COOK ISLANDS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2109, 28 March 1914, Page 6

COOK ISLANDS.

SCAKU-MONGERING REPORTS. ' OFFICIALLY DENIED. — -X ISLANDS QUIET AND ORDERLY Statements wero published in tho local anti-Reform newspaper yesterday to tho effect that Mr. H.-W. Nortlicroft (Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands) was in "Wellington to confer with the Government "on tlio serious situation that had arisen in'the Islands." "When this allegation was mentioned yesterday to the Hon. Dr. Pomaro (Min- , iater in Charge of tlio Cook Islands), ho commented upon it as follows: — "Tho Commissioner, did . not como up' « specially to report on anything; ho camo up on his annual leave. Of course, while ho is hero I have taken advantage of the opportunity to talk over Island matters with him. The newspapor in question is scaro-mongering." While ho was upon tho subject tho s Minister mentioned that tho samo antiReform newspaper in a recent editorial, censured him for failing to receive two Rarotongan chiefs who camo to Wellington. "Tlio facts are," said Br. l'omare, "that I did not know that these two Natives had arrived in tho country, I did not know that they were coming; they did not advise me in any way. I did not know that they had nrrived here until after they had taken their departure. The first that I heard fif tho matter was when I came back hore, and found a noto on ray ' table, intimating that one of the Natives had called, and to this day I don't know what the nature of their business was. Had it been so important as this' newspaper makes out, no doubt they would have left mo word as to the nature of their business and their grievances."

Relieving Hurricane Sufferers. Considerable damage was done in the Cook Islands by a hurricane which struck them on Juno 9, and blow down many native, houses besides damaging orange and oVher trees. .' Reports on this occurrence liavo been handed to tho (Minister by Mr. Northcroft, and yesterday Dr. Pomare outlined tho steps taken by tho authorities to relieve tho distress which tho hurricane left in its wake... Immediately after tho storm, the R-esident Commissioner, dispatchcd tho mcdical officer and tho chief engineer to the different islands to convey provisions to-such- of tho natives as were in.need of assistance, and to report upon the damage done. The relief party set out from Rarotonga on •January 11. At Aitutaki they found that the damage -dono was mostly, to the ■houses, .many of whioh woro unroofed. The coconut and orange trees suffered to somo extent, but the officers are of opinion that within a year they will be all right again. ; At Mauke not much damage was done. Mitiaro was the island that suffered most severely, and hero tho inhabitants, numbering 198, ivero supplied with provisions. Mauke has a population of 447, in Aitutaki there are 1221 people, and in Atiu 810. In the. latter island tli<* coconut treei \ suffered,' and some of tho orange trees wero blown; down, - so -that there will he a small crop tliis year. At Manihiki serious damage was done, not so much by as by tho seas, which swept right over the atoll. Everything possible''.had neen done hy the Administration, .the Minister stated','to relieve tlus hurpricane sufferers, and"'there would ,be .'lasting bad 1 effects. "It has.'been^'a'.'set-back,''' said Dr. Pomiiro,, "but it. might have been a great deal worse."

MR. NORTHCROFT ,INTERVIEWED. THE ISLANDS PROSPEROUS. Mr.' Northcroft, when/he was inter-viewed-by a Dominion • reporter last evening,' explained that when lie ac- . copted appointment. as Resident' Commissioner of tho - , Cook Islands, he stipulated for six weeks' annual holiday leave (at his own expense). "I waited until everything was set right," lie added, "and then came down here . on holiday.While ho :s in Wellington, Mr., Northcroft will discuss .with the Minister tho question of native schools /and other matters, but ' ho'denies emphatically that thero is any unrest in the: Islands. On. the contrary a rapid recovery is being made from the_ effects of the recent hurricane, and in general matters are going on prosperously. A Demand fw Schools. Tho need for nativo schools is somewhat urgent. Heretofore, the Lon- . don Missionary Society has carried on the schools, but its funds applied to •this purposo have failed, and tho society communicated with tho New Zeav land Government before -Mr. Northcroft wen? down to the Islands, asking what it proposed to do. Asked : to furnish a report on tlio subject, Mr. Northcroft recommended ' that the Government should send down their \ Inspector of Native Schools, as 'he was obviously, the person best qualified to isay what _ should be done. The In- : spector visited the Islands, mad© all necessary investigations,' and on his return to New Zealand reported to tho Government. Mr. Northcroft does • .what the detail . intentions ot tho Government are in tho matter, but ho stated that they intended to ■do something ip. tho way of providing schools, iuis, ho remarked, was vory necessary, i v"' SI ? C0 tho mission had withdrawn from tho work tlTo children were being Mm tho natives said: .- , -V. tho Government give us schools ? They, considered that as tho Islands hail now become part of New Zealand they were entitled to some such educational facilities as had been ■provided for the Maoris in New Zea,d- Northcroft considers that schools; similar to the Now Zealand Native schools should bo established in the Islands. He docs not consider it necessary to provide any elaborato education' for the children of the Islanders, but holds that they'should bo instructed, up to fourth standard grade. ' After that.lie thinks thoy might benefit from technical instruction adapted to their requirements and tho conditions" of their island life. At present the Cook Island natives are backward, Mr. Northstates, as .compared with the Maoris in Now* Zealand, and this lie attributes to the fact thattliey have not had the same opportunities as their mainland brethren of mixing with tho best, class of whites.

