AFFAIRS IN THE COOK ISLANDS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2753, 24 April 1916, Page 8

AFFAIRS IN THE COOK ISLANDS

A BAD DROUGHT BROKEN

INTERVIEW WITH MAJOR LARGE Major J. T. Large, an old New Zealand veteran, who for over 15 years was an officer of the Cook Islands Administration, came to Wellington, by the s.s. Jlbana last Thursday. Interviewed by our reporter last evening, he communicated some interesting items of news from the Cook group. Mr. F. W. Platts, the now Residen? Commissioner, is carrying out his duties, very satisfactorily, and bids~,fair to. become a most popular Commissioner. In addition t<! being Resident Commissioner, Mr. Platts is Chief Judge of the High Court, and he has recently been also appointed Chief Judge of the Native Land Court of the Cook Islands. In connection, with this latter JUpai tmemt, he will have any amount of workto do, for, according to the la»t annual report of the.Cook Islands, there were over 50U applications for investigation of title, etc. : As President of the Rarotonpa Island Council, Mr. Platts has held several meetings, at which many matters of importance to the islands lave been brought up, notably the question of the erection of a wireless station at Black Rock, on the south sidG of Karotonga, where a good site has already been secured. llie estimated cost of the work is £6500. The wireless station, it is considered,.'would be. of gteat bancfit both for Government and. commercial purposes particularly in couuc-ction with the export of fruit from the islands.

• Last year the >Cook Islands generally siiftorod from a very severe drought, ' 3 ui ci of fruit fell oft" considerably. Since the New Year, however, there has been (piite an abnormal fall . of ram, amounting to . over 65 icches. The average annual rainfall over the last 16 years has ; been 79.54 inches, bince the drought'broke, bananas (the staple product) have quite recoveied from the effects of the dry season, and are now bearing well 1 The orange season has also commenced, and j>u raises to be a fairly good one. Tomatoes also have become an important product of llarotonga during the winter seaton. Hurricanes, which are not infreuenfc in tlio Cook Islands, .have not visited the Cook- Islands this season, but on March 16 a heavy northerly gale raised a big sea/ setting straight into the Avarua Harbour. Tho Union Company's wharf was. damaged io ' a ' cer-, tain extent, and a considerable amount of debris was washed up on to the main road, but fortunately the gale subsided i before further damage was done. .Rarotonga has done its share in pioviding men and _mon ej? for the assistance of the Empire in its hour of need. One contingent of 40 Maoris has already. been sent, and forpied part of the Maori Contingent. Another contingent of nearly 50 men has'been trained for l»«S by Sergeant' Atkinson, thief of Police, at Rarotonga, and has attained a 'commendable degree of efficiency, and its members are very eager to get to the front, but thero is some hitch on account'of the expense. Ic the - matter of money, the island nas raised a sum of over £500 for the Wounded Soldiers Fund—£47o of this amount being the • .proceeds of a carnival held last August. '

Mr. H. H. G. Ralfe, who has been of Courts at Rarotonga and Acting-Resident Commissioner during the absence of the Commissioner, has received orders to take -up tho position of clerk of the court in Auckland. His successor in tho Cook Islands has not yet been- named. . v