Cook Islands
Sir, —Why should the New Zealand taxpayer underwrite the Cook Islands economy for ever? A handful of fine Polynesian people are scattered over a far-flung group of islands of no economic potential. A majority of Cook Islanders have already voted against their homeland with their feet, and those remaining are rendered indolent by the ravages of the filaria parasite and kept poor by high winds and the low quality and unreliable supplies of their marketable fruits. It would be a better bargain for New Zealand to resettle these people in North Auckland with good housing and educational facilities than continue to pay a ran- : som under the threat of United Nations displeasure at our “imperialist” domination of the islands. As for tourism, they are too late to compete with Fiji’s established efficiency, and the days of ’ the "wallpaper” postage Stamp industry are numbered. —Yours, etc., JIM ABELSON. January 9, 1972.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19720110.2.87.6
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32810, 10 January 1972, Page 10
Word Count
152Cook Islands Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32810, 10 January 1972, Page 10
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.