THE COOK ISLANDS.

Evening Star, Issue 15074, 4 January 1913, Page 1

THE COOK ISLANDS.

[Special to the Star.] ■WELLINGTON-, January 3. Latterly there has been fome talk of the prevalence of leprosy in the Conk Islands Judge M'Cmmiek, who lias boon Acting Resident Commissioner, this afternoon inlormed your representative that the. reports have been very greatly exaggerated. '■So far as the authorities have been ablo to ascertain there aie only three lepers m the. Cook group proper, and these have been segregated on a small island in the northern islands, which aie under the Cook Islands Administration, but are a "long v .-;,y north. There are known to be i 7 (.-uses. these are in themselves quite isolated, the only means of communication being by .small vessels which are in the copra and psari shell trade. The, three lepers mentioned we;e discovered at Aitmaki, which is the island nearest the northern islands, so that there are really no more lepeis in the Cook Islands pioper," explained Judge M't'ormick, " than theie are in New Zealand, if the inhabitants of Quail Island remain at the same number as when I left tur Parotonga." Questioner! .concerning medical administration in the giouji. which has been the subject of some controversy, Judge M'Corinick said that the matter was one which was more or ics.- depaitmcnlal. and he could express no opinion beyond saving that it appealed to him that the two medical otKcers and the qualified nurso carried out their duties, exceedingly satisfactory, and did valuable work throughout the group, considering the manner in which they were handicapped in getting from one island to the other, services beinjr intermittent and usually by ineaiii of sailing vessels.