COOK ISLANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13625, 19 December 1907, Page 7

COOK ISLANDS.

RAROTONGA. - [FROM OUR OWN COEaESFOXDEST.T r * ! Uauotonoa, December, 11. . IN tho Otago Witness of September 11 tlior< appears a communication from ''Colonel Gud " geon to Messrs. A. Moritzsou and. C'o. f ..»oi Dunedin, concerning, tho fruit trade of- th«, Cook Islands and Now Zealand. Tho Resident Commissioner states- that the Queensland or Mediterranean fly is not here. This' is quite, true, and this fact should be goner-' ally niado known throughout Now Zealand. There has been a suggestion that "' ; our. oranges are affected with this fly. Toward ~ the end of the. orange season, however, there are many windfalls, and when the ■ fruit once touches tho ground it is attacked by a very minute maggot which bores into the rind i and has been sot down by many as the ravages of the fruit fly. This small hole in the rind of tho fruit is very difficult to distinguish, and probably many natives towards tho end of tho season get these wind- -" falls into their fruit exported. Tho Resident Commissioner goes on to say in his letter that "I for one do not think it would bo an unmixed evil . to , low all tho fruit/ trade, for wo make little out of it. Wo certainly do not make Is a case clear of expenses." This remarkable expression has been very largely criticised by all interested in tho Cook Islands. As to the remunerative' position the Commissioner is quite correct; there lias been very little profit on fruit. This, however, has been in the past due to tho want of suitable etcatu services. The' south of New Zealand more partiinilkr.y'comes under this heading, inasmuch as the fruit goes primarily to Auckland and has thou to tako its chance "of catching a Southern boat, in many instances laying day* oil tho Auckland wharves awaiting tranship-< ment. If wo lost tho fruit trado altogether' where would wo be? Wo would loso the steam service altogerher, rcvort to occasional sailing echooners, and become practically isolated from civilisation. Tho copra output of tho Cook Islands for ono year would not; • keep the Hauroto going ono trip. It is without doubt the fruit traao that keeps together our trade, and without it the revenue of the group would Iks very insignificant. " v - There aire several taritt anomalies as far., as the Cook Islands are concerned. In 'Now Zealand (to which wo are annexed as a' pes- c session) tho duty has been removed oil" sugar' and cotton goods; in (ho Cook Islands wo still have to pay tho ( original duty. Upon inquiry, of the iocal officials concerned >we r * are intormed that tho retention of this, dutyis with tho concurrence of tho local Administration, for tho reason that wore tbo duty removed the local revenue would become SO meagre that it would be necesuarv to impost an additional tax on tho population to meet.. the expenditure. Much dissatisfaction exists and tho opinion is expressed that if other' taxes are absolutely- necessary then lot u« v have thorn and know where wo are. If wo' are a part and parcel of the Dominion *bt'»New Zealand let us bo ko, but this manipulation of financial matters will possibly lead to complications which it would bo difficult to see tho end of.

A schooner flying the French flag appeared off the harbour of Avarua on the Bth, inst. On being boarded by the health officer ■ (Dr. Gratley) the vessel proved to bo the' Manuroya, built, owned, and manned bynatives of Rurutu.' (Austral Group), from Penrhyn and Manahiki, .and bound fofiTa;" 1 l-.iti, short of provisions and water. It appears that the schooner had been on a tpe 7 cial mission to Mauahiki to pick up thci;-/ native teacher of thci L.M.S. (a native oftt Rurutu), who had become afflicted with leprosy. This man being - a .passenger -on board Dr. Gat ley refused pratique, and, after the necessary ' provisions , and. water - were supplied the schooner proceeded en her '.-". voyage. ; ' ....».,;*->.y> ,•._■ ,-.>.. ~ ~:-,•..-.«•:.■. Our local health officer, D*. H. "R. Gatley proceeds to Auckland By tho present outgoing steamer, and returns to the Islands at the end of January. " ' The Auckland, schooner Vaito' arrived 1 -- from Palmerston on the'7th with a cargo "of timber from the wreck of the British barque" Thistle. The .schooner leaves ■? for Penrhyn , and other northern islands to-morrow;,,on-!- '. return in, February next the schooner pro- ';■'.• ceeds to Auckland for general,overhaul. ;• ' Tho pipes necessary lor the extension of,, the' water supply for the- township of ,' arrived by the November steamer. ;The"-7 pipes have how been laid down, an<l the*" township has now a plentiful supply of pure" water from the Tukuvain© Valley. The supply now extends from Avatiu West to Tupapa East, and is available at the low Tate of 20s per annum •to householders who- i have water laid on .their : dwellings ami warehouses, besides which public stands are;; erected at intervals along the beach road. ; ,' Tho % Tukuvaino .Fruit Company, a cooperative concern composed of. 20 influential C' natives, have now been shipping bananas and oranges to.Now Zealand, for. the past rind months. : This iocal native .association have now upwards'- of '£500- "deposited with v the local Governmoptfor safekeeping, being " ' the proceede of their fruit shipments. '" At the period of annexation to Great Britain of. Rare tonga 19 years «go the arikiarMake* and KanUa, of ; Avarua; jFa and/.' Kainuku, of Takitumu; and Tinomana, of Arorangi, held > independent;. sway in their respective districts; in fact, at the hoisting, of the British flag, H. M.S.. Hyacinth, Captain Bourk-e; was compelled to salute anil noist the flag at each of these districts, the ship of war proceeding '-round the '" island and saluting each district separately. '"! All are" ; now combined, ; together 1 with'; the - whole of ' the Cook Islands, under British, or rather New Zealand( rule; the chiefs Makea and Tinomana are the only living arikis who figured at the annexation. ' ,-,

.MANGAIA. „ ;,;'.,. '„r '£yBOM OUR ;OWN COBifeESI'OKDEN'T.] "'''';' MjiSgaia, December 9.■ ••■ There has .been much recently to disturb the even tenor of the way. of this isolated and now quiet in unity ; but last, , month wo had a minor excitement in-th« shape of an attempt mads by a few of the AroUga Man a (tho party who formerly, ran* this island in their own interests) to ostalilish, without consulting the Island Council, the old raid (or preserve) over tho cocoanuts, formerly used by them a* a means, ot oppressing and plundering tho small people. The Resident Agent, who is also president of tho Inland Council,- promptly disallowed • their illegal and fined one of them IPs.'i For the last two years £200 has been da the Estimate* of the Oook Islands Administration, voted for the purpose of cutting a. boat channel through' the roof at Oneroa, a work that is very much needed, particularly since the regular monthly of flie'i: Union Company's (steamers during the last two years but no part of this amount has yet been expended on this desirable object. Blasting boat passages lias, however,'-" been, carried out at both Atm and Maukw* V with moro or less success," though the' 7 " ! steamer but seldom call* at those islands but Mangaia, the second in importance after' ■ Rarotonga has still to plod along under her great disabilities in-this- respect It was I' understand, arranged laat July'that the Countess of- if, «h*..hid machv'.* another trip from Auckland to this group, should have brought 10 tons of dynamite*for'; the purpose,'but she was" before the arrangement could be carried out; and'it" is reported that the Union Company's boat' ' is carrying dynamite for works at Tahiti each trip up ( to the limit allowed by th« law so our harbour works" are put off indefinitely, to the great disappointment of the people of this island, who must still snip and land everything through tho surf in the frail outrigger canoes. We have had a long continuance of dry reef and smooth seas, a very favourable season for blastino purposes. —,„,....,..