suffered nom either bronchial or intestinal infections at some time during the trip. (See page 58).

HMNZS Pukaki, returning to Auckland from service off the Malden Island nuclear bombing range, made calls at Pukapuka, Nassau, Rakahanga, Manihiki, and Niue. The Nassau call was made to uplift the native radio operator and his equipment which had been out of operation for months. Stores were landed at Pukapuka, which had not had a supply ship for six months.