INCIDENTS OF HISTORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20234, 19 April 1929, Page 13

INCIDENTS OF HISTORY.

EARLY NEW ZEALAND.

ANNEXING COOK ISLANDS

JUDGE BLAIR DRAWS DOCUMENT

How he came to draw (ho legal 'document annexing the Cook Islands to New Zealand was related by Mr. Justice Blair in an address to members of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, whoso guest he was at luncheon yesterday. His Honor's talk was upon some events in the constitutional history of New Zealand. In 1901, he said, when he was associated with the late Hon. J. A. Tole, ai request came from the Governor, Lord Ranfuriy, for a document formally annexing the Oook Islands. " I had no precedent to go upon, nor had Mr. Tole, so I had to use my mother-wit," ho continued. " I remember that when we had the document engrossed the Auckland firm of law writers who did the work made an extraordinary number of curlicues around the ' whereases' and so forth. As it turned out, the document was good enough for its purpose, for it did annex the Cook Islands. I mention the incident because it makes me feel that I luwe contributed something to the constitutional history of this country." In sketching the growth of ordered and finally autonomous • government in New Zealand. His Honor referred to the odd period in the first four decades of last century, when there was a considerable population of whalers and others at the Bay of Islands, Queen Charlotte Sound and Banks Peninsula, but no means of preserving law and order. Some farming, lie said, took place near these settlements, and a system of barter prevailed, no money circulating. In 1832 Mr. William Busby was appointed British resident at Russell, and was accredited to the native chiefs by a letter from King George IV., but he had 110 authority whatever, his instructions being merely to keep order as far as possible by his personal influence. If he wanted to arrest anyone he had to get a warrant from the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Before this an appeal had been made to the British Government to recognise New Zealand as a colony, but on account of certain unfortunate experiences typified by the that Government had f come to think colonies merely as awkward and costly things to handle. However, after Edward Gibbon Wakefield had sent the ship Tory on its way to Port Nicholson in 1838 with a body of settlers representing all classes of the community, the Government relented and in June of that year New Zealand was added to the territory of New South Wales.

Speaking of the foundation of Auckland by Governor Hobson in 1840, Mr. Justice Blair said Hobson picked the site " out <sf tho wood," so to speak. Evidently certain features of it appealed to him. At that time Wellington had a population of 2000, and its inhabitants protested most strongly, even impugning Hobson's honesty. They genuinely could not understood how Hobson could choose a; place like Auckland when there was a place like Wellington. (Laughter). In 1864, when the capital was moved to Wellington, there was equal indignation in Auckland, and ai movement was even started l>v Sir "Frederick Whittakor to have the Auckland Province declared a separate colon v. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to His Honor.