|
J.B. Claydon's Report on
|
|
Christchurch, New Zealand.
30th January, 1954. Your Excellency, I have the honour to refer to Your Excellency's letter of the 9th October, 1953, in which you instructed me, as your personal representative, to visit Pitcairn Island, to investigate the conduct of the local administration, particularly, and to inquire into social conditions generally; and to submit a report thereon together with recommendations directed towards effecting necessary improvements. Accordingly, I now append for Your Excellency's consideration an account of my eight week's sojourn on Pitcairn. 2. Part I is a chronological outline, covering a few events and observations of, I hope, some interest, but for the sake of brevity I have made no attemot to give a complete diary. Sufficient evidence of my activities will be found in Part II where the more specific subjects, administration, education, medical and so on, are discussed and my conclusions and recommendations set out. Nor have I supplied much general information about Pitcairn: more than adequate material of this nature is already to be found in Mr J.S. Neill's report, 1937, and in Mr Roy Sander's monograph, mentioned in para 4 below. PART I
3. I left Fiji by air on the 13th October, arriving in Auckland on the morning of the 14th. During a few days' stay there I had several talks with Mr L.F. Warren, accountant of Messrs Burns Philp & Co. Ltd., Pitcairn agents, and cleared up some outstanding accounting matters which have been dealt with in separate correspondence. 4. I also had two long discussions with Mr Roy Sanders late Education Officer at Pitcairn: he gave me a copy of his survey of the Island – in the form of a thesis for presentation to the University of New Zealand – which he had only just completed. While I cannot agree with many of Mr Sanders' conclusions, mainly because I doubt the accuracy or objectivity of much of the information obtained from the "stranger" so often quoted (Roy Clark, the Postmaster) the report does, I think, speak for itself as a meritorious attempt to analyse in extenso the Pitcairn culture. The report proved most useful to me in my own investigations; for, as Your Excellency is aware, it was my original intention to endeavour to produce a similar document in the lamentable absence of such a record in our files. In the event, with so many tedious administrative matters to attend to, it was obvious that in the short time at my disposal I could not possibly attempt a survey on |
|
2. the exhaustive scale of that produmed by Mr Sanders. 5. In Wellington I met officers of the External Affairs, Post and Telegraph, Education and Agriculture Departments, all of whom treated me with the greatest courtesy, discussed appropriate aspects of Pitcairn administration with them and made various arrangements, details of which appear in Part II under the relevant headings. I also interviewed Mrs Alta Warren with regard to her matrimonial difficulties, and particulars of this interview appear at para 86. 6. I left Wellington by the 'Rangitata' on 24th October and the vessel arrived off Pitcairn about 2.30 p.m. on 31st. The Chief Magistrate, Education Officer and the Pastor all greeted me warmly. The sea was rough and the weather cold and wet: my landing on the island in the celebrated Pitcairn fashion, about which Mr Dobbs has already provided sufficient harrowing detail, was therefore uncomfortable in the extreme. No lives were lost though I feared for mine when the boat in which I travelled ashore was cast vigorously on the rocks at the entrance to Bounty Bay, with the loss of the rudder and a staved-in plank. Subsequent trips to visiting vessels however, of which I made eleven, inured me somewhat against the rigors of boating at Pitcairn; and there is no question that in this important aspect of their life the Pitcairners are superbly capable. 7. On the evening of the 1st November I attended a public meeting of welcome, made a short speech outlining the general purpose of my visit, read Your Excellency's message to the people, and presented to the Chief Magistrate his badge of office and your Excellency's flag. At the same time I announced the invitation to the Chief Magistrate and his wife, subject to the formal concurrence of the Island Council, to visit Fiji for the purpose of meeting Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. This created something of a sensation and although in the few weeks prior to the Chief Magistrate's departure there were odd manifestations of petty jealousy, by and large the Islanders appreciated the gesture as an honour to Pitcairn. 8. The next few days were spent in familiarising myself with the topography of the Island, making the acquaintance of individual islanders, interviewing government officers, and inspecting offices and records. 9. On 7th November I held my first council meeting, at which the question of gifts to the Queen and her family was decided after a long and rambling discussion. Also at this meeting I took the opportunity of straightening out differences between the Chief Magistrate and Inspector of Police as to interpretation of their respective duties, to the apparent satisfaction of both parties. |
|
3. 10. On the 10th November Pastor Ferris celebrated the marriage of Miss Joyce Young to Radley Christian. The event is noteworthy, in that (a) it was the first wedding performed in the church since 1924 (I believe that on this occasion too, neither party was particularly anxious for a church wedding, and it was mainly the Pastor's strong personality which decided the issue); (b) the bride brought to her spouse three children by two other Pitcairners, which is unusual , judged even by normal Pitcairn moral standards; and (c) had it not been for a purely fortuitous question that I asked the Chief Magistrate about the marriage documents, the ceremony would not have been a marriage at all. It was obvious that the Chief Magistrate did not know one end of the new Marriage Ordinance from the other, and upon close investigation I found that none of the provisions of the Ordinance had been carried out properly. With some haste the damage was repaired and I am hopeful that this is one Pitcairn marriage at least whose validity cannot be challenged. 11. The nuptial repast, attended by nearly all on the Island, was interrupted by the call "Sail-Ho" and the guests spontaneously arose and departed to attend to this vastly more important business. On this occasion the vessel was the "Captain Cook", New Zealand Government immigration ship, which had been called up by radio to give urgently required medical attention to Valda Christian, 15, who for some days had been suffering from a steadily deteriorating appendicitis. The ship's surgeon came ashore in one of the Island boats and after an examination announced that the only hope lay in an operation which he would perform aboard. The girl was taken out in a stretcher and the ship departed with her. Unfortunately the vessel signalled a few days later that Valda had died from post-operative complications. Through the radio arrangements were made to hold a funeral service on Pitcairn at the time of committal at sea. The parents, Fred and Flora Christian – one of the finest couples on the Island – were naturally very distressed, but were comforted later to some extent by the receipt of a charming letter from the master of the "Captain Cook" describing the last rites and expressing the sympathy of the ship's complement. 12. The following three days were occupied in holding a formal inquiry into radio communications. Your Excellency will recall that the inquiry was prompted by the (apparent) failure of Floyd McCoy to operate the new Marconi equipment sufficiently well to satisfy the Islanders, notwithstanding his course of tuition in New Zealand, and the subsequent need, at the specified request of Mr Allen, to relieve him of his duties as acting Radio Operator. |
|
4. 13. On the evening of 19th November there was a community gathering for tea in the school grounds, followed by a first-aid demonstration, gymnastic display and concert by the St. John Ambulance group. The group. numbering about 20 of the younger men, has been trained by Pastor Ferris. They performed most creditably and looked impressively smart in their khaki drill uniforms, in which they take much pride. I presented to the members certificates of competency as first-aiders which they had earned by an examination (conducted on a passing ship by an accredited St. John examiner); and I was happy at the same time to be able to congratulate the group on being the first in the entire South Pacific to have won these certificates. It was indeed a remarkable effort on both the instructor's and members' part. The organization has done a great deal in my opinion to control the larrikinism which is so patently near the surface of the younger Pitcairners. 14. Mr Ferris is anxious this year to start a Red Cross group for the young women and I have already asked your office, Sir, to make preliminary negotiations through the Fiji Branch of the Society. 15. John Christian and his wife left for Fiji by "Rangitoto" on the 22nd November and Thornton Christian, senior Assessor, assumed duty as acting Chief Magistrate. Thornton is a fine old man, but was not of much assistance to me in an official capacity. I was sorry in many ways that the Chief Magistrate was leaving the Island so early in my visit, as it meant that on his return he would fall heir to instructions I should leave and with which he might not altogether agree or might wish to discuss further. However, I talked over this point before he left and pointed out that although I shoud be dealing with an acting magistrate, any instructions or orders I might pass on to Thornton would apply equally to the substantive Chief Magistrate. John Christian seemingly appreciated the point and it remains to be seen whether the excuse "I wasn't there" will be brought forward in defence of noncompliance with the various instructions I did leave. 16. By this time I had, I think, conquered the initial diffidence of the Islanders in general and the perhaps not unnatural suspicions of a few as to what miseries would descend upon the Island as the result of this particular visit. From now onwards I was to be the recipient of a steadily increasing number of invitations to meals and functions of various kinds, culminating during my final week on Pitcairn, in such a concentrated round of activity that I was grateful to board the "Rangitane" for a few days' rest. 17. On 25th November I participated in the annual |
|
5. cricket match which was played "Up Oleander", a comparatively flat area of land at the east end of the Island, between two teams of about twenty each drawn from all able-bodied males between the ages of twelve and sixty. The game commenced at 7.30 a.m. and was drawn to a somewhat haphazard conclusion about 5 p.m., after each team had had five innings. The pitch was bare earth, carved out of the sloping terrain, and the outfield a nightmare of lantana bushes and stumps and high grass. I was too exhausted to worry about the results of the game, but notwithstanding this and the casual approach to the laws of cricket, the day was a most enjoyable break in the rather monotonous round of Pitcairn existence. Most families, indeed, made a picnic of the occasion. 18. About this time Thornton Christian the acting Chief Magistrate, fell ill with acute sciatica and Christie Warren, the remaining Assessor, assumed his duties. Fortunately a quorum remained for council meetings, although proceedings were occasionally ludicrous with only two members allowed by the Regulations to propose motions, second, and vote on them. 19. On 29th November I commenced a house-to-house survey, mainly for the purpose of collecting census statistics, but also in an endeavour to get the people to talk about the local government and to ascertain if there were any complaints in that direction. I previously had made myself available for interview at certain times each day, but this manoevre was not an outstanding success, for very few did come to see me and then only on personal matters. I was rather surprised, after a long association with the Moverley reports and correspondence, to find that even this method of the direct approach could draw few specific charges against the Council or individual officers of malpractice or racketeering and in the circumstances could only conclude that the people as a whole are quite satisfied with their local government and with their conditions of life. I managed to become very friendly with some of the Islanders and I do not think there would have been hesitation on their part in unburdening any fears or complaints they might have had. From these remarks I must, naturally, exclude the McCoys and the Nurse. In their view little is right on Pitcairn. 20. The 8th and 9th December I spent securing soil samples for despatch to the Agricultural Department. 21. On the 15th a public meeting was held to obtain nominations for the offices of AssessOr (2) and Chairman of the Internal Committee. The elections were set down for the 25th December. By the provisions of the Ordinance No. 2/53 the Chief Magistrate is now elected triennially and the next election for this office will not occur until the end of 1954. |
|
6. 22. The launch, the rebuilding of which was authorised from the timbers of the vessel purchased in New Zealand in 1949 and never used, was completed and dragged down to the landing on 17th December. The launch is of identical construction to the usual Pitcairn open boat (37 feet in length) with a few modifications to allow for the installation of the diesel engine from the dismantled launch. A trial run, a half-hour trip round the island, was undertaken a few days later and the vessels's performance was excellent. A cruising speed of about 6 knots was easily maintained. The existing propellor is, however, too small for towing purposes or for reversing under load and I authorised the purchase of a larger one. Here again the Island is indebted to Pastor Ferris for the immense amount of work he devoted to a complete overhaul of the engine and its installation. Providing maintenance can be satisfactorily continued after his departure, the Pitcairners have in their launch a valuable aid to their trading activities. Confined as they have been for years to s sail, it has been a tedious business on most occasions beating up to the Island after visiting a ship and drifting with it to leeward for two hours or more. Some ship's captains will tow the boats up to a point where they can sail direct into Bounty Bay, but this is not by any means the general rule, as I found from my own experience. 23. The final week of my stay opened with the arrival on 21st December of two tankers, within two hours of one another. This fact is of itself worthy of comment, but as it so happened, the school concert, at the close of the year, had been arranged for that evening. There was a tremendously long programme, of some 40 items, and as a result of the ships, a start was not made until 9 o'clock and the welcome conclusion of the entertainment not reached until 1 a.m. Though nominally a school concert, in any affair of this nature the whole island takes part, and I was therefore privileged to witness a full exposition of the Pitcairn talents in the dramatic and musical spheres. In neither could I fairly consider the Islanders well developed. The instrumental items, of an elementary nature, were confined to the piano and were all given by young girls. The vocal items were either hymns or "hill-billy" songs rendered by groups varying in number from ten to twenty, both male and female, and accompanied by either the harmonium or by a strummed guitar. The sketches were adaptations to the Pitcairn idiom of fairly simple material provided by the Education Officer but were, I fear, mostly above the heads of the nopulation as a whole. Your representative contributed his share to the programme by way of accompanying Miss Agnes Ross (a New Zealander who has resided on Pitcairn for some 25 years) in a violin solo: and while |
