THE NEW PACIFIC

Evening Star, Issue 17328, 16 April 1920, Page 2

THE NEW PACIFIC

J*ARLIAMENTAmAHS ABROAD. VISIT TO NITTE. EXCITEMENT AKD PLIES.

[By A. E. Claxkb, the 'Star's' Special • * Commissioner.]

Th« most vivid impression retained by the parliamentary paTfcy who visited ' Niue •on March 2 was the difficulties and perils of the landing. "The island was picked up the niirht before. After two days' steaming from ' Aitvitaki;' through beautiful weather, tho official landing was made. The ship gave the island a wide berth during tho night, and in the morning steamed close to the capital village of Alon, at the spot where Captain Cook and met so rash a reception.that he straight arway christened it Savage Island, though later investigation showed that the nam© was a misnomer, the islanders being gentle folk and. kindly. "Nine is a coral formation, and the evidences point to three successive upheavals ' at Ion? intervals, which have raised the. .coral limestone to a height of 220 ft above sea level. The whole island, which is 40 s miles round., is one mass of coral, with infrequent spashes .of soil here and there. Much of it is richly wooded, with a fair proportion of such valuable timber as ebony, but which is'at present without value 1 owing to the impossibility of secur- - ing a market. Huge chunks of coral meet the eye on- every hand, Imngry looking, . and apparently impossible to work, amid this'welter from the dawn of the island world vegetation of all kinds flourishes with undying virility. Cocoanuts, bananas, breadfruits, hibiscus, and a thousand and one other plants and trees grow everywhere, lifting their heads straight from the bare coral, from which they probably j make a good living and progress as rapidly (at least, in the case of the cc-coannt) as do the trees in the supposedly better favored islands.* The cocoanut plantations are the work of natives, and the chowbax and the dynamite plug are the ' means by which the "country is " ploughed." When the area the native intends to work is laid off, the regular system adopted in ~ 'other islands is abandoned in favor of the selection of the best-sheltered spots among the coral hummocksl Then a hole is made, either, by explosion or the less ex- .. pensive but longer process of wrenching the rocks- apart with pick and crowbar. The nut is placed in this, and the rest is left to the sun and the Tain. The only : fruit grown is for local consumption, export- being impossible in the schooners which are"the island's one means of con- •' nection with the gre9i world outside. There is no_b'arrier reef on Niue, but a fringing reef extends all round the island from the coral cliffs which line the coast seawards in /i solid mass for 30yds or so. on which the Testless sea breaks ceaselessly- ■ To get back' to the landing place. There is only one sisTf-boat at Alofi, a-nd the native canoes are homely affairs, oneman outriggers of the" bob-rig stamp itiostlv. so that the ship's boats had to be. brought into requisition. These are of the usuaf lifeboat type, capable of holding 50 ir.en. and it took three of them to get the party ashore, the full limit of capacity • not being aimed at. When the boat arrived off the reef it was found that the one means of access to the shore was through a channel in the coral, 50ft deep, about 40yds long, and gradually narrowing from* 20yds to a little more than a boat's, width." The channel—nothing more than a. cleft or fissure in the reef—was widened bv H.M-S. Mildura with high explosives after Lord Ranfurly had narrowly escaped drowning while going aboard the Tutanekei after a visit to the island.

