HECKLING A MINISTER

Hokitika Guardian, 9 July 1925, Page 1

HECKLING A MINISTER

QUESTION OF A PRESENTATION. WELLINGTON. July 7. Ripples of laughter ran through the in,.-i . .(epresentiitives wiem Mr Eraser gave mitice ol his inlenluiii i i a-k life Minister in Charge of the Ad-'.niui-l ration of (on!: D-laod- .anon, qiiesiinns concerning an alleged proposed presentation lo him. “Was it a fact,” asked Mr Fraser, “that certain admirers of the Administration of Cook Islands were endeavouring to organise a presentation to the Minister and had invited the natives of the group to share in the cost thereof: - ' Was the presentation going to take the form of a silvermounted coconut :' i Laughter.) Whether the officer in charge of Cook Islands -cut a cablegram to lho Administrator of Nine informing him a presentation was being arranged and inviting the natvos of Niue to subscribe? Did the Resident bring the matter before the Island Council, at Niue, members of which are all natives apart from officials, and did the members uf the council construe the cablegram as an order lu he obeyed and so vote !_‘so lor the purpose ot the presentation r Would the Minister cause a strict inquiry into the facts? Did lie consider it wrong for the officers of a public department to he used for a purely private pur-

The Minister. Sir Maui Pomace, stated that in March ln.-t: the Secretary of the Cook Islands Department advised the people of Niue that some ol the New Zealand Maoris and Cook Islanders proposed to make a presentation to mark the Minister’s long record as Minister of Cook Islands. Gi that capacity he bail had the longest record of any Native Minister in the British Empire. For four months previously there had been no communication with Niue, ami as no further mail was going until June the secretary had no oilier means of apprising the people of what was proposed except through the Resident Commissioner. On dune 21 Mr Era-cr made inquiries at the Cook Islands Department, stating that lie had received a report irotn a correspondent at Niue to the ellect that the natives had been asked to subscribe to a testimonial to the Minister. Sir .Maui said that when his secretary mentiined the matter to him that was the first he had heard of the proposals. “T told himli” added Sir Maui, “that under no consideration would I receive anv gift where compulsion was used. Thereupon a telegram was despatched to the Resident Commissioner at Niue instructing him. to assemble the council immediately and inform its members that the Minister would not accept any gift subscribed to under any suggestion of compulsion. On June 30 a telegram was received from the Commissioner stating that the natives were very indignant that a report had been circulated that compulsion was to Ire ttsed in obtaining the subscriptions. There was no truth in the report and the natives desired to assure the Minister that the gift was given with their most sincere and united congratulations.” After reading a very appreciative letter from. Niue Islanders. Bir Maui declared there must have been some motive for bringing the matter before the House, either to belittle him as Minister of the Islands, or for some other petty-motive. “But at any rate deep within the hearts of these people away out on the borders of this Empire beat true- hearts which appreciate the little that I have done for them.” lie concluded.