NO DESPERATE NEED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20130, 27 December 1939, Page 11

NO DESPERATE NEED

FOOD FOR PITCAIRNERS EXAGGERATED REPORTS •N.Z. AGENT'S STATEMENT (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND .this day. A denial of a report from Sydney that Pitcairn Islanders are desperately in need of food was made today hy Mr. Floyd McCoy, who acts as unofficial agent-for the islanders in New Zealand. He said that although there has been a shortage of normal supplies owing to vessels being diverted from their courses toy the Admiralty, the matter was well in hand. The decision of the Federal Minister of External Affairs to ask the British authorities to evacuate the islanders was entirely unnecessary. There was always a plentiful supply of island food,' fruit, vegetable, fish, goats and poultry to maintain the 240 odd inhabitants, inclusive of about 15 Europeans.

Arrangements had been made through the Admiralty and the High Commissioner at Suva to see the islanders were not isolated. It was not true that no vessel had called there for six months prior to the report made toy the tramp steamer a few days ago. He had received mail dated November 8 stating that everything was all right, though supplies were getting low. A vessel left New Zealand recently for the island carrying 30 tons of foodstuffs and other supplies and also several islanders returning from Wellington.