COOK ISLANDS NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13487, 14 May 1907, Page 3

COOK ISLANDS NEWS.

I ,: ■ f: .... TUB FRUIT TRADE. ■. ~.] • ■ i ■::£*- '■-'■■ -*V---: - ' ■":'' '.'" ■ ■'ivW-;'i- : : ."ft.-• »- L *.'•'■ •a v »ft : ! : ;'>,:Sii;V;ij? : l ■- i I»BOit OCR . cits . ••OKHgdPoNMlfr.] ■<, ■ - • ' •JignarostiA,' May 2, Axothek very tar ta tor go of fruit, prin-cit pally ora.ngos", goes forward to Auckland and Southern pom by the Union Company's steamer Hauroto to-day. A largo quantity of cargo was • shut out for want of space, and .next trip there will be a still larger quantity of cargo for shipment. .J It ii .very.- " itafortußtto for ; the Cook Islands, ". as whiea the steamer arrives here ' front' the ; French Society Islands the cargo space is as a rule .4 filled up with oranges, and the consequence is that our Cook Island produce is shut out. • It is hoped that the , Union S.S. Company will put on a larger and swifter boat. There •' ■ is little donbfc but that next "trip, wh»r» th©'""/. Mauspouri is > expected, there will bo a still larger quantity of cargo left behind at Rarotonga. This is a very- serious ques- '! V tiou to many of our trader* and fruit, growers, as,the fruit has been picked and packed and then possibly loft on their hand* -\ - to rot. '. Our water supply is now laid on- to « portion of the township of Avarua. This it an immense boor to the general community : - the natives' are • delighted at the inno- - '■'■<~: vation, and say,. " Karo to niatou metna * « kit© tern anga&nga," which being inter. preted means, ."Our fathers saw nothing of. tins good work in thftir generation." Certainly largo improvements have boon made by, the local Government during the past ten years. At present wo have commodious (buildings erected in concrete in which urn the different Government ;; Departments* The Collector of Customs and the health officer have each had", constructed for thorn commodious family residences. The Go- ■■■;,: : vernment hotel or : accommodation • house is in full working order;,-: and "is prepared to receive visitors.from -"Nows Zealand or elsewhere. ■: : Four: 00 Hereto"-bridges*have been erected over the principal waterways of the; island, and.; the last ■ improvement 1 is the } very adequate water supply.• .-:■ ' ■ „:■■■.:• ' = I understand - that a petition numerously signed, is being sent on to the Now Zealand Govarrtment by this mail praying' that the Europeans should have a representative elected for the local Council. At -present: . tIMB Council consists of the 'Resident- Commissioner and the arikis (throe). All local laws and enactions are."passed.i by this Coun* cil for approval of the Governor of ' New Zealand, and the Europeans have no representation whatever. Our orange crop is now in full supply; , bananas are- also very s plentiful,- but unfortunately for both of ■■product* the mar-' ket' is so poor that returns barely pay for the expenses in caws, freight, etc. A largo amount of work is done every steamer with ■• very inadequate results. • The copra-making will come on in July, when those who hold eocoaimt lands will have very good re- ' turns. At present thorn is a Vranei" or taboo on all coeoanuts throughout the group. ■.-■■.. ■'.■■■ ■ , :■:;■■ Tho natives arc now practising for the annual festival to be held in .lime. I hear the Government have set isido a considerable r sum for -prizes on the occasion. ■".. , Tho coffee crop this year is very poor. There will run. bo half the quantity that was; picked last yeai. -__The. auxiliary., "schooner Vaite, Captain Harries, arrived from Penrhyu'; and other northern islands on April 25 after a three months' ; cruise, with a , full cargo .of copra and .pearl shell ■? for Messrs. V; Donald arid tdenborougli. *- ' Captain. W. J. Nagle, the Government Resident Agent at I,o » rJl y">. arrived here by the Vaato on business connected with his Department. ' In my,last letter of nearly a month ago I • ad to report a spoil.of wet weather 1 since ■ January;,for the past month tho weather .< has completely changed to beautiful, sunny skies with* cool; southerly winds. In eon sequence of this our - fruit that'goes forward- > by this steamer should reach New Zealand in much better order than it has done pre. j.:VlOu&]y. . *, Letters from Aitutaki report that tho ■ orange crop at that island will he very late , tins year. he coeoanuts are now bearing splendidly, having quite recovered from tho iSSW a°-1. t W ,°- 3 P a ™ aK °'- • Xh « Govern.moat of Aitutaki have bfeotf busy of lata constructing concrete water reservoirs and replacing the old stone wharf in concrete. ■ ut■& m :»e orapgec «'.splendid order, ! land or xt !l t hbiKh ** from either thai • - island or £'* 0 ° a tu S mxit of the law Sv« tty -i°^» riUfif , at R « & tonga and the tef-K 1 islands xhw rhcro arc greater ■ ' facilities for shipping, g rinSforf ktlrici , ° f A™'""'?'" *lw attempted ' restucfcion on the sale and export of fruit ■hw.collapsed. The Native Tukuaino Fruit Company are again shipping 50O'cweV ! 3--banarfds and.oranges per kaGroto^ ■