ISLAND NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 309, 31 December 1891, Page 5

ISLAND NEWS.

THE HERVEY GROUP.

INTERVIEW WITH MR F. J. MOSS.

Mr Frederick J. Moss, the British Resident) at the Ccok Islands, in the Eastern Pacific, of which Rarotongais tha chief, has arrived in town by the steamer Richmond, after several months' sojourn in hie new sphere of duties. • During his stay in the Cook Group, which, it will be remembered,'only recently passed under British protection, Mr Moss has done remarkable work in welding together the whole of tho islands in this group into one federation, a feab which is quite unique in the history of the South Seas. This afternoon a , Stak representative had an interesting interview with Mr Moss, referring to the group over whose de3tiniee he has been exercising important control for the last ten months.

" I have returned to Auckland," said Mr Moss in answer to a question, " for the purpose of making permanent arrangameats regarding my appointment as British Resident at Rarotonga. As you know,' I was incapacitated in a way on first going down .to the Islands by the operation of the New Zealand Disqualification Act, which prevented me from holding any office on pay until the' expiration of a year after my resignation as member of the House of Representatives. I cannot say yefc how" lonp-I will remain here before returning to resume my duties as Resident. 1, A NATIVE FEDERATION. "You have been successful, Mr Moss, in forming tho whole of the islands in the Cook Group into one native federation, with a common Government?" " Yes, I am very happy to say that my efforts to weld tho natives of the seven islands in the Group into one population, with a common Government and common laws, have been very successful, and I &m confident that with a little further European guidance the natives will be quite capable of maintaining a stable Government of their own. This will be something so far unheard of in the South Sea Islands. I had' a great deal of difficulty in the beginning. As soon as I became British Resident I saw that it would ( be immeasurably to the advantage of the inhabitants of the group to adopt a form of foderal government, and to merge their political differences. In pursuance of my instructions from Lord Onslow, I accordingly set about visiting the various islands, and endeavouring to get the natives, who are an exceedingly apt intelligent race, to form a federation and combine for mutual benefit. I visited all the six islands of the group, besides Rarotonga, viz., Mangaia, Aicutaki, Mauke, Mitiaro, Atiu, and Manuao, and in every island except Mangaia I experienced very little difficulty in inducing the natives to federate, and to send their principal chiefs as DELEGATES TO A GOVERNMENT to be formed at Rarotonga. At Mangaia,. unfortunately, various circumstances combined to obstruct my efforts in this direction, and I had' to remain a month on the island persuading the chiefs that my proposals were only for their own benefit and would be productive of the greatest good to the people. In Mangaia, I must tell you, 1 found the people living under the old missionary rule, more so than any other island I know of. There is one .white missionary on the island, the Rev. G. A. Harris, of the London Missionary Society. Every church member was also a policeman, and as the policemen numbered 155 men out of a total population of 2,000 souls, the people lived in a state of perfect terror. The worthy church police did just as they liked, entering houses when and where they pleased, and' persecuting their fellow natives generally. One of their pleasant habits was to severely ill-treat a. woman whom they suspected of immorality until she made some incriminating statement in order to bo released from what was virtually torture. Then the primitive

CURFEW SYSTEM was in full swing in' Mangaia, and is still. Every inhabitant had to be indoors by dark, and could not go onb again during the niehb unless bearing a lighted torch, or the policemen prowling around would inflict some severe punishment upon him. This slate of things was too severe to last. Then there was the Penrse trouble, which began a year ago. Air Poarse," Messrs Donald and Edonborough's storekeeper and trader on Mangaia, somehow managed to get into a quarrel with the powers that were, with the result that ho was packed into a canoe and shipped away to K.arotontra. A quarrel between the missionary party and another native faction on the island accentuated this difficulty. After a great deal of trouble I succeeded in getting the approval of the natives on the federation question, as they all fell in heartily with me in the scheme. Mr Harris, too, seeing that what I was endeavouring to do was for the common good, heartily backed me up in all 1 did." '•Then' what changes were effected through your agency at Mangaia ?" • " Well, I insisted on the entire separation of church from State—and succeeded in getting it, too—organised a CIVIL FORM OP GOVERNMENT, and then insisted on the police being placed under the control of tho civil Government, which was done. Then I succeeded in settling the Pear.se a Hair. 1 was reluctantly compelled to fine them pome 1,400 dollars ior tho deportation of Mr Pearse, thoy ac- J cepted the position in tho end, and j are now on the best of terms with me and with each othor." " What further stepg did you take to establish a federal Government, Mr Moss?" "I first organised Governments in tho seven islands of the Group (which covers an area of some ISO miles square), and induced them to despatch -their arikis, or principal chiefs, as delegates to Rarotongn, to form a centra! GdvenmVjntr. Thero wa* little trouble in get«n;j over mo old tribal jealousies and dit'itmHloi, butjiliesfi were satisfactorily overuomo v/heii I gob the delegates together at Rarotonp-a. These delegates represented '■>■ total population of 6,500 pooplo, there beii;;r th:::o chiefs trom each island. They agreed i.o recognise Queen Makea, Ariki of Avnrua {Rnvotonga), as the head of else Executive Government, which was eefctled to consist of all the arikis who might happen to be in Karotongaat any time." "What was done in the way of lawmaking ?"' ; , I "The Govermr.enfc, witn my:-cli as i adviser; levied a small Customs'duty j duty of five per cent, on all imports—in order to provide some- necessary revenue ; framed liquor laws to suppress drunkenness and debauchery, and organised _ a supreme court and a post office, and shippin »>• office. We appointed a native judue, but very few officials. Tho liquor laws, about which there was so much stir made at first, are, 1 am glad to say, working very satisfactorily in all tho islands, as" far as the natives are concerned. There is, however, some grumbling on the part of the white residents. There was formerly a great deal of drunkenness in these islands." "How do you get on with the white residents?" "Well, there is a small political gulf existing between us afc present. The pakeha population in the group is very heterogeneous in nationality, and when they applied to the Government for representation in the Legislature, I at once refused to advise the Native Government to sanction such a course, for I saw that it would ?nly result in a