No Revolver In Rarotonga

Northern Advocate, 16 January 1948, Page 5

No Revolver In Rarotonga

Barnes' Vision

“Mr Barnes' vision of a policeman armed with two revolvers terrorising the waterfront at Rarotonga has had the same substance as his other vision of 14 islanders in chains at Manihiki. “In other words it .is just a vision,” said Mr A. G. Osborne, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Prime Minister. replying to allegations made by Mr Barnes, national president of the Watersiders’ Union, on December 31. “It did not happen; it could not have happened, since the only revolver in the possession of the Rarotongan police had been posted to New Zealand for repairs prior to the alleged incident,” Mr Osborne said. A searching inquiry had revealed that the incident alleged by Mr Barnes on the hearsay authority of unnamed members of the crew of the Maori Pomare did not happen. At no time before, during or since the visit of the Maui Pomare was any member of the police force at Rarotonga armed with a revolver, or any weapon, lethal or otherwise. ADMINISTRATION’S DENIAL An official message from the Administration said: "No member of the police was at any time armed, or fired, or branished. or in any way threatened people with revolvers or any other weapons on any occasion.” t The pistol, which was at present at headquarters of the Island Territories, Wellington, was normally used by the police for such things as the shooting of horses with broken legs, and the disposal of diseased animals. FACTS DISTORTED Mr Barnes had further endeavoured to distort the facts of the taking into custody of two Islanders who had gone out to the Maui Pomare by canoe. The facts were that the canoe owner had signed a statement to the effect that his canoe had been stolen. This was the canoe which took the two men to the ship. Accordingly, on their return, they were arrested and charged with theft of the canoe.

However, the canoe owner had sub;equently changed his story.