COOK ISLANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 258, 29 October 1907, Page 7

COOK ISLANDS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

RAROTONGA, October IS. «t.lnoers of fruit and other produce from »v. rook Islands to New Zealand are anSonsly awaiting tie result of the visit paid ? vrr 4 B J. Irvine, the branch manager 3 thlusTS. Co.. of N.Z. at Auckland, to Si. Coot Islands last September. There ? e „o doubt but that the facilities now b for the shipment of fruit and other See we inadequate to the present reP Xments of the trade, in so far that the q SHnpr which now visits these islands. gg! week is neither fast enough fldl tie work required within the proper 2' ° nor large enough to carry the cargo h!; h is offered for at least nine months VSp year. Two alternatives are suggest2tn meet the case, either the employment * I lareer and faster steamer to carry on &c four-weekly service" as at present or the !£» nCtwo steamers every four weeks, one .an the trade between Auckland, Raro- .„« and Tahiti, and the second to visit Song Tana al the other islands of the ?S Group, with Wellington as tie port „r«ill in New Zealand. To give an idea it is required of the one steamer S,Mi now does the work, the following parSSl&rt of her trip this month will profiSSyta of interest: The steamer, the Han2ST arrived in Rarotonga from Auckland inst., and after discharging SUt 300 tons of cargo left for Raiatea fid Tahiti tie same afternoon. She arrival at Raiatea at T p.m. on the 10th. but ' S, late to go through the entrance to the . harbour. Passed through the en£S£ next morning, and shortly after- , left for Tahiti, where the vessel ar- • Sed at 7 a.m. on the 12th inst. After disrfckttßK toward cargo and loading outSSJFcargo, the steamer left Tahiti at 6 SfthTsaW day. by special permission, ffiie contract with the French Govern- • meat specifies at least a 24-iours' detention SlaUtt Arrived at Raiatea the next, mnrnln- and shipped some hundreds of I £«fd pmeapples. Arrived at Aitutakt - affa.ni. on the 15th, and left again at 4 nrrl the same day, after shipping 3SOO . CSO tons) fruit. Arrived at Attn at on the 16th, and worked until dark. rtMne on board 5400 cases oranges. Lay night, and loaded next morning ?700 m orf cases oranges, making a total ot rm cases (430 tons) shipped at Atiu. . Rarotonga at daylight on the nearly SOO tons are waiting Sinaent. and if steamer space had allowed SS? would have been available. Usually Steamer also calls at Mangaia, where Seref a monthly average of over 200 tons of rireo. but fiat island could not be visited this trip, owing to the steamer be- £ behind time. It may be mentioned Thlt nwlnc to the absence of harbours in , ttSSolfhe Cook Group all cargo has ' 'Sbetaken in boats from the ship to the shore, and vice versa. The following statistics show the increase in the fruit trade for the year 1906, £ compared with the year 1905:-1906: Bananas. 72.430 cases. 13,954 bunches, ' oranges 86,220 cases. 1905: Bananas, 46,----358 cases; 10,768 bunches; oranges, 76,030 cases. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. Copra making in the Group is almost at a • standstill, the shipment this steamer to Auckland being 45 tons from Rarotonga, md S tons from AitutakL The natives cannot understand the fall in the price of ' copra, and are consequently not disposed to mate and sell their copra at a price less • ' than what they were receiving a couple of nonths hact. The New Zealand Government is proposing to establish a Government school in Earotonga. and the matter is now tie subject of correspondence between the Minister for the Islands and the Resident Commissioner. The Arama water supply is to be extended to both ends of the settlement, and the necessary pipes are being ordered from Auckland. Concrete retaining walls have just been built at the mouth of the Avarua and Takuvairie creeks, which will ' secure their banks from falling away dur- . jag flood time.