Cook's Islands.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 1 September 1891, Page 2

Cook's Islands.

Within the past few months the Empire has added further possessions to control and protect. To the north and east of Auckland, away from the steaming track to San Francisco lie a group of Islands known as the Harvey or Cook group. ' The largest of these is Rarotonga. There are, however, nine others. The Government of Great Britain placed these i islands under the charge ,of the Governor of New Zealand, and. permitted him to appoint, to all intents and purposes, a deputy-governor, under the name of British Resident. Mr F. J. Moss, an old member of the House of Representatives, .fills this post, and he has furnished a most interesting report of his actions since , April, to his Excellency. On taking up his appointment Mr Moss issued the Governor's proclamation, which set forth " that a Protectorate is the form in which British authority will be exercised, and that whereas it is necessary for the proper conduct and efficient action of such government that the said Islands— reserving to themselves their present management of local affairs— should be united for purposes common to all." The British. Resident announced that no new laws will be recognised by the Queen until • approved by him, and that his only object will be to aid in their governing justly and wisely. Mr Moss evidently means well and we trust he will be successful, but the conclusion of his address raises a doubt, as he declares that his " life has been spent in the work cf government among my own people (New Zealand), and the experience thus gained will, I hope, enable me to do good for yom" He will have to'illwftUttali .'

Our friends the missionaries seem | to have got into trouble already, Mr Moss reporting that ll The Bey. George Aiigiistiis Harris ig tke rfisi^ deilt Missionary. Under him a most narrow and tyrannical system of Cburch discipline has been established. No one, unless a Jjpjaber of the Church, can hold onrce, and expulsion involved civil disability of the most complete kind, Tb.e expelled are known ,9,3 tukai 'mtri - dirt ixora prison's-- gaolbirds would, perhaps, be the nearest synonym. Obviously this must all be changed, and permanently changed, if civil government is to be successfully established. Mr Harris has been the absolute and unchecked ruler of Mangaia for the last twenty years." The islands appear to be flourishing, as the coffee crop is reported as being very fine, and the hills ab'aze with loaded orange trees. The population of Raratonga might be ten thousand instead of two thousand, so Mr Moss thinks, if they were small proprietors. He is going to look into this in the future. The Briti§h Resident, With his experience of this colony, must feel quite ( at home in the group, so many things turning up to remind him of those left behind. He says : " I may state that in this one island, with a population not exceeding 2000, I find that there are over 100 persons acting as policemen — in other words, prying into other people's business instead of minding their own." If he is successful in checking this evil he might be promoted to New Zealand and deal in like manner with the supporters of the present Ministry. Then he has started the unfortunate inhabitants law malcing ; the first, to raise a revenue of 1560 dollars yearly for local government purposes, but from which, with the purely "Liberal" measures we are getting accustomed to here, one tenth of the sum raised is to be paid to each i member of Parliament. Mr Ballance might take a note of this, and the country districts might get more assistance if each Representative got a ten per cent commission on the amount voted, instead of a yearly salary. A firm of merchants likewise offer to keep the Government account and allow a five hundred dollar overdraft without interest. Mr Verrall should ship for these parts by an early boat and start the Cook Islands State Bank on a safe course. One good and decided step has been taken in prohibiting the import and sale of alcoholic liquor in the group, and the Resident reports that the law continues satisfactory in its operation, and is accepted now .on every side. Success will be wished, by all to the efforts the British Resident is taking to help . the residents of the Cook groups to take care of themselves.