THE HERVEY GROUP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9174, 2 October 1888, Page 6

THE HERVEY GROUP.

BRITISH PROTECTORATE PROCLAIMED. ."■"■:■' ; [FROM a correspondent.] '' - Rarotonga, September 20. It will no doubt be remembered by your readers that on 16th May last H.B.M. Consul here, Mr. Richard Exham, forwarded to H.B.M. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs a petition from Queen Makea and most of the influential chiefs of Rarotonga, Atiu, and Aitutaki, praying that a British protectorate, be established over their islands, as they dreaded annexation by some Foreign Power. We were, therefore, much pleased when, upon the arrival of the Richmond on Monday last, we found that she brought a despatch to H.M. Consul informing him that this petition had been granted, and directing him to at once proclaim a British protectorate over the whole group. Notice was given to the inhabitants that this would be done at noon on Thursday, 20th instant, and consequently ' to-day the principal chiefs from all parts of the island assembled at Queen Makea's, to witness the ceremony. At noon the Consul having read the following proclamation, both in English and the native language, affixed it to the Queen's flagstaff :— Proclamation. -By virtue of instructions received from Her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, contained in a despatch from Sir James Prendergast, Deputy Governor of New Zealand, dated at Government House, New Zealand, the 16th August, 1888,1 hereby declare that Her Britannic Majesty's Government has this day assumed a protectrate over the group of islands known* as the Harvey (or Cook's) Group, situated in the South Pacific Ocean between 18deg. and 22deg. south latitude, and 156deg. and 160deg. west longitude, and that the following islands are included in such protectorate :— Rarotonga, Mangaia, Aitutaki, Atiu, Mauki, Mitiero,Manuai, and all the small islands or islets depending upon them. ■ Dated at H.B.M. Consulate, Rarotonga, this 20th day September, Richard Exham, H.B.M. Consul. God save the Queen." A British flag was then handed to each of the three great chiefs, who are entitled to a flagstaff, and they were authorised to hoist such flag should they, be in any way molested or interfered with by foreign ships of war. A great deal of disappointment was evinced by the chiefs at the unceremonious manner in which this, to them, all important news had been conveyed, and all seemed to think that at the least a British man-of-war should have been sent to assist at the ceremony. This feeling was ministered to and increased by a certain class of white residents, who feel that should British law be administered here, their last "City Of Refuge " in the Pacific will be taken away. This class, once very prevalent here, is. now reduced to two or three individuals without any influence among the natives. Unfortunately the agent for the London Missionary Society has been talked over by these people to adopt their views on the subject. Among all other residents here, whether native or foreign, the Protectorate has been received with the greatest enthusiasm. The Consul leaves here on Saturday for a cruise round the group, in order to proclaim the protectorate in all the other islands. We are very glad to learn on the arrival of the Richmond, that the French National Government had disallowed the action of the. Tahitian authorities, in imposing (during May last) a differential duty of 50 per cent. on all goods not of French origin or manufacture, and which simply meant the entire exclusion of many articles which are now largely imported from New Zealand. Duties are now at the old rates, which obtained before the May changes were made. Owing to the hurricane which visited us last January, things are still very backward here, great destruction having taken place among the native plantations of yams, taro, banana, &c., which have not yet recovered, and the natives are still very short of food. Things, however, look promising for next season..",.. .■ i ■■ ■.-■., . ■ DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP. . The Hervey or Cook Islands were discovered by Captain Cook, and embrace the following, which we quote from Mr. John L. Kelly's pamphlet:— ;< • descriptive. Mangaia, thirty miles in circumference ; Rarotonga, twenty-four miles ;- Aitutaki, eighteen miles ; Atiu, eight miles; Mitiero, ten miles ; Mauki, six miles; and Manauai, or Hervey, consisting of three islets within one large circling reef. The Cook Islands lie' further south than any of the other groups visited, being situated between 18-54 and 21-57 south latitude, and 157-20 and 160 west longitude. They are partly of volcanic and partly of coral formation. Rarotonga is the only island of the group which has a harbour : and from this fact, combined with its great productiveness and central position, it has been made the collecting and distributing centre for the trade of the " islands. To this port is also brought a large quantity of produce from Rurutu and Rimatara, two islands of the Austral group, which, being beyond the French Protectorate line, have been brought under the influence of British trade, The form of government throughout the Cook Islands is a native monarchy, or rather, many monarchies. Thus on Rarotonga there are three queens, each having her own well-defined territory and