|
7. the item evoked considerable applause, that can only be construed as a sad commentary on the state of musical development on the Island. I must, however, pay tribute to Miss Ross, who, in an entirely unpaid and unthanked capacity, has endeavoured for years to instil into a few reluctant children the rudiments of piano playing. Were it not for this lady's efforts, I have no hesitation in saying tha music on Pitcairn would die a speedy death, since there is no indigenous form of it to be traced in the Pitcairn culture. 24. On the following evening a children's Christmas tree party was held in the school, under the supervision of Mrs Ferris. This was, actually, the first significant approach to the season I witnessed. I gather that the Adventist faith ignores special obseryance of either Christmas or Easter; however that may be, Christmas on Pitcairn_ from what I saw of it, is taken very much in the Islanders' stride and "Christmas Day" (when a large tree is erected in the public square and presents distributed from it to everyone) is observed on any suitable day up to the 1st January. As a matter of fact, the elections are generally held on the 25th, and 1953 was no exception. 25. On the 23rd December a small ketch, "Mariner" of Seattle, manned by two young Americans, anchored. They are making their way to New Zealand via Fiji. They had no entry permits for Pitcairn, but I authorised the Chief Magistrate to allow them to land and they were most appreciative of the chance to stretch their legs on land after 35 days at sea. have since heard that the ketch made a trip to Henderson Island with three Pitcairners aboard. 26. The 24th December was fully taken up with a final Council meeting at which I read out a fairly long letter of instructions (Enclosure I) to the Chief Magistrate and a letter I had written to the Postmaster to answer several points he had raised (Enclosure II); and a somewhat stormy meeting between the Nurse and Pastor Ferris with myself in the role of arbiter. I deal with this meeting more fully under the "Medical" heading in Part II. 27. The elections were held on Christmas Day, at 6 a.m. (I shall have more to say on this subject later) and follwed by my last public meeting, I thought I was justified in informing the people that I had not found anything drastically wrong during my visit, except a tendency on the part of some misguided individuals to flout the laws as they wished. I did not think that as a result of my visit there would be any major changes in the local government, but I emphasised that that would be a matter for Your Excellency to consider upon receipt of my report. |
|
8. 28. I embarked on the "Rangitane" early on 26th December and reached New Zealand on 4th January. PART II
THE PEOPLE
29. In view of the existence of Mr Sanders' very full report, it seems superfluous, if not presumptuous on my part, to venture into the socio-anthropological field; but my brief did include a direction to ascertain the background to the universal dislike of Floyd McCoy and whether there are any other cliques or factions on Pitcairn. I was also to test the validity of the Moverley's allegations of a state of "anarchy" on the Island. Therefore, as a preface to the conclusions I have to put forward on these matters, it would probably be useful to set down a few impressions of the Pitcairners, from yet another point of view. 30. Being fully aware of the Pitcairn sport of "hypocriting the stranger", I was extremely careful in my first approaches and contacts. Without exception the Islanders in the early part of my stay maintained a steadfast attitude of politeness, combined with as much charm as they are capable of exhibiting. I was on the Island long enough to witness the cracking of this facade, and it was easily to be discerned that beneath the surface of unity and harmony presented to the visitor are indeed to be found many unpleasant characteristics, such as malice, greed, hypocrisy and dishonesty. On the other hand I must admit that I found with many right to the end of my stay what appeared to be an irreproachable standard of personal behaviour, most generous hospitality, and a frank approach to the problems of the Island. Further, although vital statistics would imply to the contrary, I did not at any time descry any overt signs of sexual immorality or licentiousness: this may be due to the influence of Pastor Ferris who, without doubt, has achieved something approaching the miraculous in welding Pitcairn society into a semblance of homogeneity and good behaviour in just over twelve months. 31. Conversation I always found difficult, mainly because of the Islanders' grave vocabulary deficiencies, but also with many through language differences. Some of the older inhabitants appear to have forgotten the English they once knew (or could not be bothered using it) and used Pitcairnese exclusively in their conversation. The "language" is unintelligible to the outsider. It was mortifying, perhaps in a Council meeting, after explaining laboriously some point or other, to find that the Island |
|
9. Secretary or the Chief Magistrate would have to turn round and explain/it again in Pitcairnese for the benefit of some members. The younger generations, through the influence of the school and visits to New Zealand, are more fluent in English, albeit with poor vocabularies, but by and large, I would say that the Islanders are very much more at home in their own dialect. They certainly use it exclusively in their homes and among themselves. 32. Subjects for discussion were also extremely limited. The average Islander neither knows nor cares what goes on beyond the shores of his small island world. Whether this is altogether to be deprecated is a moot point, but an unfortunate result of the attitude is an aversion to progress in any shape or form. Those who visit New Zealand and return often bring with them ideas of improving living and working conditions on Pitcairn, but these fancy ideas are soon knocked out of the reformer by the derisive "Yousa makingbig" attack. I do not wish to labour the point, of which possibly too much has been made, but from my observations the most important single factor in island relationships is this levelling process. It is difficult in such circumstances to see how the spirit of progress can be developed in the Pitcairner or – more important – how the community can be brought to the stage where it can govern itself without outside help. Abundant evidence exists as to the reluctance of the Islanders to take office of any kind, and those who do perform their duties in a negative fashion in order to avoid later retribution and abuse. It can only be hoped that in time education and wider travel will produce sufficient numbers of enlightened Pitcairners to effect the badly needed metamorphosis in the community; and there are, I an glad to say, some signs among the younger generation that this is coming about. 33. The Pitcairn day is a long one, commencing at 5:30 a.m. if the weather is suitable, with the public meeting bell. At this meeting, held about 6 a.m., notices of interest are read out, and public works duties for the day are allocated. Work will start about 7 a.m. and go on until 10 a.m., when a break of an hour and a half will be taken for breakfast. Work is resumed and continues until 2 p.m., when it ceases for the day. Most of the men then set about their own affairs – curio making, gardening, perhaps hunting a goat, until nightfall, when another meal is taken. After the meal there will be visits to other homes, or guests – not necessarily by invitation – and bed about 9 p.m. However, if a ship is expected and no curios are on hand for sale aboard, it is a quite usual thing for the members of the household to stay up working until well after midnight. Thursdays are usually spent fishing in the 16 ft. canoes in the bountiful waters |
|
10. around the Island; Friday is "preparation" when the houses receive their once-weekly cleanout, rubbish is cleared from the yards where it has been unceremoniously thrown during the week, and the allocated portion of the public roads is swept. On the Sabbath no work of any kind is done and nearly all the Islanders attend Sabbath school at 10 a.m., church service at 11 a.m. and possibly some other church activity during the afternoon. It may be noted, nevertheless, that the arrival of a ship on the Sabbath receives first attention, regardless of the time of church services. Beyond the Sabbath a holiday is rarely taken, and it would of course be pointless when there are no alternative pursuits or organized sports to engage in. 34. The average,Pitcairn home is roughly built, unpainted, uncared-for and decidedly uncomfortable. As a pointer to my comment at the end of para. 32 however, there is a welcome trend towards the improvement of living conditions brought about I imagine by the example of two or three Islanders who have built very creditable homes and furnished them decently. It is of course significant that these men are married to "strangers". 35. The Pitcairners are in their own way, industrious people. I rarely, except among the older people, saw any individual sitting about doing nothing. With the men there was always a piece of carving to be got on with as soon as any other activity ceased; and the women were invariably accompanied by their basket-making materials on social occasions and even into public meetings. There is a reluctance on the part of the men to perform public work but I do not consider this unnatural. The work is unpaid and every hour spent on public work is time away from the gardens or curio-making which, after all, is practically the sole means of earning a living, or at least of obtaining a standard of living above the subsistence level. 36. Mentally the Islanders extend the range from near-imbecility to, I should say, above-average. In the last class there are few and they are the undisputed leaders of the community. The majority are satisfactorily equipped with intelligence to cope with their day-to-day problems. 37. I admit frankly that I found the Islanders impossible to fathom from the emotional aspect. The facts that sexual behaviour is casual, that they are Off-hand in their relations with one another, that physical violence is almost unknown, point to a stolidity which is immediately belied by the rapidity with which arguments develop, excitability in conversation, impetuosity in behaviour and general mental alertness. I can only suggest that the isolation – which is, for all the contacts with shipping, complete, in my view — |
|
11. and the need in the interests of self-preservation to control the passions, have developed a shallow character incapable of feeling very intensely. I do not assert that point of view with any confidence. 38. Culturally (in the strict sense of the word) I am inclined to say that with few exceptions development is not far beyond the moronic stage. Life, on the Island in this sphere is sterile, notwithstanding the efforts of education officers and the present church pastor to foster it. The library (admittedly not of good quality) is rarely used, even by the schoolchildren and reading is limited to church literature and picture magazines. Musically the taste is confined to hymns and the cowboy song; very little artistic talent exists and where it does, is not exploited except in the school. Conversation is confined to gossip; and craftsmanship, whether in curio-making, boat-building or home construction, is by no means good. 39. Without question the ships are the most important aspect of Pitcairn life. Every other activity is subordinated to it. The call "Sail-ho" accompanied by a five stroke ring on the public bell is the signal for all to drop immediately what else is on hand; the crews rush for their baskets of fruit and curios which are always maintained in a state of near-readiness, and make for the landing and the boats. The rest of the population, or most of them, either gather at 'The Edge' or go down to the landing to see the boats off. And until all the boats have returned from their sometimes dangerous journeys, very few will leave the scene for bed or to resume other pursuits. 40. No less than fourteen vessels (seven passenger and the rest tankers) called during my stay, and stopped for periods varying between three-quarters and three hours. I was thus given ample opportunity to participate in this phase of existence. Apart from the crews of vessels which were calling at Pitcairn for the first time and passengers aboard the liners, to whom the Islanders and their activities come as a welcome diversion in the long beat across the Pacific, the crews as a whole of all the ships I boarded appeared to have a feeling of amused tolerance, tinged with contempt, for the Pitcairners. Opinions among officers, from masters downwards varied a good deal, from outright dislike to possible warm affection. 41. On the regular liners, the Islanders' dealings were restricted in the main to trading with the passengers, but so far as oil tankers and other vessels wre concerned, the term, "Evangelical Pirates" quoted in another context, can be aptly applied. From what I could see, the main purpose of every individual, once aboard, was to secure either by trading or |
|
12. begging, as much as he could from as many as possible in the time available. I was several times embarrassed while in a master's cabin at the requests made in rapid sequence by a queue of Islanders, for goods, timber, medical supplies and so on. So far as these begging proclivities are concerned, it is in the discretion of the ships' crews to rebuff them and I refrained from comment. I offer no criticism of behaviour aboard vessels; it was invariably polite and circumspect. The Pitcairners are only too well aware that if they offend in this respect they would speedily be bereft of their principal source of income and entertainment. 42. I found it very difficult to extract information from the Islanders about their financial affairs. Among themselves they preserve a strict reticence on the subject and it was hardly to be expected that a stranger would fare better. However, by studying trading closely I was able to draw the conclusion that the cash income of trading groups (generally a parent-children combination) would, depending on the individuals' trading ability and their numbers, range from about £120 to as much as £400 per annum in the larger and more aggressive units. This statement is backed substantially by observations of the amounts spent in ships' stores. Real income is a vastly different matter and I hesitate to set any ceiling at all on this. The begging and trading activities to which I refer above result in articles of great value finding their way ashore, either for community use or private benefit, and it is impossible to assess cash values. 43. As to incentives, I could elicit no data of value. Perhaos the religion is to blame for the facts that the younger generation appear to have no stirring ambitions and that their elders seem to have no plan of life except to live from day to day. From my many talks with Islanders one important point did emerge, and that was that very few of them are discontented with their life on Pitcairn and fewer still have any real inclination to leave for other pastures. Paradoxically enough, in New Zealand there is a large community of Pitcairners, some of whom have been there for many years, and the possibility of their return is remote. This fact possibly demonstrates that the more progressive Islanders – those to whom we might look for a lead in the improvement of administration and conditions generally on Pitcairn – will not stay there. I am not sure that the drift is undesirable, because the population continues to increase, and while the Island could, I think, support three or four hundred quite comfortably if water supplies were extended, it could not support more than this number. Hence emigration, though confined inferentially to the better types of Pitcairner, is essential if overpopulation is to be avoided. |
