DEPARTMENT OF ISLAND TERRITORIES COOK ISLANDS ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1950

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1950 Session I, A-03

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1950 NEW ZEALAND

DEPARTMENT OF ISLAND TERRITORIES COOK ISLANDS ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1950

Presented to Both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency

The Hon. the Minister of Island Territories to His Excellency the Governor-General . Wellington, 11th September, 1950. I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the report on the Administration of the Cook Islands for the year ended 31st March, 1950. Minister of Island Territories. His Excellency the Governor-General of New Zealand.

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CONTENTS

COOK ISLANDS Part I —General Information — A. Geography— page Location .. .. 3 Area and Population . . .. 4 Topography .. .. 4 Climate .". . . 5 B. History . . .. .. 5 C. People . . .... .. 5 D. Government— Judiciary .. .. 7 The Elective System .. .. 8 The Public Service .. .. 8 E. Human Rights .. .. 9 Part ll—Social Conditions — A. Social Problems of Race and Cultural Relations .. .. 9 B. Labour and Employment Conditions .. 9 C. Public Health and SanitationProblems and Organization . . 10 Water-supply .. . . 10 Sewage-disposal . . .. 10 Expenditure . . . . 10 Medical Facilities . . . . 11 Training Facilities . . . . 11 Dental Services . . .. 11 Dental Statistics .. .. 12 Medical Statistics .. . . 12 Nutrition . . . . . . 14 Medical Research Team .. . . 14 D. Housing Conditions and Programmes .. 14 E. Welfare and Relief . . . . 15 F. Criminal Statistics .. .. 15 G. Penal Administration .. 15 Part lll—Educational Conditions— A. Organization of Educational Administration .. .. 16 B. Educational Policy and Objectives . . 16 C. School Buildings and Other Facilities .. 16 D. Curriculum .. .. 17 E. Higher Education .. .. ..17 F. Adult Education .. .. ..18 G. Educational Statistics .. .. 18 H. Cultural Institutions .. .. 19 Pakt IV —Economic Conditions— A. Natural Resources .. .. 19 B. Agriculture— Agricultural Equipment and Research . . .. 20 Live-stock .. . . 20 Forestry .. .. 20 Fisheries .. .. 20 Land Tenure .. .. 21 Citrus Replanting .. .. 21 Marketing of Produce .. 22

COOK ISLANDS—continued Part IV—Economic Conditions —continued PAGE C. Secondary Industries .. 22 I). Standard of Living .. 22 E. Communications and Transport .. 22 F. Public Finance .. .. 23 G. Banking and Credit ... ..24 H. International Trade .. .. 24 I. Information on Development Programmes .. .. 26 Appendices— Appendix I—lnformation Relating to Individual Islands .. .. 27' Appendix ll—Retail Prices of Staple Commodities .. .. 28 Appendix III —Meteorological .. .. 28 NIUE Pabt I—General Information — page A. Geography .. .. . . 29 B. History .. .. .. 30 C. People .. .. .. 30 D. Government .. .. 31 E. Human Rights .. .. 33 Part ll—Social Conditions— A. Social Problems and Cultural Relations 33 B. Labour and Employment .. .. 34 C. Public Health and Sanitation .. 34 D. Housing Conditions and Programmes 38 E. Welfare and Relief .. .. .. 38 Part III —Educational Conditions .. 38 Part IV—Economic Conditions — A. Natural Resources .. .. 40 B. Agricultural Production and Marketing 41 C. Industry .. .. .. 42 I). Standard of Living .. 42 E. Communications .. .. 43 F. Public Finance .. .. .. 44 G. Banking and Credit .. 45 H. International Trade .. 45 Appendices— Appendix I—Meteorological Report .. 46 Appendix II —Retail Prices of Staple Commodities .. .. .. .. 47 Appendix lll—Visits .. .. .. 48

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REPORT

COOK ISLANDS (EXCEPT NIUE) PART I—GENERAL INFORMATION A. Geography Location The Cook Group (excluding Niue Island) comprises fifteen islands. These are generally small and are widely scattered throughout an area of some 850,000 square miles of ocean extending from 9 degrees south to almost 23 degrees south and from 156 degrees west to 167 degrees west, the total land area being approximately 100 square miles. . Niue Island is included within the boundary limits of the Cook Islands as defined in the First Schedule of the Cook Islands Act, 1915, but due to its remoteness from the remaining islands of the Group and to the ethnological distinctness of its people it has been administered separately since 1903, and is especially referred to in the concluding pages of this report. The remaining islands fall naturally into two distinct areas —the Southern or Lower Group, and the Northern Group. The Lower Group consists of. eight islands, of which Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Atiu, Mitiaro, Mauke, and Mangaia are permanently settled. Of the two remaining islands, Takutea is visited by parties from Atiu who make copra there, and Manuae is privately leased and is worked as a copra plantation. The Northern Group consists of seven islands, of which five—Penrhyn, Manihiki, Rakahanga, Pukapuka, and Palmerston —are continuously inhabited, and Suwarrow and Nas'sau. Except for a weather station on Suwarrow, neither of these islands is normally inhabited. Consideration is being given to the settlement of some of the Pukapuka people on Nassau. Rarotonga, the seat of the Administration, is 1,633 nautical miles from Auckland and lies in latitude 21° 12' 04" south and longitude 159° 46' 33" west. Some idea of the dispersal of the Group can be derived from the following table :