jurisdiction, viz., Makea, Mere Paa, and Tenuomana. The King of Atiu is married to Queen Makea. Native laws and customs form the basis of government in each district, and so well-disposed are the people, that breaches of the law are of rare occurrence. England is the only Power that maintains a consular agent at Rarotonga, the present representative being Mr. R. Exham, of the firm of Messrs. Donald and Edenborough. These islands were very early evangelised by the agents of the London Missionary Society, and the natives all profess Christianity, with the further advantage that there are no opposing sects to confuse the mind and complicate religious authority. Rarotonga is a beautiful island with bold volcanic, hills rising to a height of nearly 3000 feet, and having a level belt all round the coast, besides many fertile valleys and slopes between the hills. It is well watered by streams, and the rainfall is regular. Hurricanes Occasionally occur, and cause great destruction. The harbour is at Awarua, a mixed native and European settlement, which from the sea presents a very primitive appearance. On landing, however, it is seen that there are some good buildings, embracing the church, school, mission house, queen's residence, ginning mill, stores, and European residences. population, SOIL, and PRODUCTS. Rarotonga is believed to have been peopled by a body of stragglers from Tonga, and as these multiplied they spread to the other islands of the group. In appearance the natives closely resemble those of Tonga; but their language, several dialects of which are spoken in different islands, nearly approximates the Maori of New Zealand. " Since the introduction of Christianity there have been no wars on these islands. The present native population, which is almost stationary, is as under-.—Mangaia; 2000; Rarotonga, 2000; Aitutaki, 1800 ; Atiu, 900; Mauki, 600; Mitiero, 300; Hervey, 200: total, 7800. The foreign population does not exceed 30, and is concentrated at Awarua and Ngatangihia, on Rarotonga. The Europeans number 25, ot whom over 20 are New Zealand colonists, and a few Germans, while there are 25 Chinese, some of whom ; keep stores, while others work on the plantations. The natives show a higher degree of industry, and a more ready adaptability to European manners and clothing than those of any of the other groups visited. They have passed a law forbidding the importation of foreign labour, and the extensive plantations, cotton-ginning works, etc., are worked entirely by natives. Boatbuilding, coach and dray making, and house-building, under European direction, are also most successfully prosecuted by the Rarotongans. Many of them also engage as seamen on board the trading vessels that visit the port, and are found docile, teachable, and capable of work. The sale of intoxicants to natives is forbidden, and they are also prohibited from making orange beer;,, but, in spite of these restrictions, they occasionally indulge to excess in the ' home-brewed' beverage named. The soil of , Rarotonga and several other of these islands is of the richest description ; this is shown by the fact that in a single year Rarotonga alone sent 4,000,000 oranges and 40,000 gallons of lime-juice to Auckland. , 1 Clu Mangaia the - soil is poor; bub the

natives, by incessant labour ,_ have rendered it very productive, and it contributes largely to the exports of the group, besides supporting a considerable population. The chief products of these islands are cotton, copra, coffee, lime-juice, oranges, bananas, pineapples, and arrowroot; but nearly every variety of tropical plant would grow, and with the necessary labour the productiveness of these islands could be increased tenfold. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. In proportion to their population, the Cook Islands have «■ very large import and export trade, the greater portion of which is done with New Zealand. What has been accomplished by these natives, especially on Rarotonga and Mangaia, is an earnest of what might be done on the much more populous islands of Tonga, Samoa, and Tahiti, if the natives were trained to habits of industry, and were imbued with the ambition to acquire dwellings of European construction, improved clothing, and a few luxuries of diet. I regret that the full year's statistics of imports and exports were not available, but the total for 1884 could not be short of £60,000. For the nine months from Ist January to 30th September, 1884, the total value of imports was £18,000, of which £9000 worth was represented by prints, clothing, and drapery goods; breadstuff's and groceries being valued at £4000, ironmongery at £2000, and sundries at £3000. The exports for the same period reached a total value of £20,454, and the chief articles of export and the quantities were as under :—Copra, 1,103,1331b ; cotton, 350,4201b ; cotton, 788 bales ; seed cotton, 23,6671b ; coffee, 35,8001b ; oranges, 6410 crates; cocoa-nutt, 7626 crates; pineapples, 760 crates; dried bananas, 38411b; limejuice, 28,012 gallons; whale oil, 1200 gallons; cotton seed, 109 tons; fungus, 10401b; pearl shell, 19501b; kapok, 8721b5: and 4 bales. As already remarked, these products could be exported in much greater quantities were mote labour available; indeed, much is allowed to run waste on Rarotonga at present, because of its too, great abundance or the want of a good