Cook Islands “Bleeding” From Emigration

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31588, 27 January 1968, Page 14

Cook Islands “Bleeding” From Emigration

The Cook Islands was bleeding from the constant loss of intelligent young people emigrating because of lack of opportunity and disillusionment, the Cook Islands Minister of Education (Mr M. Strickland) said at the congress of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science yesterday. “We have made no headway towards laying down a concrete development plan." he said. “Our constitution sitll does not give us a com-, plete and firm grasp on our internal affairs. Our finances are top-heavy against us. “Our local government, agriculture, local industries, local shipping, overseas

marketing, co-operatives, land laws and social services are either limp, or are not effectively directed. “We have neither internal air Services, nor a policy set for tourism. Our policy for making our Public Service our very own is still a dream.” Mr Strickland said that democratic election did take place, and a group of persons who were elected promised to be dedicated to the cause of the ordinary people of the Cook Islands.

After the general election in 1965, one man joined the Government and a little later, two other men left the Government.

Economic development had been ignored. The best tie with New Zealand would have been mutual respect. For the Cook Islands to have done its part there should have been a policy towards self-help, hard work and determination to rely more on its own efforts, rather than more and more on New Zealand’s increased charity “To the respective roles of beggar-samaritan, or debtorcreditor, I would prefer that of a small but self-respecting country keeping friendly ties with a larger friend,” Mr Strickland said. Encouragement for young people had been negative so far. Little progress had been made in establishing good laws, but crime statistics continued to increase.