THE COOK ISLANDS

Southland Times, Issue 19656, 5 October 1922, Page 7

THE COOK ISLANDS

REPORT OF THE ADMINfeTRATION. CONDITIONS GENERALLY. SATISFACTORY. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, October 3. In the House of Representatives this afternoon the Hon Sir Maui Pomare laid the Cook Islands report on the table. The report was spoken to by a number of members, who asked for information on various points. Sir Maui Pomare, in reply, said that on the whole the criticism of the administration had been very mild and fair. It had been suggested that there should be some form of higher education given to children in the islands, but the Government, was not aiming at that. Teaching girls embroidery’ would not, help to solve the domestic problem, and teaching boys chip carving would be no help to solve the labour problem. What they aimed at was to give the children an education of practical value to them in the work of their lives. They had a number of scholars in New Zealand who were receiving some form of higher education with the view that they go back to the islands and become teachers themselves, the Department considering this method cheaper than sending European teachers to the islands. The health of the islanders was excellent. They just com-, pleted another hospital, and they now had four doctors amongst 12,000 people, which he considered a fair proportion. As to the fruit problem, the whole question was one of freights. The island steamers had. not paid the Union Company, and they could not be expected to go on running them to an unlimited extent. After the fruit arrived in New Zealand the Government had arranged to carry it on the railways at the same rates as home-grown fruit, which was an important concession. Fruit was arriving in New Zealand in a bad condition as the result of the operations of the fly, which only developed after the fruit had been shipped. The ; remedy was to hold the fruit long enough to enable the larvae to develop, and to that end the Government was erecting packing sheds where the fruit could be kept and selected before being shipped. Relations between the natives and the white trailers had improved, and he hoped they would go on improving, but it was too much to expect the friction to disappear so long as trade rivalry existed. Island finance for the year showed the revenue to be £25,-> 659 and the expenditure £23,528 leaving a credit balance of £2131, which, however, did not. represent the whole of the assets. The returned soldiers from the islands had now all gone back to their homes, and were engaged in their native industries. A few days ago he received a telegram from Raratonga from young men there offering to form a contingent for the front if required, which was ample proof of their continued loyalty.