The Kermadee Islands.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 16 September 1890, Page 2

The Kermadee Islands.

A PLEASANT PLACE TO LIVE IN

Burixg the ptesent session of Parliament tne public petitions committee received the following pleasing description of Sunday Island from Captain FairchiU

Bell has the only piece of ground which one could live on, and when his family gets bigger hu will want more He has move i tyr> or three times to get a piece of land. He was nearly starved wh n he first went there, a d he would have starved in any other part of the island than where he is. It v simnlv a pumice-stone b<-d. It is impo^ib c for a man t live any 'ono-»r than whle he consumes the food he carries with him.

Som« "pevso -s left Auckland for this charming spot, and Captun Fairchild brought half of them away some months back, the remainder determined to stay, one old boy assorting- that "he would stop there ti 1 he di»<l that he might have hi 3 action agairi-t the Government." Thisdite, by the captniu's account, peems not far distant, unless thinhabitants take to the staple diet, vrln^li ig declared to be mutton birds and Bell's knmaras and pota toes. It was estimated that therwore 15,000 mutton birds. The fish wro good, but the weather is very atovmv and there was only one place where » man could fish oft th*» rock . Thfi hill sides are steep and you can only r-ull yousself up by catching lnld of trees. There appears to be only one advantage in a r^sideive nn this is'aml, and that is, that tl.ere would be iittle bother about strikes, otherwise we can hardly fancy a more mistrab'e spot.