The Cruise of the Mokoia

Maoriland Worker, Volume 11, Issue 177, 5 May 1920, Page 3

The Cruise of the Mokoia

BY H. E. HOLLAND, M_P.

PICTURESQUE AITUTAKI

Saturday, February 2^.-— Lindsay Gordon (Australia's dare-devil poet, who betimes let his wild muse wander from flying hoof and flashing silk and splintered rail to soar awhile towards high poetic altitudes) must have visioned a Pacific sunrise when he wrote:

On skies still and starlit White lustres take hold, And grey flashes scarlet And red flashes gold.

On the wings of such a morning we came to the picturesque island of Aitutaki, the most northerly of the Cook Group, situated 18 degrees 64 minutes, south latitude, 140 miles away from Rarotonga, and combining the features of the volcanic island and the atoll. It is almost surrounded by a barrier reef of coral, and on this reef itself there are a number of fruitful islands. On one of the reef islands a few lepers endure their living death. On the south-east the reef is five miles distant from the shore, but on the western side (where we landed) it runs to within a mile of the shore. At Arutungy, the principal village, there is a substantial wharf, a mile distant from the channel through tlie coral, by which passage the boats from visiting ships must pass. On this side, the lagoon is very shallow, and the ordinary steamer cannot enter. At the northern end the reef fringes the shore, the barrier stage not yet having been reached. mSCOYKKEI) l*Y BLIGH Aitutaki has an area of only seven square miles, and rises on the western side to some 360 feet, sloping gradually eastward. It was discovered by Captain Rligh, of the historic "Bounty," a few days before his crew mutinied and set him adrift.

The native population numbers about 1150, and there are eight or nine whites-traders and officials. There are four settlements on the western side of the island and two villages on tho eastern side. The land .system is based on small holdings, the land being divided among the natives generally in the proportion of one or two acres to each family. The island is exceedingly fertile; and breadfruit, oranges, and pineapples are the main products. Oranges are latgely exported.

The islande v s" are expert sharkfishers, and their method of tickling the shark in the process of capturing him (his tail is made the instrument of his undoing) has been told too often to need, recapitulation. AX EASY LANDING The Mokoia dropped anchor outside tbe reef, and we were taken off on whale boats, which spread their white wings to catch a breeze that wasn't in evidence, and with oars plied merrily by laughing natives and here and there a parliamentarian lending a hand aud threatening in perpetuity to "catch a crab." The crews raced one another to the channel and on towards the wharf.

Like Mangaia and Nine, Aitutaki is, woefully isolated. It has no wireless, no cable, and call at rare intervals. Consequently until the Mokoia's ear-splitting blasts disturbed tbe echoes the people were unaware of our coming.

Ashore we were welcomed by the Resident Agent and his fellow officials. Then tbe school was visited, and we heard the children sing and marvelled at the strong rich voices of them. Sir James Allen, of course, presented the school with a war book. Photographs were taken, and there was a meeting with the Island Council. After that came a deputation from tbe white traders. FORCED LABOR During the meeting with the Council it. transpired that a system of forced labor was in operation on the island—a system from the obligations of which, so far as actual labor went, the whites and their employees were immune. Under this system the native is required lo give 20 days free labor to tbe work of road-making and maintenance, or forfeit 16/-. Some of the natives had found it more profitable to follow the example of the whites and pay the 10/-, and the Agent explained that he had refused (although not definitely) to take money in lieu of work when tendered by certain natives. He had only taken this course, he said, to enable hii'n to refer the matter to the chiefs; after the chiefs had interviewed the men concerned the road work was undertaken. The fact that the road work when done benefits the native properties renders the system less objectionable tthan it -rfbuld be otherwise; but 1 have not yet been able to find any justification for exempting any white man from the service the natives are compelled to give.

TJIE AUENT CHANGED The Resident Agent at Aitutaki is a young man named Cooper— a returned soldier. Against him the traders brought a formidable array of charges. One after another they launched their indictments, He had formed the natives into a trading association, they said; lie had imposed penalties on natives who wished to withdraw from the association; he had threatened some of the traders with irons and imprisonment; he had withheld goods consigned to the traders; he had refused to permit stout to be delivered to a trader for whom it had been medically ordered. It was stated that tile trader was suffering wtih hemorrhage. There were other, charges as well. On no other island was the same extreme bitterness in evidence.

