Things Are Looking
p. 16 · Read in the full issue
Up In The Cooks, Top Official Says
The economic situation in Raro\ tonga and the outer Cook Islands wav showing a “real improvement”, ana this was likely to gather increasing momentum as time went on, Mr, F H. Corner, New Zealand's Deputy Secretary of the External Affairs De■' partment, said in a talk over Radio Cook Islands in January.
MR. CORNER, who is also head of New Zealand’s delegation to the United Nations, said that what was. happening politically and constituj tionally in the Cook Islands [the islands are preparing to become inj ternally self-governing next yeari would be of much interest to the United Nations.
He said he did not believe storie; that the economic affairs of the CooH Islands were in such a bad state thaj self-government would not work.
Nor did he believe that CooH Islanders were “lazy, degenerate ano so jealous of each other” that even ti they did elect good people to the Government, they would never trust them and join with them in the haro work needed to make their country s good place to live in.
“I know well,” Mr. Corner said!
“that there are difficult problems to be solved here: for instance, that the income and standard of living of too many people is far too low; that there are not yet enough good jobs and op< portunities for Maori people; thai many of your able young people are moving out of the Cook Islands to find their opportunities elsewhere.
New Opportunities
“But this is changing and I am convinced that there is a bette:; chance of your problems being deall with effectively under the new system: “Self-government can release all the talents of a people. Under selfl government I am sure that many new onnortunities will be created, and that people here will respond to those opc portunities.
“New Zealand has found, as havr other countries, that there is a limii to the things that can be done from outside, however expert and however dedicated the outsiders may be.
“No people can have a feeling oc pride, no country really gets movinga if outsiders do the thinking and th«i pushing.”