Better deal in Cooks

Cooks for commerce

Tradewinds

Private enterprise in the Cook Islands is taking over commercial activities which were the province of government before the fall of the Henry regime.

The changes, which were foreshadowed in the Speech from the Throne by the Chief Justice, Sir Gaven Donne, as Queen’s Representative at the opening of the 24th session of

the Legislative Assembly, give

the commercial sector control of the Cooks’ import and export trade.

Sir Gaven said his government’s main role in trade was to achieve agreements and understandings with other nations at the political level as well as to set quality stanar^s - ‘Beyond this,’ he said, ‘it has little or no rightful role in the commercial movement or sale of our goods, any more than it has a role in the importation of goods which is currently almost entirely in the hands of the private entrepreneurial sector of our country.

The previous administrat ion took upon itself the role of exporting and marketing of our produce. Honourable mem bers will know the pitiful re suits of such a policy. The government wishes to make it clear that this failure was simply due to the fact that governments are not equipped and can never, without great cost and effort, be equipped to perform commercial oper ations efficiently or effec

lively.’

After saying that the Henry government confined the pri vate sector by ‘restrictive and ill-advised legislation as well as

unrealistic policies’ to import

trading only, the Queen’s Rep

resentative promised that ‘my government will continue with vigour to implement its policies of strong entrepreneurial activity in the export of our goods. The economic welfare of each citizen of our nation and the very economic future 0 f our nation depends upon it > r

Sir Gaven revealed that the country’s economy, which had declined over the past eight years, was showing a strong upward trend through the com bined efforts of all sectors of the community and their co operation with the govern

ment’s policies.

Agricultural production

showed an increase for the first quarter of 1979 compared with the corresponding period in 1978, copra being produced in the first quarter of 1979 at a rate equal to the total amount of copra production in 1978.

He also reported that banana production in the same period was almost six times greater than in the first quarter of 1978 and there were also marked in

creases in pineapple planting

and production on Mangaia

and Atiu, in market produce on Rarotonga and increased areas of planting, with greater care given, in the citrus orchards.

Mitiaro, on its own initiative, had planned its future around copra and had produced more copra so far in 1979 than it had ever produced in recent years.

Tourism was also growing, with the Cook Islanders them selves establishing a strong par ticipating role in the industry, and the government would continue to promote the islanders in that role.

So far as the country’s 200-mile economic zone was concerned. Sir Gaven said con tact had been established with

fishing nations and companies.

The negotiations had been ap proached with caution and care and the services of a specially constituted team had been obtained to ensure the best

possible advantage was made

of the zone.

Other moves by the govern ment in the last 12 months, Sir Gaven reported, included the reduction by 10% of public ser vice personnel by ‘natural

wastage’ and not by sackings,

the introduction of new accounting methods to control government spending, a Hous

ing Corporation to advance

loans for house-buyers and not to carry out trading and build ing activities as had been the case under the previous government.