Cooks, Solomons

To Go To The

Polls In April

Elections for new legislatures in two South Pacific territories— the Cook Islands and British Solomon Islands Protectorate — will be held in April.

THE Cook Islands elections—for a new Legislative Assembly— will probably be held on April 20, and will probably be supervised by a United Nations delegation despite opposition from the Soviet Union.

The delegation is also, expected to attend the first meeting of the new Assembly.

The New Zealand Government asked the United Nations in Feb ruary to send a supervisory delega tion to the Cooks, but the Soviet UN delegate, Mr. Fedorenko, op posed the idea on the ground that “it might create an unacceptable precendent for the solution of colonial questions”. However, when PIM went to press, it was expected that Russia would not make an issue of the matter.

At its first meeting, the new Cook Islands Legislative Assembly will be asked to consider whether the New Zealand Government should put

into effect the Cook Islands Con stitution Act which the New Zealand Parliament passed last year. This act provides for self government in the Cook Islands.

The Assembly is expected to accept the new constitution, but the largest political party in the Cook Islands—the Cook Islands Party, headed by Albert Henry—opposes a provision which would make it necessary for an islander to live in the Cook Islands for three years before being eligible for election to the Assembly. This provision would debar Mr. Henry, himself, from election until 1967.

If the new constitution is accepted, a second meeting of the Assembly will probably be held in June at which a Prime Minister would be elected. The Prime Minister, in turn, would then choose his Cabinet.

Solomons Election The elections to be held in the Solomon Islands will be for a re constituted Legislative Council pro vided for in a new constitution which came fully into force in February.

The elections will be held on April 7.

The new Council will have 11 official members and 19 non-official members. Eight of the non-official members will be elected—seven of them by electoral colleges and one, who will represent the electorate of Honiara, by adult franchise.

Besides the eight elected members, two other non-official members will be nominated by the High Com missioner. It is not expected that the nominated members will be chosen until the results of the elections are known.

Self-appointed experts tip that if

no Europeans are elected, the two nominated members will be Euro peans; that if one European is elected, the nominated members will be one European and one Melane sian. If by some strange chance, two Europeans are elected then, pre sumably, both nominated members will be Melanesians.

About 1,100 people have been enrolled for the Honiara electorate —probably less than half of those eligible. A European is expected to have a good chance of winning in Honiara, where the population is composed of Europeans, Chinese, Melanesians from outer areas, Gil bertese and other Islanders.

Electoral colleges will elect three members in Malaita, one in Guadal canal, one in the Eastern District, one from Central District and one from Western.

SEEN IN RABAUL: No, it's not a new fashion in headwear in the Islands. It's popular Rabaul girl Barbara Neale play ing the title role in the Rabaul Little Theatre production of "Sleeping Beauty".

Barbara works for TAA and her father is manager of the Commonwealth Bank in Rabaul.

• This new and elegant High Court building in Honiara, seen here when it was officially opened last October, is also to serve as the BSIP's Legis lative Council chamber.

Photo: Ted Marriott.