On the occasion of our visit, the wind ■was blowing lightly from the west, and a fairly heavy swell was rushing up the channel and breaking back with each breaker trough to expose, just awash, coral banks of, granitic strength between which, with barely enough clearance to make the .passage safe, the boat had to pass. Halfway down the channel two stanchions stuck: up from the rock, and, to these were attached, ropes . provided to form a Tough cradle designed to prevent th%.boat being smashed with the surge of each* oncoming .roller against the end of the cut. The first boat ashore struck it lucky, and made a socd landing. Those aboard the second will never forget their experience. The boat entered the channel all right, bat no sooner was she in than the rollers decided to have a game with her. They swept in on a long procession, and the heavy boat, with her 40 mem aboard, was treated like a child's plaything. She slipped between the cradle rope all right, and made for the stone landing steps on the next roller, the intention being to hold her there while thß passengers stood on the gunwale and jumped from their moving platform for the steps. But the waves willed it otherwise. She reached the jetty all Tight, and a rope was thrown to willing hands on the steps. Then the game began. When the crew started to haul her to the disembarkation point, the, backwash set in with the speed of a tiger spring,, and it hauled the boat back towards fhe cradle at lightning speed. -The rope held, and the next advancing wave caught the boat and tossed her forward as ( quickly as she had shot back. The slack of the tow-rope was taken in, and once more hopes were high. Tpo soon ; another backward sweep of the tide caught the craftl and once moTe she rocketted through th.fi raging cauldron which the channel had now become, until the force of the' backwash was spent before the next attack from seaward. On top of this she charged forward again, to hurl herself against the coral channel side with a trash that made all on board thankful shewas a staunchly built craft, and that at the same time brought her up so suddenly that the passengers were hurled about in all directions. Then back she swirled again, the, crew by the aid of the crosschannel ropes, and with help from the shore in the tow-rope, keeping her grinding against the sides in her swift rush through. Again she pounded forward, and as she did so one of the ropes broke, but fortunately there was enough left for the natives down on the reef to take another turn round the stanchion, and this time it held all.right. Up and down the channel the boat charged like a mad thing, while the crew -and members did what they could by hanging on to the lines to mitifate the violence of the pounding. One urly member somehow got caught in a loop of the tow-rope. On the next backward rush he had a good chance of being cut in two, but his own efforts and. that of • his neighbors eased the strain until he could be disentangled. Still the boai charged to and fro, coming down every now and then with a crash on the reef-edge, till the passengers began to wonder how long this pounding would ■last. It was plain that no man could liv« in that cauldron if the Boat went to pieces; it was equally plain that if the ropes gave way the boat would be hurled on to. the reefs and crushed like an egg-shelL The tirwart round which the towiins was tied began to give way, a;iid all on board wore an anxious look, till raddenly the rollers grew tired of the game. There was a brief hill in the onward surge, and fie native boatmen quietly snatched i&e opportunity, got her up alongside the jetty, where she was HBJjed by a round scors of longshore . 2uueana, and held safe till the party could spring f ram gunwale to the jetty steps, or to Um> coral formation, now awash and now <3aan alongside. It was an experience sufficient to try the nerves, of the strongest, and the officer of the ship, watching tb.9 _ incident from the bridge, breathed s sigh 6T relief when it was over. . ■ The third boat ako' had a manvais quart d'heure. She struck a calmer period ,£t> run up the channel, but rose and fell with the wash of the .sea in an alarming manner. Ex-Judge Gurr, of Samoa, had a lucky escape. He stood on the .gunwale and swung one foot ashore, when the boat suddenly dipped under him, and the native assisting him ashore slipped from • i ti» rock. Mr.Gurr slipped into the water

