The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-22

Washington, D. c., <20-News
has come to this country of cur
ious kind of communism in exist
ence in some of the islands OF the
Pacific, mixed with the enforce
ment of Polynesian blue laws and
a acknowledgement for the aged.
All of this takes place In the Gilbert
Islands, a group lying north and
south of the equator. The group
comprises 16 islands, lying almost
exactly half way around the globe
from England. The islands were
annexed by Great Britain IN 1892.
Sailors recently from the islands
are authority for the reports of
conditions now existing there. The
laws are rigidly enforced by native
policemen, the British overlords ap-
parently following the practice Of
permitting the native population the
largest possible share In its own
government.
Practically the only industry in
the islands is the raising of cocoa
nuts. The islands are coral atolls,
the soil formed by the decomposd
coral being fit only for the one in
dustry. Every native man is al
lotted space of five acres of land
on which to grow cocoanuts. If
the native takes unto himself q
wife, two additional acres are given
to him. Every child blessing the
union gives the family grant of
an additional acre. A real Roose-
vestian family, with a dozen chill
dren, would have a grant of cocoa
nut land amounting to 10 acres.
A hard and fast wage scale is
fixed for those natives who choose
to work on the plantations of the
British or of other natives. For
their labor, they receive four shiI-
lings a day. At the present rate of
exchange, this is the equivalent of
about Y cents.
The feminism movement has not
made much Roadway in the islands,
women being Disseminated against
in the matter of liquor allowance.
Every man In the islands is allowed
daily allowance of a goblet of
rum, with no mention made of any
allowance for his sisters and his
cousins and his aunts. The size of
the goblet is not specified, but if
half a cocoanut shell is taken as
goblet measurement, the daily al
lowance is not a stinted one by any
means.
No Rum on Sunday.
However, the missionaries are
forcing Sunday observance to some
extent. On this day alone the rum
treasury is closed up, no man being
issued a ration. Also, on Sunday
the whole population is forbidden
to do any work. The women are
forbidden even to attempt to do the
family Wishing on Sunday, trifiing
though the job is. The men must
not work among the trees, and can
not even fish, either for pleasure
or to stock the family larder.
Crews of visiting ships are not
allowed to purchase rum. The
thirsty mariner must depend on
slipping the supply of friendly and
generous or abstemious natives.
This rule is hard and fast, and the
natives are reported to look upon
it with favor, as it prevents great
inroads into the public supply of
liquor. ALSO, the natives are for
hidden to give away any cocoanuts
to visitors. They must be sold at
the retail rate, and the product of
the island is parted with at shiII-
ing per cocoanut. This is not done
with the idea of disposing of many
cocoanuts in this way, but appar-
emily to discourage the selling of
them.
The inhabitants of the island are
taxed in cOcOanuts. The details OF
the taxing scheme have not been re-
ceived here, but i: is believed to be
somewhat on the order of the Amer
lean income tax. A single man pro-
ducing a thousand cocoanuts would
have more of them taken from him
as tax levy than would a married
man, and an additional exemption
is allowed for each child.
Every man must retire. from the
business of raising cocoanuts when
he is 80 w rs old, no matter what
his physical condition may be. After