ISLANDS GOVERNMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 229, 25 September 1903, Page 3

ISLANDS GOVERNMENT.

DISCUSSION IX THE HOUSE.

(By Telegraph—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, Thursday.

In the House of Representatives yesterday the second reading of the Cook and Other Islands Government Act Amendment Bill was taken. The bill provides for the validation of certain ordinances of the High Court. of Rarotonga, and for the establishment of a Resident Commissioner at Niue The Hon. Mills, in moving the second reading of the bill, stated that it hald been found necessary to pass a clause validating certain ordinances of the Federal Council at Rarotonga. There was a good deal of feeling at Niue at the island being connected with Rarotonga, the inhabitants considering that they should not be placed under the administration of the Federal Council when they were not represented in the Council. The Government, therefore, decided to remove Nine from the operation of Rarotongan ordinances, and in future each would bo separated, and controlled from" New Zealand. Correspondence he had received had shown that the natives of Niue would be satisfied at this. Mr .fills pointed out that the trade and commerce of the Cook Group was steadily increasing, and that the natives were well satisfied at bring placed under the administration of New Zealand. The arikis were prepared to let their lands to Europeans at a reasonpble rental, and in some cases this had already been done. So far, the Government had not been able to do much by way of educating the natives, but the grants had so far been judi- j eiously expended. ! In answer to Sir Wm. Russell, Mr Mills stated thai the natives were prepared to leusc their lands at rentals of from 4/ to 10/ an acre. Mr Herries said that be could not congratulate the Minister ou the introduction of the bill, lie had hoped that after his visit to the Islands Mr Mills would bring down proposals which would provide for the good government of the. Islands, and do away with the present make-shift arrangement. He congratulated the Minister on the improvement of trade in the Islands, but said that much of the £250 received was for stamps, which went into tlie books of collectors. It was a very unsafe and unsatisfactory way of raising revenue. Touching on the surplus of £ 1800 made by the Islands last year, Mr Herries said that £1100 of ibis was a,balance carried forward from th. previous year, while if the Islands bad to pay the salaries now paid by New Zealand, amounting to over .£I2OO, there would be a considerable loss. The Islands were unfortunate in being saddled with the schooner Countess pf Ranfurly, though he was pleased to see that that vessel was now doing a better trade. He hoped that the Mapourika excursion would have the effect of convincing members that it was unwise to go into any further annexaton of the islands of the Pacific. It seemed to him ridiculous that the whites could not be elected to the Council of Nine. Mr. Herries asked why the existing Federal Council was to be continued for another two years, and objected to the extension of the Customs tariff of Niue to all tbe islands of the group. From lv_i. nimr to end the administration of I hose islands was not to the credit of tho colony. . Mr. Hone ITeke commended the clause in tlie bill which separated the Control of Nine from Rarotonga, The Premier bad stated, when the original bill was under discussion. I hat provision should be made for both Euronea. s and natives being represented in the Parliament of New Zealand. This should be taken into consideration immediately, for the sooner this was done the sooner we would be able to understand the necessities and peculiarities of tbe islands. Mr. Hunan objected to the islands being represented in the Parliament of New Zealand, and to a representative of the Cook Islands hnvinsr tho same voice ill the government of Now Zealand as a rcpres. ntative of one of the constituencies of the colony, q

Mr. Fowlds said it was considered by all who went: on the Parliamentary excursion that it was a very difficult matter to provide a comprehensive scheme of "•overnment for the islands. Since the islands bad been annexed with so much enthusiasm he had changed his opinion. and now believed that the annexation would do i ho colony no good, and would be to the moral and material hurt of the islanders themselves. Tie felt that they had stepped in and interfered with a system that was working admirably—a system that had induced a higher stage of civilisation. He believed that it would be necessary to go on experimenting with the islands for some years, and tbat eventually a stable system might be evolved. It was entirely wrong that the Resident Commission! _• iv the islands, who had to initiate prosecutions, bad also to adjudicate ou the cases. Tie believed it would be necessary to appoint a judge for the whole of the islands.

Mr. Fowlds, in explaining the necessity for reducing the duty on tobacco at Niue. as was provided in the bill, stated that this article was the principle currency among the islands, and when the natives found that after the imposition of duty tbey got about one-fourth as much as before! they did not altogether approve of the annexation to New Zealand.

Mr. J. C. Thomson pointed out that the colony was unable to borrow sufficient money to carry out its own requirements, and that in future these islands might become a serious burden upon New Zealand. Tbe money frittered away in developing the islands could be better spent in the colony.