|
13. FACTION 44. As Mr Sanders has said, the largest single group, exercising the most influence in Island affairs, is the Young family. Of the family the two brothers Andrew (recognised as its head) and Vernon are the most outstanding. At the other extreme is the McCoy group, headed by Floyd, which is the smallest family unit. Floyd McCoy and Andrew Young are of the same age (57) and, both being of aggressive personality, the have been rivals since childhood. Intellectually the latter is superior to McCoy, and that factor, together with the large-family backing which McCoy lacks, has put Andrew very much on top. McCoy, who pretends to the possession of high principles (but does not always live up to them) and to be the champion of the underdog, suspects in every action of Andrew a new move to secure Young power at the expense of the rest of the Island. This of course is not altogether true; but the important part is that McCoy commands no support in his eternal strife with Young. 45. McCoy's own personality and history is against him in acceptance by the Islanders generally or as a government officer. He is the illegitimate son of George Warren by Ada Christian, who afterwards married a McCoy. As descent in these cases is matrilineal, McCoy offended firstly by taking his mother's married name and thereby assuming legitimate parentage. Then, in 1916, McCoy was involved in an unsavoury affair with a married woman, at one stage of which he assaulted her with a knife and spent some months in prison as a result. He was subsequently – so the unconfirmed story is – exiled. He remained away from the Island for many years and then commenced to return at intervals for varying periods, no doubt to look after his property of which he holds a large amount (by reason of the dying out of the Christian branch from which he descended). He returned "permanently" to Pitcairn in 1947, with an Australian wife. To an Islander, particularly one who has not been away at all, McCoy's personality would be obnoxious. He is intolerant of advice, boastful of his own accomplishments, tactless, is an individualist to a marked degree, refusing to participate in many community arrangements, and is openly critical of the Island Council and his fellow Pitcairners – not, I must say, without justification. I am. loath to draw Mrs. McCoy into a discussion of this nature, but it is necessary in order to give a complete picture. She has never, so far as I could gather, attempted to fit in with Island ways, but has combined with her husband in ill-timed and fruitless criticism of Island institutions and customs. She has, to say the least, a caustic tongue, and of late months, mainly because of the Administration's somewhat heavy- |
|
14. handed treatment of her husband, she has become increasingly bitter: I think it would be correct to say that at this time she is without a friend on the Island. It is with regret that I record this impression of McCoy because personally I found in him the only Pitcairner with whom I could talk freely and who would in turn talk freely to me. He is the only Islander too, who has a genuine desire to improve the standarda of living on Pitcairn. Both McCoy and his wife treated me most hospitably and generously and I hope I succeeded, after initial differences, in making friends of both. 46. Andrew Young's past is shrouded in mystery. He is supposed to have been a gay philanderer in his youth, but I could ascertain nothing to his discredit, of a more serious nature, up to the time he took over the duties of Island Secretary in 1938. The files from then onwards contain many instances of his misdeeds, mostly supplied by the late Mr Moverley. Years of experience as Secretary and radio operator plus a natural shrewdness unmatched by any other Pitcairner, the loudest voice and the strongest personality on the Island, have gained for him actual control of all facets of the administration. I would not say that he always uses this power indiscriminately or to further his own ends: but he is capable of viciousness and spite if any should cross his patch – and into this category fall McCoy and the Nurse, who, rightly or wrongly, Andrew blames for the death of his adopted daughter, Vanda, in 1952. Andrew Young has other enemies I suspect, besides the Nurse and McCoy, but I cannot prove it; for while I heard plenty of criticism of McCoy, there was none (except from McCoy and the Nurse) of Andrew. The majority of the Islanders have a genuine liking for him, amounting in some cases almost to adulation. 47. The feud between Young and McCoy is, I think, the only one from which serious consequences could arise; and even so its importance is perhaps unduly exaggerated because both are members of the local government. If either or both were to retire into private life I do not think very much would be heard of their differences. The allegations by Mr Moverley that Floyd McCoy is in danger of physical violence have no foundation in my opinion; in fact McCoy himself, when I asked him his views on the matter, was more amused than concerned. 48. I could elicit no evidence as to the existence of other major cliques or factions. Differences there are among the various families; arguments arise from time to time; and there are other individuals besides McCoy and Andrew Young who could, given the opportunity, become trouble makers. However, as has been pointed out so often by others more qualified than I to judge, friction will inevitably occur in a closed community and the administration can only do its best to minimise the |
|
15. effect of it. This, I think, is being achieved in Pitcairn. 49. Vastly more important than personal differences on Pitcairn is the fact that at present among the Administration, school and church authorities I could see no signs whatever of friction. Due mainly to the personalities of the Education Officer and the Pastor, a splendid atmosphere of harmony prevails; it could probably be succintly expressed in the words of one of the older generation who, in conversation with me said, "Things have never been so good on Pitcairn". THE ADMINISTRATION
50. The word "Anarchy" is defined in the O.E.D. as "Want of government in a country; a state of lawless disorder". Shorn of emotional content, the definition does, I fear, adequately describe the administrative situtation on Pitcairn, which is, baldly, that the Island Council as a body is ineffective in offering firm leadership and control of the community, ensuring compliance with the laws, or unless it suits personal and political relationships at the particular time, of dealing with lawbreakers. One need not inquire far to ascertain the causes for this state of affairs. The Council (with the exception of the Chief Magistrate) is elected annually and is composed of men who seek office for a variety of reasons, among which cannot be included as a general rule the desire to imprOve conditions on the Island or to see that government affairs are conducted in a proper manner. To hold office in the local government is no honour; in fact (ignoring the Assessors who appear to fulfil a negative function) election to the post of Chairman of the Internal Committee or Chief Magistrate is the precursor to a period of hard work, no thanks and much abuse. The current Pitcairn attitude is "They are paid for it; let them do the work". There is a further complication in that few, if any, candidates for office can offer themselves with clean hands. It is therefore difficult to expect an individual to invite reference to his past, or to incur illwill and later retribution when he is out of office. In any event, if a Council were to be elected and miraculously imbued with a righteous zeal for good government, they would in their ignorance of government machinery, be hard put to it to extract compliance from their Secretary, the only real executive authority, if he saw fit to exert opposition. The result is that Councils go on from year to year in a humdrum fashion, hoping against hope that nothing will occur during their term of office to oblige them to depart from their state of lethargy; and if it does, to seek any solution which will restore the status quo with the minimum of rupture and strife. 50. I think I have said sufficient to indicate that law has little meaning to the average Pitcairner or to his local |
|
16. government. From this it follows that efficient administration of the law itself is lacking. The present Chief Magistrate (in common with his predecessors) has no conception of how to run his Council or his court: Ordinances and regulations, none of which is thoroughly understood, are interpreted liberally to suit the needs of the moment. It is obvious therefore, that an accused person coming before the Court has little chance of securing justice, particularly if at that particular time he or she is out of favour with the Chief Magistrate or the Island Government. 52. I hope I shall not be thought to have been too drastic in that appreciation of the administrative situation: but if it is accepted at least as basically correct, the question of remedial action or decisions on the necessity for it, become very much more clearly definable. 53. There appear to be only two ways in which the local government can be brought to a really satisfactory level of integrity: (1) by posting a resident officer to the Island and relegating the Island Council to the status of an advisory body; or (2) by elevating the duties and powers of the Education Officer to a similar degree of responsibility. Neither proposition is new; both have their advantages and disadvantages, into the details of which I need not go here as they have been discussed fully in the files. There was another suggestion by the Colonial Office – a compromise between the two – of posting an administrative officer whose wife would be qualified to teach in the school. This solution would be ideal if such an officer was available and if the state of affairs on Pitcairn really warranted it; it would be cheaper than (1) but probably more expensive than (2). 54. I wish now to discuss whether the achievement of a high standard of local government on Pitcairn is necessary or desirable. So far I have dealt with the cold facts only and before a comprehensive answer to the question can be given it is essential to take other factors into consideration. In the first place it would be incorrect to say that all Pitcairners themselves are dissatisfied with their local government, offering as it does the minimum interference with the liberties of the individual. It would be wrong also to leave an impression that the majority of the Islanders are not law-abiding and peaceful folk which they undoubtedly are. Secondly, so far as I could ascertain after much probing, there appears to be no undue oppression of minorities, though it must be admitted that "strangers" are careful in their dealings with the genuine Pitcairner, to the extent even of giving way on minor matters of personal right or justice. |
|
17. Thirdly, the present Chief Magistrate, with all his faults, has made a concientious effort over the past two years of his office to conduct Island affairs in a straightforward manner. I think he has succeeded to a remarkable degree. Fourthly, the watch-dog McCoy, Inspector of Police, is an ever-present thorn in the side of the Council and loses no opportunity of pointing out their delinquencies. While the efficacy of these tactics may be doubtful, they do have the ultimate effect I think, of keeping the Council aware of its responsibilities, particularly as all are aware that McCoy, has the right – and uses it – of communicating demi-officially with Suva. Last, but not least, note must be taken of the splendid influences of Messrs Allen and Ferris. We are fortunate in having two gentlemen of such high principles, yet combined with moderation and commonsense in marked degree, on Pitcairn together; and doubly fortunate that their personal relationships are so amicable and co-operative. 55. These few points should be sufficient to bear out my conclusions that, regardless of the lack of a government with backbone, the Islanders live in a reasonably happy state, and that with many inhibiting influences present, a major breakdown in government is unlikely. But before I proceed to recommendations in line with this conclusion, one other subject should be dealt with – the position of the Education Officer in the community as unofficial "Government Adviser". 56. Ever since Mr Moverley's appointment in 1948 there has been an increasing tendency on the part of the Administration to treat the Education Officer as a source of advice on administrative questions and as an intermediary between Suva and the local government. The Islanders are well aware of this tendency, and have now come to realise that if they want anything, their requests have a very much more favourable chance of acceptance if a sympathetic covering letter from the Education Officer is sent off as well. The Chief Magistrate, also, when out of his depth – and he often is – readily seeks the Education Officer's advice, and generally follows it. In all my meetings with the Council I thought it fitting that I should include Mr Allen and on no occasion did I sense any opposition to his presence; in fact his attendance was taken very much for granted. I also found it expedient at times to make reference to Mr Allen's status as "Adviser". 57. I think the Council and the Islanders generally, are now conditioned to accept readily an official recognition of the Education Officer as Government Adviser, and that we should take steps to accord this. I have given much thought to the best means of accomplishing it, and discussed the point at |
|
18. great length with Mr Allen, – without of course committing the Administration to any specific course of action. I am sure the only satisfactory way of establishing the Education Officer's authority is to appoint him ex-officio member of the Island Council and the Island Court, without voting power. 58. I recommend the adoption of this course of action for the following reasons -
|
|
19.
