LIFE ON NIUE ISLAND.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1096, 7 April 1911, Page 6

LIFE ON NIUE ISLAND.

(By Telegraph.—Snecial Correspondent.) Christchureh, April 8. There is at present on a visit to Christchurch, Mr. H. G. Cornwall, Resident Commissioner of Niue, who is enjoying four or five months' leave of absence in this country. Mr. Cornwall, who has been in the New. Zealand Civil Service for about 30 years, was transferred to the islands service about , lira ycirs ;<go, ,u,d about Hires and' a lulf years ago was appointed to his present position in succession to Mr. C. 1 , . Maxwell, the first Commissioner, who resigned. In speaking to a "Press" representative, Mr. Cornwall said he wished to clear up a misapprehension which appeared to exist in this country that Nine was part of tho Conk Group. As a matter of fact it was an isolated island some GOO miles to the west of the Cook Group, between those islands and the Friendly Group. Formerly it had been administered from Karotong.n. but in lflo3 legislation had been passed by the New Zealand Parliament authorising separate administration of Nine. The island, he said, boasted n population of 4000 natives and VI whites (including children).' The whites engaged in general trading, the .piincipnl article of export being copra. Alofi, a town of ono thousand , inhabitants, was the principal village, and the scat of Government on the island. There were no newspapers, and none of th« usual amenities of social lifn to be had in larger centres, but the life was very interesting. Mails arrived at the island usually every six weeks or two months, and then there were, generally two sack-loads of newspapers for him to Tcatl. Mr. Cornwall is Collector of ■ Customs, Postmaster-General, and Resident Magistrate, in addition to being Resident Commissioner. 'The natives, he says, are a shade 'lighter in colour than the Maoris. Their language is not known outside their own island. It is more closely allied to the Tengnn and Samoan than to the Maori.