Mr. W. Fraser said the., if we had not annexed then it would have been done by Germany and America, and what w r ould have been our position then? He did not think that the islands were likely to be a burden upon New Zealand, because their resources were such that there would be no difficulty in raising amongst themselves sufficient money for their own Government and requirements.

Mr Massey regretted that members who took part in the Parliamentary excursion bad not given the House the benefit of their experiences. He saw little to object' to in the bill, except that it wa§ that patchwork legislation to which the House was becoming so accustomed. We had taken a serious responsibility, and he considered it would be well to postpone the repre-

sentation of the Islands in this Parliament for a long time. He declared that it was the duty of the Minister to bring down a comprehensive measure dealing •with the government of the Islands, and suggested that Mr Mills should give a full report of the Mapourika's trip, including details of the cost. Sir Wm. Russell said the Islands were administered by the autocratic will of the Premier, and the natives had no voice at all. The administration of these Islands would not be all play, and in time of war the colony would not be able to protect them. Mr Arnold, in supporting the bill, declared amid some little laughter that be was one of those who sacrificed _ight weeks of their time, and braved the perils of the ocean, to do their duty by their country. He had no doubt tbat the Islands bad been annexed from patriotic motives, but he was satisfied that it would be impossible to defend them in case of war. However, it was to the interests of the natives that the annexation was decided on, and he hoped the Government would bring down a bill to preserve the whole of the land for them. The labour question was going to cause a lot of thought, and if coolies Avere ever imported to the Islands (and it was quite possible that they would be in the distant future) provision would have to be made for preventing them coming into New Zealand. Drink should be kept r.bsolutely from tbe natives, and arrangements made to educate them.

Mr Barber also supported the bill, more especially the clause which removed the Islands of Nine from the control of the Federal Council of Rarotonga. His idea, however, was that the whole of the Islands should be governed from Fiji.

Mr McLaehlan said they had heard a lot fiaflii those who went on the Mapourika trip, but he would tell them how he enjoyed himself stopping at home. He assured the House that he did not stay at home because he was afraid of his constituents kicking up a •'hullabaloo," as had some other members, but he had been obliged to stay at home and mind his business. Tbe members appeared, judging by photos, taken aboard, to have bad a '"high old time," but they must have been a sober crew, because the chief steward' said lie had made more iv a single trip to the West Coast out of the bar takings than in five weeks with the members. They appeared to be able to bear great hardships in the way of eating fruit, judging by the record of one member, who had been credited with eating a dozen oranges and two cocoanuts before breakfast. The party had returned with a fine geographical, geological, ethnological, and "kiss"-ological knowledge of the Islands and their inhabitants.

Mr T. Parata (Southern Maloxi member), who supported the bill, expressed himttelf _s being" pleased th_ut the Islands had be'en placed under the protection of New Zealand, and with ord'ina_y care they would be self .upportdng. He urged the establishment of a, system of free ischools among the various islands, and gave the mission-airies great credit for -what they bad done to improve the condition of the native...

M.r Flatman urged tha/i the lands .mould be kept for the natives, and that the importation ef liquor and itfhie maimifa_t_r_ of orange and pine-apple been: should be prohibited. He declared that the t-rip had not been an altogether enjoyable one, but. would not advance any reason. A sum of money should be placed on the Supplementary Estimates, he said. _o compensate rnemebrs who travelled by the Mapoiirika, not only for out-of-pocket expenses; but also fon- the loss of time.

Tn reply, the ..fmi.ter pointed out to Mr Henrie.. that r h__d_t (the ftimple balance sluown in the tamsury account books, the asset created by tihe making of roads. eon«._ruct'on of buildings, etc., had to be -orisndered. The Cusifco_s duties collected in Xew Zealand on goods consumed in the Islands more than paid the salaries of the Oo_jrr_.ssionei"s. He was so satisfied of tihds tbat he bad ordered the Collector of Customs at the various ports to keep a separate account of dut/ies coll-eofed -on Island, o-r----duTrs so that tbe position mig'h.t be directly a.scen.taina ble. He did not favour _.ir Hake's __gg_3t_on svegfairdiing d.reot representation, nm* did lie think there was any necessity to appoint a, Magistrate for the Islands. The dietlay in the production of the s+atemp.nts <_ aoco-umts of tihe __.___n._a had beesi caused thi_ngh a fire in tbe Union oo.'_ office ..hoT-lly after their return. The figures were now in his bands, however, a.nd wonild fee available at nn early date.

The bill was then read a second time on the voices.