59. I am aware that it is the present policy not to involve the Education Officer in local government, principally on the score that as a New Zealand schoolteacher he lacks formal training in colonial administration practice, and it would be unfair as a consequence to foist upon him administrative responsibility. If I may say so, the policy overlooks the realities of the situation on Pitcairn. It has been said before and my visit supplied ample proof, that an educated man living on the Island is bound to be called upon for advice by the Islanders; and I have stated above that the Administration itself is not loth to call upon the Education Officer for assistance in administrative problems. In fact, therefore, the Education Officer is very much involved in the administration. Further, to expect a schoolmaster to live for two years on Pitcairn and to remain aloof from local affairs is to ask an impossibility. No man of character could stand by idly and shrug his shoulders over some of the events of which we have record. Finally, a schoolmaster chosen from a country district in New Zealand is not likely to be at a loss in handling most situations which arise in Pitcairn, notwith-standing his lack of training. I admit there is a real danger in that the wrong type of man might secure the appointment; but as the educational authorities in New Zealand are now well aware of the requirements of the post, and if we insist on a personal briefing in Suva before an officer assumes duty, this possibility is remote – and there are of course, safeguards in the agreement of service. THE LAWS
60. Having regard to my previous remark about law enforcement, I am not over-anxious to recommend the enactment of new ordinances or the amendment of the Pitcairn Island Government Regulations. Nevertheless, there are three matters which in my opinion require regularising now, and the Island Regulations themselves require amendment to bring them more into line with existing conditions on Pitcairn and into conformity with the slightly changed structure of the local Government since they were first brought into force in 1940. |
|
20. 61. Concerning the Regulations, I had two long meetings with the Council, during which every regulation was discussed and its suitability or otherwise decided. As a result I have a fairly lengthy list of desirable amendments; but there is no urgency about any of them and I think this particular matter could well await my return to Suva later in the year, when it can be discussed with the law officers and suitable recommendations made to Your Excellency. The other matters relate to adoption, the Closed Districts Regulations and Marriage Validation. (Later in the report I deal with the necessity for legislative action in regard to forstry and land.) 62. Adoption: I discovered during my visit that it is a common practice for the offspring of illicit unions to be adopted by the parents of the mother or some other close relative. The adoption is formally concluded by means of an agreement which is registered with the Island Secretary. (A copy of a typical agreement is attached.) The form of adoption is regarded by all on the Island as legal and there never have been, so far as I could ascertain, testamentary disputes arising from it. I should not, however, care to assert that this state of affairs will continue indefinitely, particularly with the spread of Pitcairners to New Zealand and other countries and the growth of families with entitlements to inheritance on Pitcairn. I presume, in the absence of a Pitcairn Adotion Ordinance, that the laws of the United Kingdom will apply in this respect; if so, the adoptions should doubtless be carried out in conformity with that law. On the other hand – I am unacquainted with it – the United Kingdom law probably contains provisions which could have no relevancy to Pitcairn conditions and I am therefore of the opinion that a simple Ordinance should be enacted to cater specifically for the Island. 63. Closed District Regulations: The High Commissioner for the Western Pacific made regulations in 1938 to cover visits and immigration to Pitcairn, but with the enactment of the Pitcairn Order in Council 1952, the regulations are no longer in force. In the succeeding period Your Excellency has maintained administrative control over these matters. Numerous questions were posed to me by Pitcairners on the subject, with particular reference to the crews of passing ships and small craft which not infrequently drop anchor off Pitcairn and ask permission for the crews to land. I left the interim instructions which are to be found at para. 5 of Enclosure I. 64. The"Yankee", a vessel commanded by Irving Johnson, makes periodic trips round the world, and one of her stops is Pitcairn. She was last there in 1948 and was due again shortly after my departure. To the best of my knowledge Johnson had not applied for a permit to visit the Island this time, though I am given to understand that he had done so previously. The |
|
21. crew of the "Yankee" – about 25 – stay ashore during the visit, which is of about a week. I do not think for one moment that the ship's visits have any disturbing effect on Island life, but I notice in the publication about the ship's last journey in 1948 there was an uncomplimentary reference to the nurse; and a Bounty relic was traded and lost to the Island. I have already referred to the visit of the ketch "Mariner". The lads aboard informed me that they had inquired of British Consulates in their city (and if I remember aright, San Francisco) whether clearances were necessary for Pitcairn and they had been told that such was not the case. They were surprised when I told them that the grant of permission to land was the privilege of the Governor of Fiji. Then too, I disdovered that the Cunard-White Star agents in Panama were in communication with the Chief Magistrate about a projected five-hour stay by the "Caronia" on her next cruise in February of this year. The Company is anxious for the Islanders to provide entertainment, and although it is not envisaged that passengers will land on the Island, I have no doubt myself that if the sea is calm at the time of the visit, arrangements of that nature might be made. 64A. There is also the question of medical examination which is demanded of everyone who wishes to go to the Island from New Zealand. Burns Philp, our agents, still insist upon the production of a certificate of health before they will issue the requisite guarantees to the shipping companies, but they have no legal authority for insisting upon this. A challenge by some "bush lawyer" would place Burns Philp in an invidious position. 65. From those remarks it is obvious that there is need for legal support to Your Excellency's administrative control and I recommend that consideration be given to the re-enactment of the Closed District Regulations at the earliest possible opportunity; and that the Colonial Office be asked to ensure that British Consulates and shipping companies throughout the world are supplied with copies of them. 66. Marriage Validation. This matter arises more appropriately from the discussion on the Alta Warren v. Alwyn Warren case (paras 86 – 91) and I will not deal with it here. GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS
66. Island Secretary. The office – a large room in the corner of the new courthouse – is clean and tidy and the records well kept. Certain stationery is required and I have instructed the Island Secretary to requisition for it. The schedule of duties for this officer, compiled by Mr. Maude, is now out of date and I brought it away with me for amendment. 67. Up to now no effort has been made either by Andrew |
|
22. Young or the Council to see that the Assistant Secretary (Bert Christian) who was appointed shortly after Mr Dobbs' visit, learns the duties of the post. Andrew Young, of course, saw in the appointment a direct threat to his own supremacy and can hardly be blamed if he has made no special effort to train Christian. I left instructions (para. 11 Enclosure I) that Christian is to be introduced to all spheres of the Island Secretary's duties-, but at the same time, after a few talks with the man I am dubious whether he has the intelligence to take them over should the occasion arise. He has not made an outstanding success of running the community stores account. He is a chronic sufferer from asthma and I do not think his health can be relied upon. 68. I looked for another man who could possibly succeed Andrew Young if he should resign at any time or if the Administration should have cause to dismiss him, but I regret to say that there is none in prospect. McCoy might manage the task but I have my doubts. For a man who has never left the Island and whose education was elementary, Young has done remarkably well and I think credit should be paid to him, regardless of some of his objectionable traits. The only solution to the problem at present would be to appoint the Education Officer in a supervising capacity over the present Assistant Secretary and as a long-term plan the Education Officer should be asked to select a likely boy in the school and to give him specialist training in typewriting, bookkeeping, correspondence and office practice. There are one or two pupils who might fill the prescription, though they are young and it is hard to judge this with any certainty. 69. I had several talks with Andrew Young and let him know that the Administration was aware of his past, but that so long as he "played the game" with the new Administration, no action would be taken to remove him. There was much superficial indignation displayed and a determined effort made to find out "Who sends these false reports?". At one stage he threatened to resign "At the end of the month" unless I could assure him that we had full confidence in him as Island Secretary. I was strongly tempted to accept the offer, but because of the facts outlined in the previous paragraph, and my wish to avoid fulfilment of the standing Pitcairn prophecy, "There is always trouble after an officer visits the Island", I somewhat hypocritically gave the assurance although I refused to modify my proviso "So long as he plays the game with the present Administration". 70. I cannot pretend that I made any great effort to win Andrew Young's confidence; he is far too shrewd and wily ever to get to know in the short space of time which I had |
|
23. on Pitcairn. In any case I think it would have been a mistake to give him the impression that he is overwhelmingly popular with the Administration. Our relations, though guarded, were Quite amicable throughout my stay. 71. I have no recommendations to make regarding an increase in salary for the Island Secretary or his assistant. The work involves only a few hours each week. At the present time Young is in receipt of extra emoluments as conjoint radio operator. 72. Police. Floyd McCoy's office is in his house. I inspected all records and found them to be reasonably well maintained. The prison has been rebuilt near the Inspector's house and is on a much better site than where it was, at the "Edge", in everyone's view. Washing and latrine facilities are still required and I left instructions for the work to be completed as soon as possible. 73. My brief included an instruction to ascertain the present need for an inspector of police and to report on his relations with the local government. Many attempts were made during my visit by local officials, particularly the Chief Magistrate, to have the post of Inspector of Police abolished, or to get my support for such a move. I think I convinced the Council before departure that if they will not enforce the laws, the Administration will make what arrangements it thinks fit in this direction; and that as McCoy is a part of those arrangements, he will remain in office. 74. I was surprised to find just how infinitesimal is the support McCoy commands in his post. He has only one real friend apart from his family and that is Arnold Christian, the policeman who resigned early in 1953 because of family pressure (unconnected with McCoy). I have already given the background to McCoy's general unpopularity and from that it is quite clear that he will never have the co-operation of the Council in performing his duties. There are faults on both sides, naturally McCoy makes no effort to smooth his own path and has even, unfortunately, crossed swords with the Education Officer. Mr Allen is not enamoured of McCoy (mainly on account of the latter's manner) and the dislike is reciprocated Mrs. McCoy has offended Mrs Allen and there are no social contacts between the families. At the same time I am glad to say that Mr. Allen does go out of his way to speak to McCoy, when they meet; and he assured me before I left that he would endeavour to restore friendly relations with McCoy, though he felt it was not actually his place to do so. Nor would he pretend that social relationships would be resumed, because of the antipathy between the womenfolk and of course I could not but agree that that was a matter of private concern. If I may digress here, my real feeling in this |
|
24. situation is that the Allens would be reluctant to resume completely friendly relationships with the McCoys because if they did they would lose the friendship of many of the other Islanders. There is no question but that a friend of the McCoys is tainted in the eyes of most of the Pitcairners. I know this through my own peculiar experience: nothing was ever said to me openly but I could not avoid a powerful feeling that all my visits to the McCoy household were viewed with suspicion by the population at large and this possibly contributed to the reticence on "state affairs" referred to in para 19. 75. I have endeavoured to show where McCoy stands in his relationships with other officers and I trust that I have said sufficient to establish the fact that he is playing an entirely lone hand. Consequently, notwithstanding my emphatic support of McCoy while I was on Pitcairn, I was and still am, plagued with a grave doubt whether the Administration is justified in asking him to continue in this almost untenable position. That McCoy is at the present time the only Pitcairner who can be relied upon to do the job of Inspector of Police at all concientiously[sic] is undeniable; but I cannot help feeling that his appointment in the fist place with no official backing of any description save a tenuous channel of correspondence some 3,000 miles long, was morally wrong. I can only hope that if my recommendations concerning the Education Officer is accepted, McCoy will secure some local official support. 76. I had several conversations with McCoy about his position; he realises the situation, and is quite prepared to carry on as Inspector of Police and accept the social ostracism entailed. I gave him what I trust was much good advice about conducting his official duties, and also warned him that if he laid himself open to charges of breaking the law as in the jeep trailer case of ignominious fame, he could not expect support from Suva against the Island Council, which, for better or worse, is the Island's lawfully constituted local government. I think McCoy saw the force of this and the other advice I gave; at any rate he did not argue about it. 77. In the circumstances, therefore, while the Island Council shows that it is incapable of enforcing the laws, I think it advisable that a police appointment under the direct authority of the Administration in Suva be continued, not so much to ensure that every little offence is placed in the court calendar but as an insurance in part against the commission of a major crime. This is not, I agree, likely, with the two wide-awake Europeans on Pitcairn at present, but on the other hand the Pitcairners are quite capable of con- |
|
25. cealing from both gentlemen any untoward happenings if they feel so inclined. McCoy is not shunned to the extent that he would not hear of such things in his daily contacts, and for that reason I recommend that he remains in his appointment in the meantime. 78. I have no recommendations for an increase in the salary of the Inspector of Police. He is adequately remunerated for the duties involved. He also enjoys additional emoluments for meteorological reporting. 79. Post Office. The Post Office is an ill-constructed building and could have been larger. It serves its purpose, however, and I do not think the expense of extending it is warranted. If additional, sorting facilities are required,the roomy courthouse is closely adjacent and I made arrangements for it to be used should mails of such quantity arrive that sorting in the Post Office would be too chaotic. Facilities for the safe-keeping of stamps, registered mail and cash are adequate and no complaints were made on this score. The books are maintained satisfactorily. During my visit I held a board of survey on some damaged stamps and supervised their destruction by fire. 80. The Postmaster and his assistant are performing good work and I was pleased with the responsible manner in which they appeared to approach their duties. The Postmaster forestalled me to a degree by applying for a rise in salary (Enclosure IV): I had already made up my mind that some increase was justified. I discussed his application with him, together with the Auditor (Mr. Allen) and the Assistant Postmaster and ultimately agreed to recommend that the Postmaster should be raised to £84 p.a. and the Assistant to £24. I do not think there is need to detail my reasons for the recommendations, but I think that both of these men are performing a valuable community service, arduous at times; and when the British Postal Order system is inaugurated they will have a good deal more on their hands. I think the increases proposed are such that subsequent applications from other officers could be refuted. 81. Dispensary. The Dispensary is also a grubby little building. I was disappointed to find that its interior was not kept particularly clean and medicines were lying about on the shelves uncovered and in no apparent semblance of order. I instructed that the dispensary should be painted inside and out. I will not discuss the medical side further at this stage, as the nurse's position must, I regret, be dealt with at some length. (See paras 127 – 135). 82. Public Works. The Chairman of the Internal Committee, and two members appointed by the Council each year, |
