Pueblo chieftain., 1921-08-14
Ry frederic j. Haskin.

klnd OF communism IN existence IN
some of the islands of the Pacific.
mixed with the enforcement of Poly
nesian blue laws and retirement sys-
tenn for the aged All of this takes
place in the Gilbert Islands. group
lying north and south of the equator.
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 condi-
| tions now existing there. The laws
are rigidly enforced by native police
men, the British overlords apparently
following the practice of permitting
the native population the largest pos
sible share in its own government.
| Practically the only industry in the
Islands is the raising OF cocoanuts,
The islands are coral atolls, the soil
formed by the decomposed coral being
| fit only for the one industry. Every
native man is allotted a space OF five
acres Of land on which to grow cocoa
, nuts. II the native takes unto himself
a wife, two additional acres are given
to him. Every child blessing the
union gives the family a grant Of an
additional acre. A real Rooseveltian
family, with a dozen children. would
have grant of cocoanut land amount
| ing to Is acres.
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 shillings a day. At the
present rate of exchange. this is the
| equivalent to about 70 cente.
The feminism movement has not
made much headway IN the Islands,
women being Disseminated against in
the matter of liouor allowance. Every
man ir the Islands is allowed a daily
Df ~
mention made of any allowance for his
sisters and his cousins and his aunts.
The size Of the goblet is not specified.
but II half 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 fore
ing Sunday observance TO some extent.
On this day alone the rum treasury is
closed up. no man being issued a rs-
ton. Also. on Sunday the whole pop
ulation is forbidden to do any work.
The women are forbidden even to at
tempt to do the family washing on
Sunday. trifling though the Job Is.
The men must not work among the
trees. and cannot even fish. either for
pleasure or TO stock the family lar
der
Crews OF visiting ships are not al
lowed to purchase rum. The thirsty
mariner must depend on slipping the
supply of friendly and generous or
abstcmious native. This rule is hard
and fast. and the natives are reported
to look upon Il with favor. as ~ pre-
vents great inroads into the pubic
supply OF liquor. Also. the natives
are forbidden TO give away any cocoa
nuts to visitors They must be sold
at the retail rate. and the product OF
the island is parted With q: shilling
per cocoanut. This is not done with
the idea OF disposing Of many cocoa
nuts in this way. but apparently 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 Il is believed to he
somewhat on the order OF the Amcrl-
can income tax. a single man produc-
ing a thousand cocoanuts would have
more OF them taken from him as
tax levy than would n married man.
and an additional exemption is allow
ed for each child
Every man must retire from the
business OF raising cocoanuts when he
is sixty years old. no matter what his
physical condition may he. After that
he is supported by the, community.
and has no tax TO pay. Despite the
fact that the islands are not as ad-
vanta geously situated as many OF tho
other Pacific groups, the population
Is fairly dense for that part OF the
world The natives once we're import
ed to Hawaii as laborerE, but did not
60 we'll at ALL and the idea was aban-
doned.
The Sunday blue laws in effect in
the islands are the result OF the work
OF missionaries, both British and
American, No native would ever de-
vise a plan whereby he would be de-
prived of a rum allowance on any one
day out Of the seven. At that. they
are not very severe. merely cutting
Of the rum supply and foroiddins any
kind OF work. There is no report made
OF compulsory attendance at any sort
~ religious gathering on tho Sabbath.
Blue law ngitators IN the United
States would carry the system much
beyond the simple code in effect in
tho Gilbert Islands. The ameliorating
effect Of rum allowance is impossible
now in this country. and when the agi-
tation for blue laws was at its height
in the states, not many months ago, II
was proposed to 90 far beyond any
thing which aver existed before. even
| T.. the Puritan days of New England.
Operation Of automobiles was TO he
forbidden on Sundays. attendance at
church was TO he compelled. and
host Of other stringent rules applied
Naturally any such nrogram as this
was bound to fail. It was sponsored
for the most part by fanatical
crowd endowed with only sparse
amount Of reasoning power. The more
intelligent Of the reformers realized
that the enactment and enforcement
of such rules would tend greatly to-
ward bringing about reaction in pub
lie sentiment. which might tend to
sweep away not only the Sunday blue
laws but the recent great accomplish
ment OF the reform element. tho dry
amendment to the constitution, On
that account the movement failed to
get much support. and is about to die
of inanition"
Que Result of Diue Inv
Even today, though, there are rigid
blue laws in existence In parts OF the
United states, uome Of which arc en-
forced to the letter of the law. Th.
country was shocked about a year ago
when in q little community on the
En..nrn ahnrn of MARYLAND a rather