Niue Island

Defers New

Member System

From a Niue Correspondent The first Leader of Govern ment Business to be appointed on Niue is Mr. R. R. Rex.

MR. REX was elected by members of the new Niue Legislative Assembly, which had its first meet ing on April 26. The election was held on April 9.

The outgoing Assembly had approved in principle the creation of a member system, under which mem bers of the Executive Committee are to be given individual responsibility for Administration departments, in stead of exercising collective re sponsibility under the chairmanship of the Resident Commissioner, as at present.

This is part of Niue’s progress towards internal self-government from its position as a dependency of New Zealand.

Responsibilities

After appointing the new Leader of Government Business (who will be recognised as spokesman for the Assembly), the new Assembly decided to defer decision on the extent to which the Executive Committee mem bers should assume additional respon sibilities. The Executive Committee itself will discuss future moves and re port its conclusions to the Assembly.

These are the members of the Executive Committee, all of whom were elected unanimously by the new Assembly:— Mr. R. R. Rex, member for Alofi South; Mr. P. Talipule, member for Mutalau; Mr. Siakisoni, member for Hakupu; and Mr. A. Strickland, member for Alofi North.

Other recent developments on this small island 300 miles east of Tonga are:— The island hopes to increase its copra production. To this end the price schedule for copra now includes a development levy of £4 a ton.

The Government of Niue has agreed to pay another £4 per ton towards the development levy from general taxation revenue so that a development fund will be financed at the rate of £8 for each ton of copra exported.

A Land Development Board is to

be formed by legislation to undertake the management and direction of any development schemes approved by the Niue Island Assembly, and the Assembly has already approved in principle the proposal for develop ment of 400 acres of existing coconut plantations.

The Assembly will make available up to £16,000 to the proposed Board from the Economic Development Fund.

A Niue Island Gazette is now be ing published in Niuean and English.

This publication is now required by law to be issued regularly on Niue and will contain official notification of all ordinances, regulations, orders in council, proclamations, warrants, appointments and other instruments and acts relative to the government of Niue.

24 Hours Of Excitement

In late May Niue had what was probably its most exciting 24 hours, with aircraft dropping medical supplies from the sky and the call of a destroyer which steamed at high speed for the island to take away a sick boy, Henesoni, aged 9, who had developed a form of polio. The Administration feared the boy would become paralysed and be unable to breathe before help could get to him.

It was found impossible to get a Sunderland flying-boat from Fiji (800 miles away) to land in Alofi Bay, but it was arranged that a Sunder land should airdrop portable breath ing apparatus on to the island while the US destroyer Pine Island raced to Niue to pick the boy up.

It looked as if the aircraft

couldn’t arrive on Niue before daylight ended, so a large white cross was laid in the open at the drop zone at Fonuakula prison farm with kerosene-soaked sacking in paint pots outlining it, to be lit as makeshift c , , J , .

The Sunderland picked up a tailwind and droned in just after sunset. as the flares were lit. Black rain clouds, which had been massing all afternoon, moved in closer as the aircraft dropped her supplies.

A few minutes later rain started, putting the flares out. If the aircraft had been that much later the airdrop might have been impossible.

But the excitement wasn’t over

yet. An RNZAF Hercules, on a flight between Samoa and Tonga, the next day dropped urgently-needed medical supplies on the farm as a large crowd watched including members of the Niue Assembly, which had temporarily adjourned for the event.

That same afternoon the Pine Island arrived at Alofi Bay in very rough seas. As the crowd gathered— including again members of the Assembly—the ship put out a boat which took the ill boy aboard with the aid of a powerful crane at the stern. It was later reported from Pago Pago that the boy was corn fortable and was eating and breathing well.