|
26. are responsible for the supervision and execution of all public work under the overall direction of the Island Council. To say that this function of local government is unsatisfactory would be charitable. Co-operation from the men is poor. Work is carried out slowly, inefficiently and accompanied by much wrangling. The Chairman's position is, I should say, the most arduous in any government appointment and this supposition is borne out by the fact that there is rarely an election for it. one misguided or rash individual is verbally persuaded to put his name down and is elected unopposed; and thenceforth endure for twelve months the obloquy of all. The post, viewed in that light and compared with the others, is worth ten times its present salary, £24 p.a. I have considered recommending an increase in salary for the Chairman, but refrain for one important reason. The attitude is prevalent of leaving everything to the paid officers: if the officer responsible for supervising public work were to be given a rise in salary, the situation might be aggravated to the stage where the men would perform public work only for payment. It will be remembered that the precedent has already been set in the building of the school, court-house and the gaol. I left a good many instructions involving public work (pars 2, Enclosure I) and if they are to be carried out with a minimum of fuss, I think we should not interfere with the Chairman's salary at this juncture. I do not wish to argue whether or not public works should be done on a payment basis or not, but my opinion in brief is that it should not be. The Pitcairners have an easy, tax-free existence and public work done is, after all, only for their own benefit. The growth of a salaried class on the Island and the gradual increase of its salaries is, nevertheless, producing envy and discontent and the Administration may yet have to consider paying for public work on a daily wage if any is to be done at all. A trite saying, but true, among the Islanders is "It's the worst thing that ever happened to Pitcairn, this paying for jobs". 83. With the invaluable assistance of Pastor Ferris, all engines on the Island are now in good running order. Ferris has taken under his supervision two young men, Clarence Young and Langford Warren, and is training them in diesel and electrical maintenance. He hopes that by the time he leaves Pitcairn in October this year, they will be fully capable of keeping the engines running. I hope so, for from what I learned, before Mr Ferris's arrival the mechanical eouipment on the Island was in a shocking condition. 84. Other aspects of public works are covered in Enclosure I and I need waste no further time with them here. 85. The Assessors. These officers have no administrative duties at all and it is difficult to see why they are |
|
27. paid for their services. Were it not for the fact that they have now been elected on a salaried basis for many years, I should recommend the abolition of remuneration. No increase in the present rate of £12 p.a. should be contemplated. ALTA WARREN v. ALWYN WARREN
86. As instructed I called upon Mrs Warren in Wellington just before embarkation for Pitcairn. She is living with her daughter-in-law, Mrs Lavis Christian (a New Zealander). She is in employment in a factory near her home. From our discussion, at which I found it convenient to have the daughter-in-law present because of the language difficulties, I gathered that Mrs Warren was quite happy in New Zealand, did not wish to return to Pitcairn and still wished to obtain a divorce. I explained the position that it rested with her to make the first move and then asked if she had sufficient money to consult a solicitor. After some hesitation she replied that she had, and that she would do so. I explained further that I should be investigating the circumstances of her marriage, and that upon what I ascertained depended possibly the facility with which she could regain her freedom. For what it is worth, I mention the fact that Mrs Warren denied having received Mr Syke's letter of the 12th August in which she was informed once more that it was her duty to institute proceedings for divorce and that I should be visiting her at the end of the year. There was some confusion when I asked the women how they knew of my arrival (and they were quite obviously from demeanour and conversation expecting me) and I could only conclude that Mrs Warren had actually received the letter, but that for some obscure reason did not want to admit it. The point is of no real importance, except that it indicates the advisability of corresponding with Mrs "Warren under registered cover in future, in order to avoid misunderstandings. 87. Of the ill treatment accorded Mrs. Warren by her husband, I need say nothing beyond the fact that from all I heard, it was not altogether unjustified. Mrs Warren's post-marital behaviour was, apparently, hardly marked by its sexual fidelity. 88. Immediately after my arrival I studied the documentation relating to the marriage in 1950, supposedly carried out under the provisions of the Pacific Islands Civil Marriages Order in Council, 1907. In the first place, the Notice of Marriage (Form A) was signed by neither of the parties, but by Andrew Young, Registrar at that time. Secondly, there was no marriage notice book to be found; nor was there any evidence of the existence of a Registrar's Certificate (Form C). Of the ceremony itself I could ascertain no pertinent details, nor could I glean any particulars of the coercion, alleged inter alia, by the Moverleys. The marriage was duly entered in the |
|
28. Marriage Register (Form E). 89. From very close questioning of the Island Secretary who, until the enactment of the Pitcairn Marriage Ordinance in 1952, was the Registrar, I gathered that the procedure for this marriage followed the usual practices: the marriage notice was issued, signed by the Registrar only, put up on the public notice board for 21 days, taken down, the marriage ceremony performed by the Chief Magistrate, entries made in the Marriage Register Book and copies of the entry given to the bride. Marriage Notice Books and Registrar's Certificates have never been used. I have no reason to disbelieve the Island Secretaryb account: he was completely unaware of the motive behind my inquiry; and, apart from the non-existence of the Marriage Notice Book, if it had not been for my casual query, exactly the same procedure would have been followed in the marriage which I have mentioned in para. 10. 90. Having regard to Mr Doyle's note on the matter, and to Section 27(2) of the Marriage Order, it seems that without doubt the marriage is invalid. For reference purposes I secured the Notice of Marriage and it is enclosed in the relevant file which has been returned separately to Your Excellency's office. 91. On my return to New Zealand, acting on telegraphed instructions, I notified Mrs Warren that she should not proceed further with her divorce application until she hears again from Suva. 92. As to all other marriages performed under the 1907 Order and which appear on the premise outlined to be invalid, I presume that a Validation Ordinance will be required. Your Excellency's Legal Adviser will have more competent views than mine on this matter. . . . . . . . . . . . . EDUCATION
102. Mr Allen and his wife arrived by the same ship as the Ferrises. I think a tribute must be paid to Mr Allen in that he discerned the unpleasant possibilities of competition between the church and school. Conseouently he shelved many of the progressive ideas he had for the building of a healthy community spirit. The result has been, inevitably, the domination of the church in the social field, but this has been accompanied by a marked lack of friction between the two institutions and the personalities involved, I must say that in the result the development of events has been fortunate. The alternative was for Mr Allen to push ahead with his own plans regardless of church activity. While I do not think |
|
29. that Mr Ferris would have opposed any of the Education Officer's endeavours, I do think that the Islandes themselves would have been torn between the two influences, with possibly dire results. In my opinion the Island population is too small to enable many cultural activities to exist side by side without disharmony. 103. In those remarks I do not wish to imply that Mr Allen has restricted himself to school teaching: very far from it. But he has been careful to exert his influence in fields where no risk of conflict lies, such a games evenings, the planting and maintenance of a fine school garden, concerts, arts and crafts, and "picture evenings" utilising film strips and slides., This year he hopes to institute a hobbies club. 104. Apart from my recommendation that the Education Officer should be appointed to the Island Council as a counterweight to church influence, there is a further cultural field in which an opportunity lies for restoration of some balance. The "picture evenings" referred to above are immensely popular among the Islanders and I am sure the provison of a moving picture projector could not fail to be even more so. As an educational aid its benefits would be tremendous – both from the children's and the adults' point of view – and in the entertainment field it would provide an amenity quite foreign to most of the present inhabitants of the Island. To those who have been away in other countries and perhaps become used to more sophisticated entertainment than that offering on Pitcairn a projector would also provide a much wanted interest beyond the monotonous round of life on the Island. I discussed the matter with Mr Allen and told him that if he would put in an official request for the supply of this equipment I should support it to the full; and I do so. While the expense will not be inconsiderable (a projector will cost in the region of £Stg.200 and electrical alterations, costing probably another will be necessary at the school) I think it is well warranted in all the circumstances. 105. I do not feel competent as a layman to comment at length on the work of the school itself. The school buildings were neatly and tidily maintained and from my frequent attendances at the school in session I should say that the children are very keen on their work, the standard of which, having regard to the fact that the school is now only in its sixth year, appeared to be reasonably good. Mr. Allen appears to have effective control of the children and keeps their attention. There are at the present time 18 pupils, 6 boys and 12 girls, ranging in age from 5 to 14. One is a deaf-mute but will be returning to New Zealand for tuition in an appropriate school. |
|
30. 106. During my visit Mr Allen conducted an intelligence test (the Otis self-administering test adapted by the N.Z. Council for Education and Research). The results divided the pupils about equally between the "dull" and "normal" grades, but probably do not mean much, as the test was designed for New Zealand pupils and from my study of it, could not fail to be beyond the scope of most Pitcairn children. But the test did show, I think, that for all their isolation, the children of Pitcairn are by no means unintelligent, and some could probably, in a wider environment, compare more than favourably with New Zealand contemporaries. It is significant that the deaf-mute – Alaric Young – approached the normal in his test, notwitstanding the fact that he has had very little formal education. 107. One aspect of the school work which did not appeal to me, but which I believe is now common practice elsewhere, is the fact that no examinations are held. I shall not enter that particular controversy, but so far as Pitcairn itself is concerned, I should have thought that periodic examinations might stimulate a competitive spirit gmong the children and help them to break down the levelling process to which I have already referred. I mentioned this to Mr Allen but he did not agree with me. 108. So far as higher education is concerned, I record with regret that the school does not seem to have produced so far much desire for it on the part of the children. Home influence has doubtless a great deal to do with the attitude, but it is disappointing to find, as I did, that as the children reach the school-leaving age, they evince no desire to stay on at school and further their education; they are quite happy to leave and take their place in the adult society. This does not augur well for the fulfillment of the hopes placed upon the school as a training ground for the future leaders of the Island. As to ambitions, I asked Mr Allen to get the children to write a letter to me on the subject of what they would like to be when they left school. The replies were indicative of the small world in which the Pitcairn child circulates and lives. Three wanted to be nurses, one a fisherman, two doctors, two missionaries and one was quite content to "live on this old island". The remainder were silent as to their aims in life. 109. The school library, which to be accurate is a public library and is housed in a room adjacent to the courthouse, does not, from an examination of its records, show signs of much use. The books, mostly cast-offs from New Zealand school libraries and the country library service, are not particularly suited for children's reading, nor would they |
|
31. appeal to the adult Pitcairner. I think that some grant should be made anually for the purchase of more suitable reading material, to be purchased at the discretion of the Education Officer. I recommend that initially an amount of £50 be included in the Estimates. By the careful selection of material it might be possible to stimulate an interest in reading which is now sadly lacking. 110. With regard to Mr Allen himself, my previous remarks will be sufficient to show that I formed a very favourable impression of him. It would be difficult to find a man more suitable for such an extremely difficult post without at the same time acquiring compensating drawbacks. As I have said, Mr. and Mrs. Allen are very happy on Pitcairn, and I understand that he is contemplating applying for an extension of his tour to the maximum of three years, subject to satisfactory arrangements for interim leave. Such an application from Mr Allen would have my support. I had a talk with the officer for Island Education while in Wellington, and I gathered from him that Mr Allen has a very good reputation as a country schoolmaster. RADIO COMMUNICATION
111. Risking superfluity, I think it would be helpful if I gave as a preamble to my comments undar this heading a brief history of the radio station on Pitcairn. Late in the war a coast watching station, consisting of two Collier & Beale (short and medium wave) sets installed, with ancillary equipment. After the war, the army retired and the station, with contents, was eventually handed over to the Island as a gift. The High Commission after dubious success with the employment of overseas operators, finally authorised Andrew Young to operate the station and he took over in 1948. Failing satisfactory recruitment of another overseas operator, it was decided as a short-term policy to have either Young or Floyd McCoy put through a refresher course in New Zealand and that a young lad should be trained more fully to take over as permanent operator. At the same time consideration was given to the replacement of the Collier and Beale equipment, owing to the increasing difficulty of obtaining spare parts for the diesel engines which are used for generating power. A Marconi "Transarctic" was decided upon and ordered. Your Excellency assumed the administration of Pitcairn about this time, and shortly afterward McCoy went to New Zealand for a few months' course with the Posts and Telegraph Department, mainly to learn how to assemble and instal the Marconi when it arrived; and Thomas Christian, aged 17, was selected for a 2-year course and arrived in New Zealand towards the end of 1952 to commence it. McCoy returned to Pitcairn in December, 1952. In the interim, as a gesture in return for the radio tuition to be |
