Everything Will

Come Right, Pitcairners Say

From a Suva Correspondent The people of Pitcairn Island are not worried about the future even though migration to New Zealand has drastically reduced their numbers and their incomes have become smaller because fewer ships are call ing at the island.

Commissioner of the South T" Pacific Office in Suva, Mr. Reid Cowell, discovered this when he went to the island for a month recently to investigate its future prospects. oc Ve little doubt that 70 of the 85 people who live on Pitcairn want to stay there,” he told me on his return to Suva, “and their view is that everything will right itself as * has after previous migrations.

They have a pleasant place to live and can have a fairly comfort able existence selling their souvenirs and agricultural produce.

“But with the withdrawal of pas senger ships there is a gap in the private economy, and the idea now is to organise the islanders to help themselves.”

Souvenir Trade Mr. Cowell said that for many years the islanders had done a brisk trade in souvenirs with passengers in smps of the New Zealand Shipping Co. Ltd., the Shaw Savill Line.

But only the four Shaw Savill ships, Gothic, Athenic, Corinthic and Ceramic, carrying a maximum of 80 passengers, and considerably less in the off ’ season, were calling at Pitcairn now.

However, on his way back to Fiji Mr Cowell spoke to the chairmen ot the two shipping companies in Wellington and found they were anxious to help Pitcairn as much as they could within the limits of good economic sense”.

Mr. Cowell said that one line of approach to the Pitcairners’ economic problem was to build up a mail order market for their handmade souvenirs.

A co-operative enterprise supply ing fresh fruit and vegetables to ships could also help. v Mr. Cowell said that Pitcairn, which had no wheeled transport, except the traditional wheelbarrow might soon get a couple of tractors one with a bulldozer blade, which could cut paths where necessary.