A Big Blow. Save for this matter of schools, there hppears to be no' question of burning interest agitating the native mind in the Islands. "Certainly," said Mr. Northcroft, "there 'is no troublo amongst the natives that I nm aware of." As to the recent hurricane, 110 went on to remark, tho effects of a big blow like that were always apt to h» exaggerated in the first instance, but a.i soon as the first shock was over tho thing was looked at from an optimistic point of view. Tho ground crops, of course, were not damaged. Trees suffered sovorely in places, but there wore mitigating circumstances. For instance, the orange trees wero. never pruned by ffie natives, and wero not grown iii (iTderedrgroves, but promiscuously about the Islands. Some of these trees have actually benefited by their rough handling in tho hurricane. Mr. Comiall, who combines tho functions of planter and engineer, considers, after an inspection of tho various islands, that there may bo a temporary shortage "in the fruit crops at some of tho islands,

but that within a year or two better crops will bo gathered. The coconut trc-es wero not much damaged, and'tho fallen nuts aro being turned intq copra. Upon tho wholo, Mr. Nortlicroft apprehends no worse result from tho hurricane than a temporary dearth of food in .somo places,, which tho Government is taking tho necessary steps to relieve. A Blessing In Disguise. In somo of the islands many houses were levelled, but the Commissioner was informed' by his medical officer that thjs not infrequently was a blessing in disguise. _ Many of the natives had been living in old and insanitary dwellings. They were taught by the missionaries to construct coral-lime houses,' but experience had shown that these were illventilated and not suited to tho nativo needs, Thoso natives whom tho hiirricano had evicted wero now providing themselves with suitablo habitations, in which the walls wero formed of purau sticks and t'ho roofs thatched' with pandanus or coconut leaves.

Orderly Islands. In the main'tho Commissioner is well satisfied with t'ho progress tnat tne natives are making. The Cook Islands, he declares, aro as quiet) and orderly as any' street in Wellington, and the natives, so far as ho Knows, are happy folk in. their own 1 way. In Rarotonga they earn money somewhat easily, itA this makes them a littlo inclined to be lazy, ;but still many of them are reasonably industrious. They work at loading and unloading ships, and in the plantations. Mr. Nortlicroft has done. what lie can to induce them to work their own land, and has met with some success in this direction. He fiiiJls that the natives, given a lead, aro fairly adaptable and capable of taking a lesson in profitable cultivation from their white neighbours., ,A number of them liavo been induced to plant coconut palms on waste land.

Mr. Nortlicroft will shorten his leave in New Zealand in order to get back to tho Islands in time to prepare for the reception of'the Governor and the Ministerial party which is to visit tho Islands in May. After spending about a week in Wellington, tho Commissioner will leave for Aucklawl on his return to Rarotonga. Tho visiting party, which is to leave New Zealand about May 19, will consist of the Governor, tho Hon. A. L. Herdman, and tho Hon. Dr. l'omare. About two weeks will bo spent ; at the-Islands, After staying for two or three days at Rarotonga, the Govcrhis party will visit Mangaia, Aitutaki, Atiu, Mauke, arid Mitiaro. It was at first proposed that Ponrhyn and other islands in the north'should alv be visited, but as Penrhyn lies 700 miles north of Rarotonga., tune; will. not .permit of this extension of-tho-tour. A visit will, however, ■ bo.'pdid ,to Nine, which is under t'ho separate .administration of Mr. Cornwall.. The island is one of the Cook Group; buVis separately administered because this saves some months in tlio transmission, of official communications, as compared with the old plan under which Niue was. administered through the -Resident Commissioner at Rarotonga.