|
32. given McCoy (which, after all, was paid for), New Zealand was asked if they desired the return of any of the Collier i Beale equipment. Their reply was to the effect that the medium wave set would be useful if it was in a reasonable condition and that they would be glad to have it back. 112. The Marconi ecuipment arrived in March and McCoy was appointed acting radio operator in place of Young (who had refused the opportunity to go to New Zealand for training). The "Transarctic" was installed by May and working regularly in June. Very quickly trouble arose over McCoy's alleged inability to work either the old Collier and Beale equipment or the Marconi and events reached a climax in August of last year, when as the result of a telegram signed by Mr Allen, the Administration was obliged to relieve McCoy of his duties and to give the Island Council responsibility for running the station. They of course appointed Andrew Young – and later Anderson Warren in a dual capacity. They[sic] matter was left sub judice pending my arrival in November, when I was to hold an inquiry into the whole radio question. 113. I duly held the inquiry, on a formal basis, all evidence being taken on oath. To McCoy, as the aggrieved party, I gave the right to cross-examine witnesses and to produce witnesses of his own. In all nine witnesses were heard The proceedings took three days and could have taken three weeks if I had permitted free rein to the extraneous and sometimes acrimonious details which all parties brought across the trail of evidence at the slightest provocation. I was helped con-siderable by Mr Allen's demi-official reports which I utilised as "depositions". I should never otherwise have obtained a connected story from the witnesses. 114. Early in the proceedings it became obvious that the justice of McCoy's dismissal depended mainly upon his ability as an operator, and to a minor extent on his ability to service the equipment. Not being able to call upon technical assistance, I was obliged to rely on Mr Ferris's evidence, verbal reports I had had from two or three ship's operators, and documentary evidence – messages McCoy had received. I did not think for one moment that Mr Ferris (who has had a great deal of practical radio experience(according to the evidence he gave on oath) would deliberately condemn McCoy and I think in the result his evidence was very fair. He had already told me privately that from what he had observed of McCoy's operating, it was hopeless, and that McCoy had never been an operator and never would be. Against that evidence is the fact that McCoy has a marine operator's ticket (admittedly obtained as far back as 1928). In the event I had to decide finally on the messages which McCoy had received and a perusal of these convinced me that McCoy was not an efficient operator. |
|
33. Two of them – medical messages, granted – were absolute nonsense. Both the other operators can cope with this type of message without difficulty. As to servicing, the evidence disclosed that McCoy did not know very much about it but, being McCoy, he would not deign to call upon other assistance which was available. In the circumstances I thought that the dismissal was justified, although I was annoyed to think that once more the Young group has secured a victory against McCoy. However, there was no alternative to confirming the Council's action when the inouiry so clearly supported it. Mr Allen assured me that the Island had been in an uproar (he himself had been greatly inconvenienced by McCoy over a radio message) and that if the Administration had not approved his signalled request, he was sure the Council would have acted in defiance, with very serious consequences all round. From what I heard privately, I am inclined to agree with Mr Allen's assessment of the situation. 115. My terms of reference and findings form Enclosure V and attached thereto for information are the two medical messages referred to above. 116. At a subseuent meeting of the Island Council I read my findings, confirmed McCoy's dismissal and invited the Council to recommend suitable remuneration for the dual operators, Andrew Young and Anderson Warren. At the same time, because McCoy had drawn no salary while acting as radio operator, but had obviously done his best – and a very good best so far as erecting the Marconi equipment was concerned – I thought that some recompense was indicated and therefore authorised on your behalf, Sir, an ex-gratia payment of £25. Similarly in the case of Andrew Young who had performed the duties of operator in an unpaid capacity from 1948 up to the time of McCoy's appointment, I authorised an ex-gratia payment of £25 for services rendered: only, I must say, on the very strong recommendation of Mr Allen. 117. The Council recommends a salary of £18 p.a. each for the two operators and I considered this reasonable, having regard to the daily (except Saturday – the Sabbath) schedules to be worked with Rarotonga and the frequent calls upon the operators' services at other times, in connection with shipping. I accordingly approved interim payment of these salaries, subject to Your Excellency's confirmation. 118. Meteorological: The N.Z. Meteorological Department which is responsible for the collection of all data in the South Pacific region, was anxious, when it learned of McCoy's course of instruction in New Zealand and the plans for new radio equipment, to give a course of tuition on meteorological |
|
34. reporting and to secure the despatch of daily reports from Pitcairn when he returned. This was arranged and McCoy duly commenced to send daily reports when he was established as radio operator. When he was dismissed, however, the reports ceased, because the two other operators knew nothing of the technical work involved in gathering the information and transmitting it. I thought it would be unreasonable to expect McCoy to pass on his instructions, in view of his dismissal and the antagonistic relationships between him and the others; and I thought also that it would be a stay to his sagging morale if he were to be asked to keep on with the meteorological reporting. Accordingly I arranged for the equipment to be taken down from Taro ground and installed in the prison compound which is near McCoy's house; and for McCoy to resume the readings and reporting. He is to take twice daily readings, encode them in the meteorological code and supply the messages to the operator on duty for onward despatch through Rarotonga to Nadi. For these services I considered that a salary of £12 p.a. would not be out of the way and approved payment of it, subject to Your Excellency's approval. 119. Copies of the letters of appointment signed by Andrew Young and Anderson Warren, radio operators, and Floyd McCoy, are attached as Enclosure VI. 120. Collier and Beale equipment: From my radio inquiry findings and para. 4 of Enclosure I it will be seen that I have agreed to the Collier and Beale medium wave set remaining on Pitcairn. The radio operators are keen to have the use of the set as they consider that the Marconi has insufficient range in the 522 kc/s band to cope with emergency calls. Although in my findings I agreed with this view, later consideration and talks with ships' radio operators persuaded me that the Marconi, properly tuned and handled is adequate to meet any emergencies. The daily schedule to Rarotonga itself is sufficient to keep the Island in touch with shipping in case of sudden illness. However, because the radio operators are anxious to keep the set (I think as a reserve in case of breakdowns with the Marconi) and as, upon investigation the dismantling, crating and despatch of it seems hardly warranted by the worn condition (the receiver is not working) I acquiesced in their desire: but only on condition that the Islanders accepted the responsibility and expense of maintaining the Collier and Beale as a community concern. This, in public meeting they agreed to do. I was strengthened in this decision by the fact that while in New Zealand I had been told by the Superintendent of the Overseas Telecommunications Division that they had alternative arrangements in case the Collier |
|
35. & Beale should not be returned, and were not actually greatly concerned about it. On my return to New Zealand I informed the officer that the set would remain on Pitcairn and he accepted the information gracefully. He would however, like the decisibn to be confirmed in writing through Your Excellency's office. 121. Radio traffic arrangements: Also in New Zealand I had several talks with Post and Telegraph Department officers about radio comunication generally and they were all most helpful. I arranged, as a temporary measure during my stay, for a regular schedule with Fiji through Rarotonga. I learned while on Pitcairn however, that the matter had gone a stage further, and that the Fiji Postmaster-General had arranged for Pitcairn to be notified as an international telegraph station. On my return to New Zealand I had opportunity to confirm with the P. & T. Department that this was so, and although the officers concerned were rather surprised at this rapid confirmation of what they had thought was only a temporary arrangement, they were quite happy to allow it to continue, I think a letter of appreciation to the New Zealand authorities would not be out of place, Sir, as although New Zealand only, receives much financial benefit from the arrangement, they are at least performing most of the accounting work for outward Pitcairn traffic, which is to be treated as if it originated in Rarotonga, thus saving the maintenance of complicated accounts either on Pitcairn or in Suva. I think the introduction of letter-telegram rates should be considered as soon as possible; ordinary rates to and from Pitcairn are too high for adminttrative or private traffic. In this connection I understand the New Zealand authorities have been in touch with Your Excellency's office. 122. Radio Station buildings: There are four buildings on the Taro Ground site but only two are in use. The former living quarters and their furnishings had deteriorated badly through want of maintenance and proper attention. I therefore authorised the removal of one of the buildings and its re-erection on a site to be chosen in Adamstown for use as an offical workshop, tool and equipment store and engine shed, an amenity much needed. The remaining surplus building could stay where it is until a use can be found for it – but it is possible that when Thomas Christian takes over the duties of Radio Operator, he will find it convenient to sleep near the station, in which case the building will be useful. With this in mind I had two easy chairs, a bed and table left at the station and arranged for the rest of the furniture to be taken away, the chairs for use in the courthouse and the other articles for sale, which was duly carried out by tender. The sum of £46 – odd was received and paid into revenue. |
|
36. 123. Thomas Christian: Finally in this lengthy discussion on Pitcairn radio I must say a few words about Thomas, who has now had a year's radio training in New Zealand. I met one or two of his instructors and they spoke most highly of his application and ability. A report on his progress is in Your Excellency's hands. It was the general opinion, however, that the two year course envisaged should be extended to three if this could be done, because, owing to the lad's lack of education, he was finding it difficult to assimilate the technical side of the course. It was pointed out to me that a New Zealander with several years' secondary education is not put in sole charge of a radio station until he has had five years' training. I secured the Island Council's approval to the extension and a reluctant agreement from the parents. also saw Thomas himself on my way back through Wellington and he is quite willing to undertake the third year. He would like a break on Pitcairn at the end of his second year, or alternatively, his parents to join him in New Zealand. One of these courses should be adopted, as the boy is very homesick and his parents are also missing him greatly. I do not think he would stand three years in New Zealand without some personal contact with his parents. 124. It is vital that Thomas should have the extra year's tuition. If he cannot run the radio station on Pitcairn to the satisfaction of the Islanders he will suffer the same fate as McCoy; and it may be relevant to comment here that he is not a member of the Young family group, which makes it even more imperative that he should receive as much training as possible in order to withstand attacks from this source. 125. I recommend that at the and of his second year (about September) Thomas be sent back to Pitcairn for a few months' holiday, or if this proves impracticable, that the Administration should contribute the equivalent of his fare towards bringing the parents to New Zealand. 126. Christian diffidently raised the question of his training allowance and the possibility of an increase. I should have thought that £300 p.a. for a boy of 18 years was not ungenerous treatment, but it cannot be denied that the cost of living in New Zealand has risen greatly in the past two years – as witness the two general wage increases in the period – and possibly he finds it hard to maintain himself properly. I would, therefore, on condition that he undertakes to do a third year of training, recommend an increase in his allowance to £350, payable during the third year. MEDICAL
127. The nurse: From the moment of my arrival on Pitcairn I was uncomfortably aware that all was not well in the medical |
|
37. sphere of the administration. During 1953 Nurse Christian and her husband left the Island for about six months and the appointment of Thelma Brown to take nominal charge of the dispensary at a salary of £1 per month was approved. Pastor Ferris in fact assumed the acual responsibility, as he has first-aid qualifications. He was so successful as locum tenens that embarrassing efforts were made by the Islanders to get him to take permanent charge of the medical work. Very wisely, on the Nurse's return, he withdrew from the scene officially, but, unfortunately, with no resultant return of the Islanders to the attentions of the Nurse. In fact, throughout my stay, they continued to apply to the Pastor for treatment for their ills, and most of them refused outright to have anything to do with the Nurse, notwithstanding Mr Ferris's insistence on consulting her in every case. 128. I was surprised to hear that there is a history of some years standing, behind this outbreak of what I can only term united opposition to the Nurse. Failure to diagnose correctly in one or two cases, casual attention, differences with two young women who were appointed to assist her, a marked reluctance to consult ships' doctors when in doubt, have all contributed to a decline in confidence and the present contretemps. The day after I arrived on Pitcairn the Chief Magistrate took the opportunity to suggest that the nurse should be retired, and from then onwards I was on tenterhooks lest there be any public defamation of the Nurse which would compel me to hold yet another inquiry – an inquiry for which I was not prepared and the result of which I could readily anticipate would be a recommendation for the Nurse's retirement: yet another victory for the Young group who, Andrew foremost (he attributes the death of his adopted daughter Vanda in 1952 to the Nurse's incompetence – quite unjustifiably) are bitterly opposed to her. I was unwilling to contribute; this additional scalp to the Young belt. 129. I have perhaps prejudged the issue in those comments but I regret that in any opinion, which I admit could only be formed by analysis of the information given me by Islanders and, once again, the Pastor, the charges against the Nurse are by no means unfounded. My personal impressions of the lady were not, I further regret, favourable. She obviously does not take much pride in the appearance of her dispensary, her manner is rather sharp, she is getting on in years (59), and is not altogether immaculate in her person. 130. I heard so many garbled tales of the Nurse's incompetence that I discussed the situation with Pastor Ferris, who, of course, as the S.D.A. organization pays half of the Nurse's salary, would be entitled to express the church's view. |
|
