OUR ISLAND POSSESSIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13839, 27 August 1908, Page 6

OUR ISLAND POSSESSIONS.

THE ANNUAL REPORT; 1 STEAMER SERVICE UNSUITABLE . [by T»s.EOß.»nr.--»rEOAf. c<BKmsPwntr,w,} :, WEtAQtOttnt, Wednesday. IX his «mn»l eepo'rt o£ the Cook Island.* ' administration Ida Minister in chargfr {tfirf 1 Hon. J Mcdowim) states that <I>p n'vtmiw of th« Cpok an* Northern Island* foiv \ 1907-8,- ifliinfhrn; the balance brought for* ! ward, amounted to £9773, while th« fix*I pendUure.'- was £6189, ' leaving a balam.-** Ito ''.!»' carried ' forward ':'of : £3585. " The t*-i [.venue of Niwj, including : a balaac* i brought forward, was -'£3653, : and the «* i penditure £1910, leaving: a balance of £1743. The import ;a;»d export returns of lh« Cook and Northern Islands were as follows Imports, 1907. £50,756: 1906,/ £41,437: exports, £51,578,:' £49,925. " ; Tim hulk of this trade was done with Nirw v IZealand. Tito traded Nino was as fcllows:—lmports, 1907, £8491 } ,/ 1906, £6707;: exports,: £7953, £8315. ">: ,;•;'. \.',-' - It is not projwsed, says the Minister* : to make any change, in the system ef;«du«.<J cation in the Cook group at present, : '.Wls£ the question Of fraining the native teach-;'' ■' ers before they were put in charge of Vil- 1

lage schools was receiving attention. j\X... school was to he bin! Wat Nine, and a teacher would he. looked) for in New Zealand. . No response had 'been received td : the invitation far tenders at. £300 for *~ schooner, service to Nui*. V '■ Complaints continued to bo nude, the ; report slates, with regard to the fruit: ttrade,' but no satisfactory solution finis.,' been arrived at. I The question of the inspection of fruit ban also been under considcration. and it has been decided to sen 4?an officer to inquire and , report. >In 1007} the importations from the Islands were 5? Bunches of bananas, 14,727.-: boxes, 75,295 coffee, 4!>,0601b; copra, : 932 tons j oranges, 104,201 cases; pines; 3352 cttritS'-j two, 153 boxes; total value, £51,000.L The substitution of the Hauroto for ih« Mnnapomi for the Island trade was unfortunate, because she. could not. keep -up to the timetable. For several trips the cargo offering was so much in : excess;' ofthe capacity of the boat: that the cargoes had been injured overcrowding. The real grievance was that the Hauroto cod i not always "reach Auckland in time to dis- . charge into the Wellington boat at Aycl"'l- - A steamer, was required of not-les* than 3000 tons, and capable of doing .13 knots, and even then it wets doubtful if such a single seicvios would .be yatlffsic* -tory.. " * -'

LAND COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. /" [BYXKLMiIUI'II.—SPKCUIi- COB B-ESK>X CENT. ]'< WKiLtixoToy, Wednesday. .' In his annual report, Colonel Gudgeon>< Resident Commissioner of the Cook ©roup, says he can justly claim : , that 99 .but of every 100 natives held llUi Land* Titles Court, in such estimation that there wag not ho least hesitation hj placing their polo interest -in-,'life in the hands of th» Court, Referring: to -the*; aduunistralisS"'' ": of the land, the Commissioner states that a*quarter of an acre of swamp planted with taro would w?U-nigi» produce tho food .required for & man to |ive. upon,: and - a few ; acres of orange treed and liauanas would provide products for export sufficient to purchase the , ample i clothing suit- : able for tho climate, " Tho big 'men' h;uf' land to spare, and if they f woedd ite» it even in the crudest manner by.", giving ths» people a fixed 1 chare of the produce, they ~~i '.might be wealthy men. This they would ■■'; not do, Missioners and'.othershit pro-ted s at heart in the native* ■ vseiv much exer* > cisediu mind over the fact that, a sritalfrj percentage of the land had been leased to* Enropeamg. In his opinion the s fact' that' '-. ft certain are?*, of land had been leased T'a« ; i 'a, matter * for ;■'■ con tf i-h iula ti ;> ji r ■- those •'.':'...; leases meant .:progress; , It .was tho Euro*.' ■'% pean lessee who .was redeeming the people' : '_~t from their life of sloth. ~l,f ' '' '