UNHAPPY RAROTONGA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1230, 12 September 1911, Page 6

UNHAPPY RAROTONGA.

SETTLERS' GRIEVANCES, SOME SIDELIGHTS THEREON. Soon" after tho departure of tho Chief Justico (Sir Robert Stout) and party from tho Cook Islands a night raid was mado by someone on the bicycle shed of a European planter, as a result of which two bicycles wero reduccd to scrap-iroci, as already brieHy reported. It appears that tho owner of the plantation, acting under tho law of tho land, shot a number of Native-owned pigs .which had been doing extensive damage to his plantation, and tho Natives are suspected of having retaliated by taking tho law into their own hands. From a bulky file of correspondence which has passed between the planters concerned and tho Eosident Commissioner at the Islands (Captain J. E. Smith), it appears that a satisfactory settlement of the matter has not yet been effected. As soon as the conduct of the Natives was discovered, tho owners of the bicycles, Messrs. T. and P. Shearman, communicated with the authorities, and tho matter was placod in tho hands of the police, but the offender or offenders not being brought to book, the correspondence in question commenced. Tho Messrs. Shearman pointed out that such a caso of wanton damage was unusual, and asked that overy inquiry should bo made. They expressed confidence that tho culprit was known amongst the. Natives, but that the Natives would not disclose what they knew except by compulsion. Formerly, they state, when an offender could not bo discovered, it was the custom of the authorities to fine the whole district (or Tapere) in which tho offence was committed. Ihis was quito legal, and was specially designed to meet snch cases. 'I'ho Messrs. Shearman could see no reason Why this powxr should not bo exercised by tho Resident Commissioner in the present case, as, if tho lawless conduct of the Natives. was not soon checked, there would* bo no guarantee that any property would be safe. The Resident Commissioner replied that thorough investigations were being mado by the police, and on August 11, after several letters had passed, he advised that reports from,the.heads of the Taperes ad- ■ joining tho complainants' property indicated that they could obtain no clue as tp tho perpetrators of ■ tho offence. The Commissioner added that ho was unable i Wl'y '"'h the suggestion that the whole rapere should be fined for tho of'fence,' as there was no evidouco of ajiy description that suggested that they were screening or protecting tho culprits. No pains , had been spared by : the police in endeavouring toi sheet home the offence. ..In-, tho course of Mr. T. Shearman's communications with thc'Eesident Commissioner he has at various times cdmplamed of the nuisance arid damage caused by. wandering pigs, and appealed that owners should bo compelled to keep them enclosed, on their; own. property. The Commissioner informed hiiii that it was his, intention to take steps in the'direction of compelling owners of pigs to keep them from wandering at lhrge. Reporting on a complaint from Mr. Shearman in May, 1910, the Police Inspector said he was aware of all-, the complaints, but tho police had boen unable to find tho offenders. The report also stated that <li. ° h ® a ™ an tad incurred the enmity ot the Natives by shooting their pigs, although he had acted within his rights. Ihe police report added that the Shearmans had long sustained, loss and damage wandering pigs, and that a lot of their land had .been rendered useless simply through tho pig

In one of his later letters to the ComS K arman complains that the audacity and lawlessness of tho iNa.ives which he brought under notice o\er a year ajo, seems to bo on the increase, and asfcs for the assistance of tho administration in the protection of his property. To this letter tho Commis6ioirjr replied that he had instructed'tho police to keep a sharp look-out, and nrelurLi JZlf' C ° mmml 0f au * extracts from a letter addressed by Mr. T. Shearman to tho Resident Commissioner, dated August 4, throw a good deal of light on tho position:— d i i 3 ' ol ?!' remark s on August ' ni™ r i yo f u a( l cst "natcd the number of Fif i e S 5v ' ? T n <J. that > compared with the. loss-of the Natives in pigs mv loss . was a-,Mere bagatelle, I think your remarks need somo explanation. . . For years I .did not.shoot any pigs, but at last tno losses and worry woto so great that 1 was compelled to avail myself of . the right which tho law allows. . . In consoquonce of this action on my part, due "to no other reason than that tho authorities, by passive inaction render no assistance, am eventually tho victim of a wanton and determined act of damage to personal property, presumably by the owners of the pigs I havo shot. I have lost, by pigs alone, thousands of pineapples ami dozens of bunches of bananas. Kumaras, otc , havo been rooted up and eaten, vanilla vines -destroyed, imported': oTance trees and mandarins rooted up, and tfie only few cocoa trees I had totally destroyed. My vegetable garden has also been destroyed time after time. Yet you take up the attitude that the Natives, who have not attempted to keep thp law, aro tho injured parties. . , In your letter of July 31 you say that everything that it is possiblo to do is being dono to discover tho oftonders, but if your sympathies are in keeping with your opinion expressed to mo, I venturo to say it will be a remoto contingency if they are brought to book. Xou have promised for some timo to make proper provision for the protection of people's property from pigs, and havo also advised mo co refrain from shooting. I have followed your advice, and no change is to bo noticed. The pigs aro as bad as ever and the Natives think that they havo scared mo from further shooting, and allow their pigs to wafider on my land with impunity. I ask you definitely what is to be done, as I must again destroy the pigs damaging my place unless something is done at onco to stop tho nuisance." The Resident Commissioner, replying to ths above, said careful and exhaustive inquiries and reports from the heads of the adjoining Taperce had failed to trace tho persons who stole and damaged tlio bicyclcs. Tho letter continues: "From reports . . . before me, it would appear that you have been in tho habit, for a number of years past, nf shooting pigs trespassing on your section . . . It is quito truo that the present law allows yon to do this, and you will pardon me for saying that, surrounded as you are by a largo number of Maori neighbours, I do not think it a wiso thing for jou to avail yourself of its full powers. The same lawgives you tho option of handin? the animals over to tho police, and having the owiiers fined and damages refunded. This law was not made during my administration. but it requires amending, and I am moving in this direction. I informed you on July 15 of my intention to take steps to compel owners of pigs to keen them from wandering at..'large, but I would suggest to yon the advisability of repairing your fences and-kiieping your gates closed at nights, and so save yourself from further annoyanco from wandering animals. There is no evidence before mc that tho persons wlio destroyed your bicycles are bcinsf screened or protected by the people of any Tapcre, therefore tho section giving power to collect the damages from the Taporo cannot be put in force." Here the matter rests, and for the present no further step= i are being taken by the authorities, but in the words of the Resident Commissioner's final letter: "Should the police becomo at any timo possessed of any evidence with regard to tho destroyed bicycles, it will bo carcfully investigated."