38. He related several instances of inefficiency and incompetency which he had himself observed. He fully concurred with my view that at all costs a formal inquiry – with its inevitable result – should be avoided and expressed the hope that the nurse would appreciate the situation and gracefully withdraw from the scene. He told me quite frankly that he intended to recommend to his headquarters that his successor should have a wife qualified to nurse and that she should take over the medical side. I pointed out that as the Nurse held a government appointment, Your Excellency would require consultation before arrangements of that nature were entered .into, but that on the score alone that the nurse had entirely lost the confidence of the Islanders – that is a demonstrable fact – I felt that I must support his recommendations. 131. I then interviewed the Nurse and invited her views. She refuted point blank any suggestions of incompetency and averred that the whole thing was a plot on the part of the Wards who had sworn to repay her for getting them removed from the Island. I said that the fact remained that she had lost the confidence of the Pitcairners and that while the machinations of the Wards might be at the back of some of the trouble, there must be some other causes. This invited a general reference to the people's ingratitude and specific instances of spite – some of which I have no doubt were true. I concluded the discussion by saying that in any event the time of her retirement could not long be delayed (the S.D.A. organization retires its people at 60) and that she must be prepared to do so if the Administration found it expedient to make other medical arrangements. In the meantime she would cetainly remain as the medical officer on Pitcairn and could count on the Administration's support – though I expressed the hope that she would call on Mr. Ferris when in difficulties. With this view she apparently agreed. 132. I thought this would satisfactorily dispose of the matter and during the next few weeks rebuffed any further attempt by members of the Council or the Islanders in general to discuss the Nurse's removal. Two days before my departure however, the matter flared up once more, in a reauest by the Nurse to see Pastor Ferris and make her position clear. She had discovered that the Islanders were still reporting to him instead of to her (contrary to the instructions laid down by the High Commission) and that he was actually performing treatment without consulting her. I immediately arranged for Fr Ferris to meet the Nurse in my presence and to thrash out any differences. I do not wish to go into the details of a most unpleasant discussion, but it did transpire that Hr Ferris was unaware of the rules governing medical treatment and he admitted that after persistent pleading he had given medical help to old |
|
39. Thornton Christian for his sciatica. He stated however, that in any matter of life or death he would, as a fully qualified St John instructor, act first and inquire about rules afterward. There were other charges by the Nurse of interference in her duties and Mr Ferris ultimately gave instances of her dereliction of duty, to which she had no adequate reply. Once more I told the Nurse that regardless of her competency or otherwise, it seemed useless to maintain her position when she had so lost the trust of the Islanders that they would no longer go to her for treatment, and that unless the situation changed markedly for the better, it seemed that the administration would have to take steps to remedy the situation, possibly at the cost of personal injustice, if it were to avoid a charge of not fulfilling its responsibilities. I asked her to carry on for the present and told her yet again that she could count upon the Administration's support. Mr Ferris agreed to refrain from treating without first insisting that the nurse be present or that she be consulted; and he further stated that he would also give her his full support. 133. I subsequently told the Island Council that the Nurse had undoubtedly done a very good job in the past, for meagre pay, and fewer thanks; and that the Administration would not tolerate any underhand moves to have her removed. Arrangements would possibly be made in the future for a replacement, not on account of incompetency, but on account of advancing age. 134. At my final public meeting I took the opportunity to ask if anyone had any complaints to make about the Island Officers individually, or as a whole. None was forthcoming; and that fact is, I suggest, a weapon in the Administration's hands if the Island Council initiates a campaign to remove the nurse prematurely. I also asked Mr Allen to have duplicated a set of the Nurse's instruction, for distribution among the Islanders. 135. As to the dual appointment held by the Nurse, I can only say that I am very much against any such arrangements being entered into with future appointments. Either the church or the Administration should accept the entire responsibility. If Your Excellency should see fit to appoint the wife of Mr Ferris's successor to be the nurse, then I recommend that the lady should not be placed on the local government salary list, but that a contribution be made direct to the church organization if this should be necessary. 136. Medical Benefits Scheme: As Your Excellency is aware, the expenses incurred by Islanders from time to time through having to journey to New Zealand for medical treatment have not been inconsiderable. Individual families concerned have been called upon to refund some or all of the expenses, |
|
40. but by and large the impact has fallen heavily both on Government funds and private purses. I discussed with Your Excellency before my departure the possibility of introducing a "medical insurance scheme"whereby, for the contribution of a small sum each year, every Islander would be guaranteed against the expense of emergency overseas medical treatment. The introduction of such a scheme would spread the expenses over the community as a whole, and the Administration, while still being called upon to contribute its share, would at least be assured that the Islanders were doing something to help themselves in this direction. I mentioned the subject unofficially to many Islanders at the outset and was agreeably surprised to find most of them in favour of such a scheme. I then held a public meeting to secure the general opinion. For the sake of illustration only, a sum of £2 per adult and 10s. Od per child, per annum, was used. I said that to these contributions the Adminis-tration would add an ecual amount annually, and, if the fund was not exploited too heavily in the initial stages, it might be possible to build,up a considerable sum and to extend the scheme to non-urgent cases. I explained that the scheme could not be introduced until it had been thoroughly investigated in Suva, exact rates of contribution, range of treatment, control, etc, decided. The meeting was practically unanimously in favour of investigations being proceeded with, and in view of this wide support, I recommend that action be taken to frame a scheme, this to be put to the Islanders and if approved, brought into force in 1955. I will not attempt here to put forward detailed proposals, but if Your Excellency desired it, I should be pleased to contribute suggestions in a further report. 137. Training of Pitcairners as Assistant Medical Practitioners, Dental Aides, Nurses. Because of the absehce of expert and immediate medical attention, two young Pitcairn girls lost their lives in 1952 and 1953. Whether these Unfortunate occurrences are to be judged sufficient cause for the appointment of an expensive medical officer I should not care to say: there are many similar communities who have to endure the same disadvantaged of isolation without benefit of medical advice. The Administration's attention has been directed from time to time towards training a Pitcairner as an assistant medical practitioner. Mr Allen and I discussed the Question at some length. He is rather dubious about the successful outcome of such a move: and I readily see the force of his most forcible objection that, in the presence of the vicious levelling process, a Pitcairn youth who trained as an A.M.P. and returned to the Island would not necessarily be accepted |
|
41. by all on the Island as their medical adviser and further, if he made any mistakes at all – or even what the ignorant Islanders considered to be mistakes – he would undergo the same treatment as the Nurse is now experiencing. Against this can be placed the fact that if a Pitcairner were to achieve a satisfactory standard in his training, the Administration could be sure that it had done its best for the Island and difficulties of that nature could be solved by an adamant refusal to contemplate any other form of medical assistance. There are, of course, further disadvantages, in that A.M.P. standard may not qualify a person to treat complicated conditions; there would be the difficulty referred to in my discussion on Thomas Christian, whether an Islander could last out the long course of training; and if he did, whether he would be willing to return to Pitcairn. Finally, at the present time neither Mr Allen nor I could readily place our hands on a boy in the school who would, in our opinion be suitable for training. Taking all these factors into consideration, therefore, I should be reluctant to recommend any immediate arrangements in this direction. Most of Pitcairn's medical needs can be met by a nurse and by the surgeons of passing ships; and while the occasional death is to be deplored, the blunt facts would not appear to warrant the appointment of a European medical officer for only 140 people. 138. The foregoing comments also apply to the training and appointment of an Assistaht Dental Practitioner; but here I think that if arrangements could be made for an Islander to be trained in teeth filling, they should be instituted. There are several Pitcairners who might undertake such a course with some hope of benefiting by it. In this connection I would refer you to the remarks made by Dr Doran in his medical report of September, 1950. 139. With regard to nurses, it will be remembered that the High Commission arranged through the S.D.A. organization for two young women – Thelma Christian and Irma Warren – to be trained in Australia. One was returned to the island in disgrace and the second completed two years, returned and assisted the Nurse for some time. Neither is competent, in my judgment, to do medical work without supervision. The medical side is easily handled by one person and if it is adopted as a policy that the church should provide the nurse, I should recommend that no further action be taken to train young Island women for the work, at least until the'school in the fullness of time produces a girl who shows beyond all doubt that she would herself benefit and would in turn benefit the Island, by undergoing nursing training. |
|
42. 140. Morris Warren ("Mento"). Following his visit in 1950, Dr Doran made a strong recommendation that this man should be taken off Pitcairn and confined in a mental hospital, as being of potential danger to the community. No action was taken on the recommendation for one reason or another and Morris has remained undisturbed on Pitcaurn. The Islanders have now developed a technique for dealing with his peculiari-ties and he is really very little trouble. It is significant that his outbursts of physical violence have, so far as I could ascertain, been confined to McCoy, whom he hates because the latter has had to arrest him on so many occasions for "theft". And it is more significant that his attacks upon McCoy have resulted from encouragement from other Islanders – in the manner of setting a dog upon a trespasser. 141. I do not wish to argue against medical opinion, but it did seem to me that Warren is harmless. The Allens make him welcome at their home, where he performs many tasks, with no trouble. He is treated as a packhorse by the Islanders, performing prodigious labours in carrying cargo up from the landing, fuel to the engines at Taro Ground and so on: and the more he is asked to do, the more willing he becomes to exert himself still further. I found him myself a simple and friendly soul and I think it would be a moral crime to take him from the Island and put him in a place where he would be utterly friendless. I have no doubt that the course would speedily and genuinely upset his mental balance. If murderous outbreaks should occur, there is a substantial prison available wherein Morris could be kept until arrangements could be made to remove him from the Island. This eventuality in my opinion is unlikely. While the Islanders are prepared to take care of him – he lives in an old house adjacent to the Nurse – and their present methods of handling him show good results, I recommend that no further action should be taken in this matter. 141. Public Health: Apart from the death of Valda Christian, and day-to-day accidentb of minor degree, the health of the Island during my stay was good. 142. Sanitary habits were satisfactory. Empty tins are left lying about but are generally removed in the once-weekly cleanup of the house and environs. I instructed the Island Council to draw up rules, under Island Regulation 6 (c), for the disposal of rubbish, in order to have a means of enforcement of tidiness and cleanliness if it should become necessary. I disagree with Mr Sanders' reference to copious spitting. noticed nothing out of the ordinary in this respect. Privies were clean and odourless. The household fly is present to some extent, but not sufficiently so to cause food infection. However, because of a lack of refrigeration (there are only |
|
42. (a) three in Island households) the Islanders do tend to keep food too long, with the inevitable result of stomach trouble. This is fairly common in the summer. 143. Mosquitoes are prevalent but I am glad to say that without exception the rainwater cisterns are now covered, although not to the extent that they are mosquito-proof. Nevertheless, the cover, together with constant disturbance of the water surface in extracting it for household purposes should prevent the breeding of mosquitoes around the houses. 144. Rats are still a cause of complaint in regard to fruit crops, but as recorded by Dr. Doran the Islanders do very little about it. There are a good many cats and dogs and as a result I saw no sign of rat infestation in the houses. I should hesitate to recommend the importation of more cats, as the Islanders find it difficult enough to feed their present livestock. If Pitcairn were overrun with cats forced to scavenge for food, the fowls, which freely roam the Island and upon which the Islanders depend for a large part of their diet, would rapidly disappear. Cockroaches and ants, particularly the latter, are very bad; sufficiently so to make living conditions unpleasant. 145. Diet appears to have improved of late years. Powdered milk, Ovaltine, Milo, cocoa are all partaken of. Goat meat, chicken and the occasional tinned meat are eaten, though a few diehards still boast of their vegetarianism and it does not appear to have done them much harm. Butter is to be found on many tables. Bread – a very palatable though not good keeping type – made from white flour and coconut milk, is eaten in large quantities. Vegetables also, of all types, and fruit, are freely eaten. If it were not for the cooking, which is poor, and the habit of only two irregular meals a day I should be inclined to term the diet satisfactory. THE LAND
146. Your Excellency will have the benefit of Mr Sanders' full description of land tenure and usage and it would be sheer redundancy to repeat it. I shall, therefore, restrict my observations under this heading to matters of administrative interest. 147. Tenure: A reference to para. 6 of Enclosure I will disclose a situation the possible development of which is now commencing to worry the few Pitcairners who have developed a capacity to think for the future. Up to the present time there have been few testamentary disputes arising from expatriate Islanders leaving their land holdings to children who have no intention of returning to Pitcairn to take possession. However, research into genealogies showed very clearly that there are Pitcairners firmly settled in other countries, |
|
43. with children and grandchildren and it is unlikely that they or their descendants will ever return to Pitcairn. The question therefore arises as to what, if any, action should be taken to prevent land holdings passing by will to people who have not and possibly never will have the slightest desire to live on Pitcairn and who, in fact, can only be regarded as strangers in every sense of the word. The process, if allowed to continue could ultimately result in most of the land of the island being owned extra-territorially. As it is now, many families are "feeling the pinch" although there is never any difficulty to secure sufficient land on loan for cultivation. One can also foresee the possibility of absentee landowners disposing of their property by selling it, either to Pitcairners, or simply on the open market. I have not access to papers on the subject but it may well be that this aspect is covered by United Kingdom law. If it is not so covered it appears to me that action to prevent such a state of affairs should be taken in the near future. 148. I inspected the land register, the re-writing of which has only just been completed by the Island Secretary on the instructions of the High Commissioner. It is very neatly kept but extremely difficult to follow. I should have liked to check the register against the landmarks on the ground but that would be a task of great magnitude, as the holdings are so many and so small. But what clearly stood out from my perusal of the register was the fact that many holdings are registered in the names of family groups, e.g. Jessie Clark and sisters; Floyd McCoy and brothers and sisters. I asked the Island Secretary how these people are to will their holdings when they do not know which precise area is their own individual possession. He was at a loss to,answer this query, which opens an interesting field for conjecture as to how Pitcairn Island is to be divided in another fifty or sixty years' time. Some families whose numbers are small will have no difficulty in passing on their holdings, but other groups, whose breeding propensities are high, will almost certainly reach the stage where their land will have to be redistributed or held on a communal basis – a course which I do not think would appeal to the highly individualistic Pitcairner. There are at this very moment a young man and his wife who own no land beyond the small piece on which their house stands. For cultivation the man is obliged to borrow ground. The potentialities for evil that such dependence breeds are obvious. 149. It is difficult to put forward a solution to the problem and as will be seen from Enclosure I, I contented myself with drawing the matter to public attention and instructing the Island Council to hold public meetings in the next twelve months with a view to finding an answer that will be acceptable |