hetween the reef and the boat. He wsb in' grave danger, of being crushed between the two, -but wasHfteH out. by # tho natives. A_ Sanei_ woman, - given a lift" home from Aitufcakl, who was a passenger by the same boat, had, a worse experience,. She went ashore in" full war paint—pink crepe de chine oosirime, shawls, elockiags, and hat to match, the whole outfit costing perhaps £2o—but ■the unaccustomed shoes were her undoing, and when she tried to step ashore she slipped phintp into the water, and her triumphal entry, along with, her gorgeous finery, was utterly spoilt.. Wh&i the C&ok Islands were taken over by New Zealand Nine was added to the group, but as it had no racial or geographical relationship the partnership was,, at the urgent instance of the Niueans, dissolved three years'later. Niue now has a Resident Agent of its own, and Mr Morris, the present holder of the position,, is apparently the ideal man for the job. -The whites on 'Niue number about 40 all told, and they are a splendid lot. Thei-e are no jealousies or bickerings; they obey the Jaw to its fullest extent, offer an excellent example* to the natives, and admire and respect their representative. Thus, though they have no share in their own government, they are perfectly happy and contented. They have very fair roads—one all round the 40 miles of the island and three through the middle portion, all made and maintained by the villagers, who are paid an average of £ls a mile—cheap road-makincj. The roads are crownless, the natives having a distinct objection to putting on a camber; but the porous coral quickly absorbs all surface moisture, and so it dees not. much matter. The natives of Nine are without a grievance. It sounds almost impossible, and must, make life very miserable for, them, for the nursing of grievances is the he all and end nil of existence in some of the summer isles. The Island Council waited on the party, and had a little to say. They would like the raana of old chiefs restored, the members said, so that a few may lord it over the many; but there are now no castes in Niue, and there never will be-again. One of these. Hamoa, suggested that- the natives should select their own presidents of the council. Hamoa wants to call himself King of Niue. it is shrewdly snspectod : hence his desire to tako the place of Resident Commissioner, who presides over all gatherings ; but there will never be another JCing of Niue. Uea,, another member of the council, and sometime, chaplainvto the Niue amiy, complained that certain promises had been made by Lord Ranfurly. Mr Seddon, and others; but when Sir James Allen asked for chapter and verse it became clear thatall'promises had been fully kept, and that what Uea wanted -was relief from all' taxation, Customs included, and for a paternal Government to provide for their children. It was explained to him gently and tactfully that the Government help those who help themselves, and that taxation mnst continue. One of the taxes he complained of was a poll tax, put on by the islanders themselves, an.d the Minister explained that if they wanted this knocked off they must do it themselves, and must find something to take its place. Uea complained that when in Auckland lie had been treated discourteously in restaurants and hotels. People turned up their noses at him, he said. "No. sir," said fir James Allen, "the people of New Zealand looked with the highest respect on their own Natives and those of the dependent isles." "Then," said Uea. "the New Zealand Government have received trophies of war. Where _is our neroplane. our tank, our submarine?" he asked, amid loud and long laughter. "New Zealand has not a tank or a submarine, but we have brought you a gun as a souvenir of what Niue did in the war." replied .Sir James. A radiant smile broke over Uea's face, and he led a hearty burst of applause from the throng. This over, the Tupu School was inspected, and it was found that excellent work is being done there. 'The kiddies, 200 in number, speak English with* something of an accent, but. very correctly, and with good comprehension.* They sing splendidly ; but here the girls sing 'better than the boys, though in the islands to the east the reverse was the case. The natives have been called the Jews of the Pacific. They are .certainly keen traders, and when they have a-hat, a 'basket, or a spear to sell to the casual trader they are not a bit afraid to double the price they ask from the experienced trader. But they must be excused : money rarely comes their way. Most of their exchange is bv barter, and if they get their hand on a few-'"two silUn'"* pieces—that was their minimum—it was a Godsend to them. The island was bought out by the time the party left.

A HURRICANE. The Makii.-a was the first vessel to call at Xine since November, and no boat was expected till April. She took tone of foodstuffs, which were very welcome, as supplies were short in" some lines : but when tilings run down a little the natives do not suiter—they have their own food supplies, and clothing does not matte- much, while the whites take it very philosophically, and just go short till their boat turns up. The island was visited by the tail-end of a huricane on January 21. It blew for four days, and stripped the banana, breadfruit, and orange trees, so"'that the natives were without their usur.l summer supplies of these 'fruits; but no great damage was done, and no houses were blown down —in fa.ct, the storm blow itself out just when the whites expected it to reach full fury. Tne native hrmses-'X'ere lashed down by means of long poles from ridge to ground, put up when Mia whites founded a warning bell through the island, and this undoubtedly saved many of their huts, some of which are curious contraptions of wood, thatch, and mats open to "the air. but sufficient to keep the rain out. Fowls mimed all over the island ; a few r'izorba-ck nigs gleaned a precarious living here and there; but there are now cows arid sheep about, and all the milk and most of the meat comes out of ration.

The question of a wireless plant for I the island wis raised during the visit, it met with a lukewarm reception:-1 " What do vvc want it- for?'' said' one. "Well, yoii would he able to get news of the oilier islands." responded'another. "We get on very well without it." was the reply, and it is very evident that if Nine has to pay for a wireless plant there will be no installation. l-'lies rre -the <rnr=o of Xine. Thev breed literally in millions, and thev swarm round native nnd European alike in clouds. They bite and worry, and the- fan must be constantly worked to. keep them away. Sandy blight is prevalent amonjr the natives, and the flies help to spread it by flying from eve to eye in their search for moisture. The party landed on the hottest day of this summer, wheu the roadway?, in such places as were treeless, were like nv.?ns, and every fly on the island was on duty, the boat- mr-Vr.g tj, om particularly lively! A nice little place to visit, but" jnet as good to n-efc away from, was the general verdict, The swell subsided a lot- during the day, and the embarkation was effected without diflieultv.