PITCAIRN ISLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17853, 6 August 1921, Page 1 (Supplement)

PITCAIRN ISLAND.

EX R. BARRY O'BRIEN.

A RECENT VISIT.

When the Shaw Savill liner lonic left New Zealand for London on June 4, particular interest was being taken in her voyage as she was " down " to visit Pitcairn Island, the home of the descendants of the mutineers of H.M.S. Bounty. There are to-day 174 persons on the island. Thev speak excellent English—the language of their forefathers. Pitcairn is about 2t miles long, east and west, and a mile wide. It is steep, too, the highest point being 1000 ft. above sea level. There are two landing-places—■ viz., at Bounty Bay on the nortii-eastei . side, and at a little cove on the. western side. The former is nearest to the settlement, but in easterly winds the latter must be used, and from here a steep barren cliff has to be negotiated before the settlement can bo reached. To the natives this climb is not a difficult matter, especially as footholds and pathways have been dug on the face of the cliff. But to the stranger it is a soul-killing drag, on reaching tjie summit, his efforts are well repaid, for stretching out to the eastward lies a picture of tropical beauty, the. like of which is rarely seen. Bananas, oranges, pineapples, mangoes, lemons, and cocoanuts are to be seen by the score ; and in the depth of this splendour stand the islanders' wooden houses, with their picturesque thatched roofings. Not less picturesque are the natives themselves in their cosmopolitan wearing apparel. The women for the most part wear long loose coloured print garments and hats varying in style from the homemade -'straw fco the man's valour, such as is seen in any of our cities. The men dress in loose shirts and trousers and peaked caps or straw hats. Boots appear to be worn only on Sundays or on State occasions.

For their clothing, these islanders have, of course, to rely on the generosity of the outside world. The men are better off than the women in this respect. They can generally get a fai. supply from the sailors of occasional visiting ships. But not so the women, and moreover, so far as the latter are concerned, much o"f the stuff sent out from New Zealand and elsewhere is of heavy material, and, therefore, in view of the climatic conditions, unsuitable. What is wanted for the women, I was told, is rolls of print stuff, from which they could make up their own dresses and for which the islanders are prepared, if necessary, to pay cash. This is about the only use they have for money, for which, indeed, they displayed a remarkable indifference. They were far more appreciative of such things as needles, cotton, buttons, wool, note paper, soaps, etc. Life on the Island. The principal occupation on the island is produce farming and fishing. There is also some shooting, as there are plenty of wild goats and wild chickens, not to mention wild cats, on the island. The islanders, of course, are not without their tame cats, and they also have some halfdozen dogs and a couple of horses. The staple food of the people is sweet potatoes, vegetables, fruit, fish, and occasionally chicken. The men are excellent boatmen, it is a pleasure to watch them handle their surf boats. Not only do they sail their boats, but they build them with remarkable skill. A couple of years ago it was decided to build a 25ton schooner on the island. The vessel, which they named the Messenger, was completed in 12 months. She proved to be a credit to her builders, and made mole than one voyage to Tahiti, a distance there and back of no less than 2350 miles. Then came an unlucky day in her career. She was caught in a hurricane when returning to Pitcairn from Mangareva. Gallantly the little vessel tried to weather the storm, but it was too much for her, and her masts were whipped out like match sticks. Wallowing in the trough of the sea, her position was desperate. Every moment the big curlers threatened to swamp her. Her crew had, in fact, given up hope in everything but Providence, which they clung to with characteristic fervour; and their trust was rewarded, for an American steamer, the Sassanach. arrived upon the scene in the nick of time and rescued them as their vessel foundered.

In medical parlance, Pitcairn is largely an island of negatives. There is no leprosy on it, no tubercle, no insanity, no intemperance (the people are both nonsmokers and non-drinkers), and no degeneracy of any form. One might add that there are no taxes or stamps, and no currency or crime. At the same time, the island is not without its Government and its laws. Nominally it comes under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Fiji. For the rest it enjoys complete autonomy. There are two assemblies—an upper and a lower chamber, as it were—entrusted with the good government and maintenance of law and order on the island. Those assemblies are chosen by the people, men and women alike, at elections which are held every Christmas Day. The upper chamber is composed of a chief magistrate and two assessors, and the lower one, called " the internal committee," of three other members of the community. The islanders are Communists, in so far as that they believe in and practice the principle of having no personal property, each one working for the whole and for the common good of all. They are often called " the beggars of the Pacific." That they are to a large extent dependent on charity is true. Yet to name them so harshly is, I think, somewhat unfair in view of the fact that they rarely appear to ask for anything without being invited to do so." And even then they are extremely modest and simple in their wants. One islander with whom I spoke asked for a Columbia lin. gramaphone spring; another wanted two records—" Beautiful Isles of Somewhere" and " The Unloneh- Hearts to Cherish " while a third merely asked for a leather purse. Grief and Hospitality.

The day that the lonic visited Pitcairn, June 14, was a day which the islanders will never forget. It was a day on which the whole island was plunged into mourning. At the very hour, in fact, that the ship was coming to an anchor two of the most valued members of the community on shore, the pastor and school teacher, were breathing their last. Their death was the result of a lamentable boating disaster.

On hearing of the disaster, the ship's surgeon and two other doctors who were travelling as passengers put off from the ship and hastened to the scene. They were greatly impressed by what they saw—viz., perfect calmness, even among the sorrowing families.

Anxious not to intrude at such a time, the doctors prepared to withdraw, but one of the poor widows entreated them to remain and rest themselves, it being evident to her no doubt that they were somewhat exhausted after their hasty and arduous journey across the , mountain. Torn with grief, though they were, they were none the less anxious to offer, to the best of their ability, hospitality to tho strangers.

" Come back and see us," they begged of us, " and stay longer next, time." One young islander told me that one of their greatest disappointments was the way that ships unheedingly passed tho island. Time and again, he said, they would load up their boats with fruit and row out to meet passing vessels, only, however, in the majority of cases, to be compelled to abandon the chase and row back to the island, after dumping their load into the sea.

Some of the natives asked us to write to them from the outside world, and promised themselves to do likewise. Then, after much handshaking, wo took leave of them.

As our ship weighed anchor the surf boats' crews cheered and sang to us. They were still waving and singing—hymns— as we steamed away from that island of mourning.