|
44. to the majority. I do not think that much will be achieved by the Islanders themselves however, and for that reason I think that the Administration will ultimately have to frame a policy and enforce it, even it if is unpopular. First of all – an expensive business – there should be a thorough survey of the Island to establish precisely the areas of land holdings. Present landmarks are stones, cuts on trees, trees themselves; and although the Chief Magistrate is supposed to check all the landmarks annually I suspect that this is never done with much care. In fact accuracy would be impossible, as landmarks with the passage of tine are damaged, removed, or defaced either accidentally or deliberately. Even now there are frequent arguments as to boundaries. 150. There is a radical solution, that the Administration should assume possession of all land and distribute it according to the needs of the Pitcairners from generetion to geneation – something similar to the system followed in Tonga. I would suggest such action only as a last resort as the difficulties of enforcing and administering such a policy would be tremendous. 151. Agriculture: I was to investigate the possibility of introducing to the Island a community crop to aid revenue. The Director of Agriculture suggested several lines of inquiry, and I also talked over the matter with officers of the Department of Agriculture in New Zealand. Here I was surprised to learn that contrary to our understanding, there is no embargo on the importation of Pitcairn fruit into New Zealand, although the trade is handled by a monopoly, N.Z. Fruit Distributors Ltd. There then appeared no reason why, properly organized, the fruit trade should not be the ideal community crop. Discussions on Pitcairn however, produced a very different story. In the first place the Islanders are never sure from ship to ship just how much cargo space they will be allotted; second, several have tried exporting cases of fruit to New Zealand, and by the time they have paid for cases (there is no suitable wood for cases growing on the Island) transport and commission, there is no profit in the transaction. One man told me that he ended with one shipment in owing the marketing firm money. Those facts, the Islanders' present primitive cultivation methods and their reluctance to perform public work, led me to the belief that the time is not opportune to introduce a community crop. Particularly is this so when the idea of the crop contemplates a portion of the proceeds being paid into revenue. Should stamp revenue fall below the level at which present services can be maintained, the Islanders might be brought to see reason. In the meantime, as outlined in his confidential education report, Mr Allen is attempting to establish the Macadamia nut, which I was told by the Department in New Zealand, |
|
45. is an extremely popular product in the dollar countries. If the tree establishes itself on Pitcairn, there might be in it a good prospect for community effort at a later stage. 152. Goats and Erosion: I instructed the goatmaster and his assistants to take a census of the goat population and was alarmed to find that there are over 450. The goats (or the majority) are penned behind a roseapple fence which was built a few years ago. They occupy the south-eastern corner of the Island some of the flattest and most easily cultivable land there is, and the southern side which is precipitous and not of much use for agricultural purposes. The fence is about a mile in length and finishes just below the highest point on the Island. The remainder of the goats are in the almost inaccessible valleys on the north-western corner and are not fenced in. The owners of these goats told me that they never come over the ridge into Adamstown: the owners of the goats behind the fence told me that they did. Whatever may be the truth of the argument, goats are constantly to be found in the garden patches where they wreak havoc. The Island Regulations provide some control in that goats found damaging gardens have to be removed, or failing removal can be shot; but of course the Islanders cannot spend their time waiting for marauding goats. Although the animals provide a good deal of meat, I think their nuisance value outweighs this consideration and a great many Pitcairners agree with me. The question is a vexed one; it is a fruitful source of argument among the Islanders, no two of whom appear to have the same ideas on control, need for it, or doing away with the animals altogether. 153. There is a problem as to what extent the goats are causing or will cause erosion. It is bad in some areas which they infest but I could secure no unanimous agreement to my suggestion that they are mainly to blame. Contentions were made that the cutting out of wood of evaporation of seawater for salt, clearing for cultivation by fire, and in one particularly had area on the south east corner of the Island, spray continually dashing over the land in bad weather, were more potent causes. Erosion does occur in isolated parts where goats are not to be found and I am almost inclined to believe that indiscriminate firing is indeed the princiapl offender, Lantana and rough grass have now a very strong hold – the goats do not eat either – and whether or not they are at fault, I would not say that erosion is a major worry at the present time. 154. I had several discussions with the Council over the goat question and most of the members agreed that more stringent control was necessary. Accordingly at a public meeting the following points were placed before the people, and after much argument, agreed to: |
|
46.
(a) and (b) will entail new regulations or the amendment of existing regulations. 155. With regards to (c) the concensus of opinion among the Islanders was that it was useless trying to keep the present goat fence repaired and that a substantial wire one should be erected in its place. I informed the meeting that the Administration might consider a £ for £ subsidy, but this depended on the cost of wire and whether a satisfactory fence could be erected for a reasonable sum. I also added that if the Administration did contribute in this manner it would still reserve the right to take whatever action was necessary if at any time in the future goats threatened the livelihood of the Island as a whole. I adopted this semi-favourable attitude in order to secure, at the same meeting, the Islanders' co-operation in a forestry project which I deal with in the next paragraph. My own view is that the Administration should do nothing whatever to encourage the breeding and holding of goats, but as it is important that reafforestation should be commenced and as the Pitcairners themselves will have to give the land for it, and do the planting, it may be expedient to ignore the goat problem for a time, even to the extent to assisting financially with construction of the fence. The Islanders are not cramped for garden space at the present time and the hunting of goats does provide a harmless outlet for their love of firearms. If it should beceome necessary the goats could be shot out easily. 156. Forestry: Due I think mainly to religious influence little or no tree planting has been carried out for many years. The result is that the useful woods have been almost cut out. The roseapple, more in the nature of a weed than anything else, grows profusely but appears useless for anything but firewood. Young miro and burau are to be seen here and there, but not in sufficient quantity to provide a continuous supply. Then too, the enthusiastic Islander with his avid desire for wood, will not allow the trees to reach maturity before using them. 157. There is plenty of land available for a tree planting programme over the next few years. As will be seen from Enclosure I, para. 8, I requested that the roadsides and school-grounds be planted this year; but for future years' programmes it will be necessary to consult the ConservatOr of Forests as to the best plan to follow and the most suitable wood to grow. |
|
47. With the soil samples taken and forwarded to the Agriculture Department I included cutting's of miro, tapau and burau; if these can be identified botanically, some clearer indication might be obtained of the types of wood to plant in quantity. 158. At the same time consideration should be given to the enactment of forest regulations, to control particularly indiscriminate firing and the cutting of trees. Without this control it would be useless to undertake the planting programme. CENSUS
158. Total population of the Island as at 23rd December, 1953, was 143. Of this number three in the Allen family and three in the Ferris family could be termed nonpermanent residents. In the following details no cognisance is taken of these two families. 160. The population is composed as follows:
Since 1939 there have been 38 deaths and 45 live births (1 stillborn). Of these, 12 (including the stillbirth) are registered as illegitimate. The yearly statistics are:
From these figures it can be seen that the population is increasing fairly steadily. The most interesting feature is the change to a preponderance of female births in the past few years. The 1953 births were all female and if the trend continues a social problem may develop in the future. Population on the Island may tend to rise considerably because one of the present causes of immigration appears to be the need for the younger man to seek mates elsewhere through the shortage of marriageable females. This has been the case for some years. A surplus of females may create a drift in the other direction from the children of Pitcairners now settled in New Zealand. 161. There are six "strangers" living permanently on Pitcairn: two Australian and two New Zealand women are married |
|
48. to Pitcairners; one American man is married to a Pitcairner; and there is a New Zealand spinster. So far as I could ascertain, 78 Pitcairners are domiciled either in New Zealand or Australia. Full details as to marriage and progeny were not available. The oldest male living on the Island is George Warren, 76, and the oldest female, Mrs. Lucy Christian, 79. 162. For record purposes, I attach as Enclosure VII a list of the inhabitants in household groups. ELECTIONS 162a. I was pleased that my final shipping arrangements enabled me to witness every meeting and activity associated with the 1953 elections. A well-attended public meeting was held on 15th December and nominations were called for the offices of Assessor(2) and Chairman of the Internal Committee. The nomination procedure is simple, involving as it does merely the calling out of the nominee. No seconder is required under the Regulations. I noticed that women refrained entirely from nominating, although there is no legal prohibition. Thirty-two nominations were received for the Assessors' posts and 15 for the office of Chairman of the Internal Committee. I noted here that although most nominees declined verbally, their names were still recorded and it was left to them to delete their names from the list of candidates which was pinned on the public notice board up to four days before the election. By that time only five names were left on the Assessors' list and one on the Chairman's. 163. The elections, held at 6 a.m. on 25th December, were orderly and well conducted, with adequate provision for secrecy. The Island Secretary as recorder, had typed out lists of candidates on small pieces of paper. Voters collected one paper each from the Recorder seated in the courthouse and then went to the post office verandah closely adjacent, where behind a screen they cast their votes by scoring through the names of the candidates for whom they wished to vote, and slipped their paper through the posting orifice into a tray inside. The Inspector of Police stood by checking off the names of those entitled to vote, from the list which had been placed on the courthouse noticeboard since the 7th December. When all had voted, three scrutineers plus the recorder and his assistant entered the Post Office and proceeded to count the votes. I attended as well. 164. All entitled (87) voted, with the exception of two sick persons. There were many informal votes, including some blank papers and of a theoretical total of 174 votes, only 119 were cast. Warren Christian (a recent Chief Magistrate) with 36 votes, and Vernon Young with 35 votes, were duly dedlared elected as Assessors and Fred Brown, the sole nominee as Chairman. The results were as anticipated by most and I |
|
49. think Mrs McCoy summed up the situation admirably in her despondent remark to me, "The same old gang". It will be interesting to see how the local administration shapes in the ensuing months with the Young group in undisputed power. 165. In my letter to the Chief Magistrate (Enclosure I) I instructed him not to accept nominations in future is the person nominated declined publicly at the meeting to accept. I did this on the point of principle that the public are entitled to leave the nomination meeting having a clear idea who are willing to serve in this office; but this still leaves the procedure in an unsatisfactory state, for there is nothing to prevent a nominee from taking his name off the list up to four days before the elections. I am therefore of the opinion that the nomination procedure should be tightened up
Amendment to the Island Regulations will be necessary to effect these improvements and I recommend that they be enacted. 166. Other aspects of the electoral procedure appear satisfactory. FINANCE
167. I do not think I need comment at length upon the finances of the Island, which are fully controlled by Your Excellency. No major points in this connection arose during my visit. There are two matters however, which I should like to mention briefly. First, the question of the Estimates. At present these are prepared entirely in Your Excellency's office, without much knowledge of the expenditure likely to be incurred on Pitcairn itself. I informed the Council that they would in the near future – probably for 1955 – be called upon to put up their own Estimates of expenditure. Mr Allen was good enough to offer his assistance in this matter and, of course, in the first few years, some help will be needed, I trust the Director of Audit will not object to his local representative extending his activities in such a manner. Second: during my stay, under the terms of my letter of appointment, I authorised several items of expenditure. I have not thought it necessary to detail them in this report, as they have already been dealt with in separate correspondence. CONCLUSION
168. I have endeavoured in the preceding paragraphs to describe accurately the situation on Pitcairn as I found it. |
|
50. I cannot hope that all the recommendations made will be acceptable to the Islanders; nor can I pretend that they will solve entirely the existing problems or those bound to arise in the future. Short of assuming direct control of the Island by the posting of an administrative officer, there is little the Administration can do to ensure good government and good behaviour: it is too much to expect of the Pitcairners at their present stage of development and education. Nevertheless, I would conclude my report by saying that in my opinion, if the Administration maintains its present active interest and sympathy in the affairs of the Island, the Pitcairners will respond by doing their best to conduct their affairs in a creditable manner. I have the honour to be,
Sir, your obedient servant, J.B. CLAYDON |
|
Notes.
Mr. J. B. Claydon, of the Pitcairn Office in Suva, resided on the Pitcairn Island from the 31st October until the 26th of December 1953. He was a long-time colonial officer in Fiji holding a number of positions which included: Controller of Organisations and Establishments, Office of the Chief Secretary, Civil Establishment, Fiji Government; Assistant Secretaru; Acting Government Statistician; and Comptroller of Customs. |
|
Source.
Document no. 312. January 30, 1954. "J.B. Claydon.
This transcription was made from a documents in a collection of documents at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Library.
Last updated by Tom Tyler, Denver, CO, USA, Aug 27 2022.
|
|