market. For example, tons of excellent coffee could be seen in the plantations, rotting on the trees and on the ground, for the simple reason that the price received for it—lOd per —does not pay sufficiently well to induce the natives to gather it. The import duty of 3d per lb levied by the New Zealand Customs Department would, if removed, leave a sufficient margin to stimulate further production. Candlenuts grow in great profusion, and hundreds of tons might readily be collected each year. From these nuts a most valuable oil is obtainable ; but the trouble of gathering the nuts from the ground and removing the shells is too great to give sufficient remuneration, according to native ideas. What these ideas are may be inferred from the ruling wages paid them for cotton picking, which is 2J cents, per lb, or one-half the value of the crop. TRADE WITH NEW ZEALAND. The extension of trade between these islands and New Zealand is well-nigh an impossibility, for the very sufficient reason that this colony already absorbs nearly the whole of the import and export trade. The under-noted shipping return shows this very clearly:— Rarotonga Shipping (for the nine months from Ist January to 30th September, 1884). English ships, 31; tonnage, 7782: French ships, 9; tonnage, 860: German ships, 10 ; tonnage, 420. Of .the English shipping, 29 vessels of 6202 gross tonnage were from Auckland—the other two vessels being from San Francisco and Sydney Island respectively. The conr.jction between Auckland and Rarotonga is of long standing, Messrs. Owen and Graham having, in their island-trading days, a large branch establishment here; but about six years ago they retired. The field thus vacated was entered by Messrs. Donald and Edenborough of Auckland, and by their enterprise and energy the present flourishing trade with Rarotonga and the other islands has been developed. The French and German trade on this group of islands is inconsiderable, and the nineteen visits of vessels mentioned in the foregoing table were made by small schooners and cutters trading between these islands and the headquarters of the commercial houses at Tahiti. The export of fruits to New Zealand could at once be increased if the market is sufficiently absorbent; and, as formerly pointed out, the export of coffee could be easily doubled, if the abolition of the New Zealand Customs duty left a margin for profitable labour in gathering and preparing it for* the market. LOCAL INDUSTRIES, TRADING HOUSES, ETC. After visiting such places as Samoa and Tonga, where, in proportion to the population, the industries pursued were of the simplest and most meagre kind, we were agreeably impressed by the busy aspect of affairs at Rarotonga. Messrs. Donald and Edenborough have erected extensive ginning machinery, presses, &c, where, by native labour, the cotton is ginned, pressed, and packed in bales. The machinery is driven by steam, and it is curious to note that cotton-seed is used as fuel instead of coal. The same firm have also steam machinery for husking the coffee under the same roof as the cotton gins. Boat and carriage building are carried on by the natives, under European instruction. We saw a very fine cutter in the builder's shed, approaching completion, and there are a large number of drays and buggies on the island, which are nearly all of local manufacture. The women assist at cotton-pick-ing, and also make large mats, &c. In the work of packing oranges the women also render assistance, besides attending to the yam and taro plantations, from which the staple food of the household is obtained. The chief trading houses on the island are Messrs. Donald and Edenborough, Society Commercial de l*Oceanie, Captain Trayte, and Mr. Henry Nicholas. Besides their different branches in Rarotonga, Messrs. Donald and Edenborough have agencies in all the islands of the Cook group, as well as on Rurutu and Rimatar'a, in the Austral group, and on Palmerston Island, an isolated spot which is under the British flag, though not formally annexed. Captain Trayte, in addition to various stores in Rarotonga, has trading relations with the other islands, and has obtained a lease of the Scilly Islands (three in number) for thirty years. ACCLIMATISATION. Fowls, turkeys, and pigs are reared in great quantities on these islands, and horses, cattle, and sheep also do well. The indigenous plants here are identical with those of the other groups, and there is nothing suited for acclimatisation in New Zealand. I procured some seeds of a tobacco which is cultivator! here by the naives, in order to its growth being experimented upon in Auckland. With a wise forethought which would do credit to any civilised people, ths Rarotongans have prohibited the importation of guava plants or seeds. This fruit has not yet been introduced to this island, and the natives, having heard of the evils resulting from its introduction elsewhere, are determined upon avoiding these, if possible. TOURIST TRAFFIC, ETC. The scenijfry and climate of these islands, and the interesting character of the natives, should render them popular places of resort for tourists ; but there are no hotels or houses of accommodation for visitors, so ' that in the meantime visits to these parts i are likely to be flying ones. Invalids would i find the climate of Rarotonga more temj perate than that of Tonga, Samoa, or Tahiti. ,