COOK ISLANDS AFFAIRS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1168, 1 July 1911, Page 6

COOK ISLANDS AFFAIRS

BETURN OF SIB ROBERT STOUT. BOUGH WEATHER. Tho steamer Taiune, with Sir Robert Stout and party'on board, arrived back at Auckland from the Cook Islands at a late hour last night. • Our special reporter who accompanied the' party to tho Islands was only able to telegraph through a short" summary of the Wigmore murder trial (published elsewhere), and the balance of his matter concerning recent happenings at the Islands will appear iu Monday's issue. The disclosures mado at tho murder trial are stated to havo serious aspects, and there is further interesting information concerni'nn the secret investigations of tho Chief Justice. ' Concerning the trip, our special reporter telegraphs tho following:— "The Chief Jiistico (Sir Robert Stout) and party, who arrived back from Rarntonga by the Taiune to-night, were dogged by bad weather on the trip, both to and from the island. On the passage from Auckland in the Aorangi at the beginning of June tho Government party were overtaken by a heavy storm, and on Thursday night and Friday they had a similar experience on the Taiune. A big beam sea buffeted the vessel on Thursday, aud she tossed and tumbled wildly, while tho gale screamed; through the rigging and raised a mountainous sea. Before midnight a number of heavy rollers had found their way on board. Tho vessel had an unusually large cargo of island produce oniboard, and the hold having been left open to givo the fruit plenty of air all hands were called on deck to batten the hatches down. A good deal of water found its way below before things were made snug—a difficult undertaking with, a vessel tossing abort in a heavy sea—and for about an .hour tho-ship was hovc-to. But on placing oil bags over the bow-matters wore improved somewhat. Right up till mid-day on Friday seas frequently broke on board, and at an early, hour, in the morning the occupants of the foreward cabins on the starboard side were flooded out, as the result of a heavy back-wash finding its way down tho alley. Captain M'Bride was on duty for over 2-i hours continuously."