RAROTONGA ISLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 224, 22 September 1925, Page 14

RAROTONGA ISLAND.

NEWS AND NOTES. 11.M.5. VERONICA. (Fcom Our Own Correspondent.) RAROTONGA, September 9. H.M.s. Veronica paid the usual annual visit during the month of August, and spent three days carrying out survey work. The captain and oflicera were entertained at a social evening held at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Browne, Nikau, while the petty officers and men were entertained at a dance, and tiie whole ship's company were invited to attend Mr. W. P. Brown's cinema, followed by a dance on the evening preceding their departure. Social Event. On August 10 Mokea Xiii Ariki and his wife entertained some 400 guests in the Royal Hall on the occasion of their eldest daughter's twenty-first birthday. Member of Island Council. The European sitting member of the Island Council, Mr. W. Li. Taylor, having become at cross-purposes with certain trading interests, decided to retire from the seat in order that that section of the community might have a member of their own choice to advocate their policy .there being only one European seat). Mr. William John Wigmore, their nominee, heing the only candidate, was duly elected. At the last meeting of tlie Island Council all members expressed regret at Mr. Taylor's retirement, and recorded a resolution expressing their high appreciation of liis services to the people of the Cook Islands. They als.o unanimously requested the Governor-General to exercise liis powers, and -Mr. Taylor as tlie member representing the growers, both European and Maori, and leader in debate for tlie Arikis and native members. Norfolk Island Service. Tlie Island Council discussed the action of the Xew Zealand Government in supplying the Hinemoa to cater for an Australian dependency, in direct opposition to the interests of the people of these islands, and resolved that the Government be requested to cease running a vessel in tins new service; also that the time had arrived when tlie question of giving some protection to th« growers of tlie Cook Islands should be given serious consideration. At present xvc have Australia given nn open door in Xew Zealand for citrus and bananas, and, if reports be correct, New Zealand is to be well filled with both thet=e products during the coming year, while in return Australia says, "Nothing doing, New Zealand. We have our own citrus and bananas, and want none of your Cook island stuff in our country, unless you are prepared to pay a prohibitive duty." Australia for Australia; Cook Islands for us all. Fiji, with as mucli to say as Uncle Sam, has an open door for citrus, bananas and tomatoes in New Zealand, and has a first-class steam service, four days' trip, against our eight days and a much inferior boat. Fiji, in rctnrn, places a duty of 4/ per case on canned meat from New Zealand to protect her own canned meat industry, and someone starts to pull the leg of New Zealand politicians about annexation in order to try and bluff Australia into removing her duty on bananas, so that Fiji can have an open door ns heretofore. l.'nclo Sam lias, when clean in foot-and-mouth disease, a free entry into Xew Zealand also, and absolutely prohibits any entry at all into U.S.A. Cook Islands }>eople are provided with the New Zealand Customs tariff, plus lair extras, and although some—in fact, the bulk of tlie population of New Zealand—believe we arc a drain on New Zealand revenue, it is nevertheless true that we contribute our share to the exchequer of New Zealand a<s well as those in New Zealand prope: - . We are proud to buy from New Zealand, and the vendor of all New Zealand goods calculates all taxation when fixing his price for the goods he sells to us. Our trading concerns—at least, the majority of them —have their head ollices in New Zealand, and pay income tax on all profits earned in Cook Islands. The Union Steamship Company also pay income tax on all their profits earned in Cook Islands. So-me tax, too. What we in Cook Islands ask is protection against outside dumpings, and this can be given if the New Zealand Government will only give the Cook Islands trade fair play. Vanilla Culture. Mr. Yolysson, of tlie tirm of Victor Baoulx and Yolysaoji, Papeete, Tahiti, lias spent a month here investigating the vanilla trade possibilities, and has returned to Papeete very favourably impressed with Cook Islands conditions. He says Rurutu, in the Society group, is further south than Rarotonga. This island of Rurutu harvested vanilla in one year worth £00,000, and the population being only 1000 all told, gives £00 income per head from vanilla * alone. Great interest is shown here by the Maori growers. Every available vine is being planted, already many thousands, and as fast as vines can be obtained planting will continue. The firm proposes to buy the green beans and cure them here, so this <*ets over tlie difficulty that was always considered to bar the way to working the industry successfully.