THE AGENT IN REPLY The Agent's answer to the charges was a thing of beauty and a joy for ever. He demolished each charge in its turn. He confounded his accusers out of the mouths of their own witnesses. Certainly some of his administrative acts would not have withstood a legal test; he was apparently there not to follow precedents but to make them. In any case, it was clear to most of us that he had hold of the right end of the club. Hit 1 case was that he was determined to protect the natives from tho exploitation methods of the traders, and he would use his office to that end. When he found the traders grinding down natives in the mat.ter of the prices foi* fruit, he helped them to form their own association for the purpose of dealing direct! with New Zealand. When, in due time, he found tthat decided influences ) were operating to bring about withdrawals from the Native Growers' Association, and that there, was a real danger.Of the Association * being broken, he helped the natives torenmifltr-icJgjj|j

THROUGH THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

couldn't help wondering what would happen if a New Zealand trade union should adopt that course.) He had certainly threatened the traders with imprisonment under circumstances which pointed to the smuggling in of liquor. He described the effect of liquor on the natives, and recounted its effect also on some of the gentlemen who had preferred the charges against himself. When the stout for the hemorrhage patient arrived, he said, he had agreed to hand over one dozen bottles per week —a fairly generous medical allowance—provided he (the patient) undertook not to pass it on to others. The understanding was refused, and the stout was not delivered.

It was a sorry wrangle, but it was not the Agent who was in the wrong. I am sure every member made a note of the fact that Sir James Allen had no word of condemnation for the methods employed by the Agent. GUN TOR AITUTAKI After luncheon, which was served on the green in front of the Residency, Sir James gave the usual military touch to the proceedings by presenting a gun to the islanders, the presentation being followed by a re-tti'-ned soldiers' parade. After which the good-byes were said and sung, and everybody was back on the steamer a little after 3 p.m.

At this island we saw the first really bad case of elephantiasis. The patient was a native, and his legs were the size of nail drums, the foot being scarcely visible. It was not a nice sight.

At about 4 o'clock we sailed for Niue, our next port of call.

ANOTHER SUNDAY AT SE.I

Sunday, February29.—The weather was fine, and during the morning Sir James Allen conducted yet ano-nef 1 -religious service. On this occasion the sermon was preached by the Hon. Mr. Gow, M.L.C. I attended on. this occasion, but was not impressed. The V.M.C.A. hymn book was used, nnd I was interested to note that qaita number of the hymn-builders aud composers had German names. "Some one will yet be charging the V.M.C.A. with disloyalty! ALL TOOLS' DAY Monday, April I.—Colonel Tata (Administrator of Samoa) gave an address on Samoa, in the course oi which he strongly supported the idea of indentured labor, urging that because the natives were, prict'cally speaking, economically fr-e as a result of owning their own land*, and producing copra for the'r own benefit, they would not aoeuu work, ihe objection to "free" labor, he said, was that the laborers were free to stay on the islands, and this was not desirable, because it tended to introduce a lower type of citizen. The Colonel's address contained much information concerning the islands and the customs thereof. Naturally there were many questions, and it was noticable that those which came from the Labor members were met with considerable irritation on the part of both Government and Liberal members. 1 had put it to the Colonel whether he would give us full opportunity to interview the Chinese coolies and the natives re the matter of indentured labor. The Colonel had replied that it would not be advisable for us to seek to interview the coolies, because, he said, we would only get misleading results; then Sir James Allen had .risen to say that the question was one for him to answer, and that an investigation should be made collectively; when a certain Legislative Councillor heatedly declared that I was endeavouring to make it appear that there was something to be hidden. I replied that was not so, and was met with the outburst: "You are, damn you; you are!" Of course, under the circumstances one could only remember that it was All Fools' Day and suggest to the irate Councillor that there was really no need for any display of bad manners.

A NILE SUNSET Early in the afternoon we sighted the island of Niue, otherwise Savage Island. The sun was sinking in the west as we steamed slowly past where a white church and a number of native houses showed through the green foliage. Frequently I have witnessed gor*geous sunsets in Australia and New Zealand, particularly at Greymouth; but never have I seen anything to equal the splendour of the dying day off Niue coast. No artist will ever paint, no writer ever convey the faintest idea of that wealth of changing colour on the vast canvas of the tropical sky. A rainstorm had passed over the island during the afternoon, and the setting sun had gone on its way "trailing clouds of glory" which now hung on the far horizon, with silver linings that swiftly changed to purple and then flamed to red and flashed to gold. Then the cloud-field resolved itself into a vast landscape dotted with turreted castles that rose from an amethyst setting and flung scintillating lights across the width of the twilight. At last the whole vision faded slowly to tones of softest pink, which in their turn died down to dull silver and solemn grey, as the Day fled into the vastness of the sea-guarded .West and the battalions of Night swept the fields of space. PICTURES BY MOONLIGHT We arrived off the Niue landing about 7 p.m., and the doctor and Resident agent came aboard. It was decided that we should not go ashore till morning, and so the ship stood out to sea. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and a picture entertainment filled in the evening. One of the pictures shown was the miners cutting coal at Denniston; but the miners' residences at Burnett's Face were not shown! (To be continued.)