COOK ISLANDS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17294, 4 November 1921, Page 8

COOK ISLANDS.

BILL FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT OF THE GROUP. (FftBSS ASSOCIATION" TELEGIU*.) ■WICLLINGTON, November 3. In tho House of ltepresentatives tm» afternoon, the Hon. Dr. Pomaro moved the Becond reading of tho Cook Act Amendment Bill, which he said had been approved by the Native Couneil of the Cook Islands and by tho Affairs Committee of tih© Houss. Winn the annexation of the Islands took place, tho natives made it a condition . that there should be no European representative on the Native Council. lh* had always been a grievance toe whites living and paying taxes m u» Islands. Ultimately, the naUv* vtrt induced to forego thiß condition, and so it waa now agreed that there shouW be one European representative on tn® Native Council, and the Bill Prided for this. Other clauses the better government of the l*! 10 ™' including an amendment of tfiio divorce laws, and were based on the of past administration. Clause 12_ important inasmuch as it imp® Md prohibition of liquor throughout tno Islands. This was, to some extent, tfl» comp.ernent of granting European reprr' sentation on the Native Council, is tho natives had stipulated that it should W ono of the conditions that natives ano Europeans should be placed on tue sanw level in regard to the use of liquor. Lijjuor could be obtained under medical OI Mr Wilford congratulated the <*or» ernmenton tho appointment of the P£ sent Commissioner in the Cook Isianui, who was a man of singleness of purpose. He approved of t)he policy in connexion with the prohibition •»' liquor, though he doubted if it oouW be made eifective. Ho also approved of the amendment of tho divorce which he thought more than the provisions made in tho samoa A< Mr Howard criticised tho practice bringing native prisoners from tue 1r lands to Auckland in tho winter time, and eaid there ought to be a T P rO P? place of imprisonment on the Islnnaj, as the New Zealand climato mflictea great hardships on islanders when they had heen removed hero compulsorily. Ho welcomed Europenn repreiientatiou on tho Native Council, which was a concession much desired by the praise residents. „ _ _ In his reply, tho Hon. Dr. PomarP admitted that there waa ncoil of aae* quato prisons on the Islands, wnero prisoners could be kept, jis tncy were passing from tho stage when it una lit' ficient to imprison a native by niakinp: him work on t'iie roads. Tho second reading was agreed to on the voices. ' i