“TROUBLE ENDED”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 April 1938, Page 9

“TROUBLE ENDED”

BANANA GROWERS STRIKE MINISTERIAL STATEMENT “I am certain there will be no more non-co-operation or Ghandi-ism in the Cook Islands, said the Acting-Minister for the Cook Islands, Hon F. Langstone, in referring in an interview last night to the reported banana growers’ strike at Rarotonga. Outlining the arrangements which had been made for the shipment of fruit from the islands, the Minister recalled that these had been arrived at after a conference in Wellington of representatives from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Niue and the Cook Group. “Arrangements were made oh a generous basis and the Rarotongans were to work in the same as the growers in the other islands,” Mr Langstone continued. “When the Matua went down she was to take something over 2000 cases at Rarotonga. I was surprised to learn that only 700 or so were put on board. Other places were communicated with and they were glad to avail themselves of an increase in their quotas to make up this deficiency.

“This action has been a detrimental thing not for New Zealand, but for the Rarotongans themselves,” the Minister said. “Those who were trying to induce the Rarotongans not to ship fruit did not have the interests of the Rarotongans at heart. If these people think they can harm the interests of New Zealand they are making a pretty big mistake. The growers at Rarotonga are only part of the big marketing movement and the sooner they realise that the better for them. If they refuse to co-operate and ship the quota allowed others will make that up an(J get the benefits which should go to the Rarotongans. “But I think the trouble is ended now and we hope that the next time the ship goes down the Rarotongans will send all their quota of fruit.”