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Island. Miles From Rarotonga. General Direction From Rarotonga. Island. Miles From j Rarotonga. General Direction , From Rarotonga. Mangaia . . 110 E.S.E. Manihiki 650 N. Mauke 150 E.N.E. Rakahanga 674 N. Mitiaro 142 N.E. Penrhyn .. 737 N. Atiu 116 N.E. Manuae .. 124 N.N.E. Aitutaki .. 140 N. Takutea .. 118 N.E. Palmerston 270 N.W. Nassau . . 673 N.N.W. Pukapuka.. 715 N.N.W. Suwarrow 513 N.N.W.

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Area and Population Area and estimated population of the various islands as at 31st March, 1950, are as follows :

Cook Island labourers absent in Makatea at 31st March, 1950, totalled 309, the number being made up as follows : From Rarotonga .. .. . . .. 114 From Mangaia .. .. .. .. 80 From Mauke . . . . . . . . 52 From Mitiaro .. . . .. .. .. 14 From Atiu .. . . .. .. 49 Total males .. .. .. .. 309 Topography The Lower Group. —With the exception of Manuae, which is a coral atoll, the Lower Group islands are of volcanic origin, having a hilly or mountainous interior surrounded by fertile lowlands. The height of the interior varies up to an elevation of 2,140 ft. All the islands are surrounded by a coral reef. Most have in addition an elevated coral reef—known locally as the makatea—which encircles the islands almost immediately behind the coast-line. The soil of the Lower Group is very fertile and is suitable for the cultivation of the usual tropical and sub-tropical products. The Northern Group.—The islands of the Northern Group are typical coral atolls. The soil of the majority of these islands is poor, being largely coral sand. Coconut palms thrive, but there is some shortage of other food crops.

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Island. Area, in Acres. Mai Nonindigenous. Popul es. Indigenousation. Females, indigenous.| In digenous. Total. Rarotonga 16,500 167 2,798 88 2,631 5,684 Mangaia 17,500 9 948 5 996 1,958 Mauke 4,600 4 362 2 457 825 Mitiaro 2,500 119 134 253 Atiu 6,950 4 673 2 622 1,301 Aitutaki 3,900 11 1,347 9 1,289 1 2,656 Palmerston 1,000 36 36 72 Pukapuka 1,250 4 346 1 342 693 Manihiki 1,250 2 234 ' 248 484 Rakahanga 1,000 1 174 159 334 Penrhyn 4,000 2 382 344 728 Manuae 1,524 1 29 10 40 Takutea 302 Nassau 300 Suwarrow 600 3 3 Totals i 203 ! 7,453 ) 106 I 7,268 15,030 63,176 7,656 1 7,374

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Climate The Group lies within the hurricane belt. Hurricane damage occurs in some parts of the Group roughly once every two years. Within recent years the most destructive storms have occurred in 1935, 1943, and 1946. The climate of the Lower Group is mild and equable, except in the summer months. At Rarotonga the mean annual temperature is 74-5 degrees. February, the warmest month, has a mean temperature of 78-6 degrees, while July and August are the coolest months, both with a mean temperature of 70-8 degrees. The average annual rainfall is 84 in. In the Lower Group the rainfall is adequate and there is little danger of serious drought. In the Northern Group, however, the problem of water-supply is acute. Although the annual rainfall may appear to be adequate —the average for Penrhyn over ten years is 71 in.—the fall is very unreliable. For example, the total for the twelve months commencing August, 1941, was 151 in., yet only 36 in. were recorded for the corresponding period commencing August, 1938. Meteorological services in the Group are provided by the New Zealand Meteorological Service, hurricane warnings being issued when necessary from the Meteorological Office, Nadi, Fiji. B. History According to the traditional history of Rarotonga, the island was settled by Karika from Samoa, and Tangiia from Tahiti. The two warriors are said to have met at sea and, joining forces, landed on Rarotonga an estimated twenty-six generations ago. The European discovery of Mangaia, Aitutaki, Atiu, Takutea, Mitiaro, and Manuae was made by Captain Cook in 1773 during his second voyage of discovery. Rarotonga and Mauke were not discovered for another fifty years, when the Rev. John Williams successfully located them from information supplied to him in Aitutaki and other adjacent islands. The London Missionary Society won many adherents in the Lower Group during the early years of the nineteenth century, and until 1891 the predominant governing and law-making organization in the Group was the Church. The laws were a mixture of ecclesiastical rules and secular enactments imposed by the necessities of the day. On 20th September, 1888, a Protectorate was declared over Rarotonga, Mangaia, Aitutaki, Atiu, Mauke, Mitiaro, and Manuae. In the same year British sovereignty was assumed over Penrhyn. A British Consul was stationed at Rarotonga and remained until the end of 1890, when he was replaced by Mr. F. J. Moss as British Resident. Mr. Moss proceeded to establish organs of government, and in 1891 a system of local Island Councils was inaugurated, together with an elective Federal Parliament meeting at Rarotonga, and an Executive Council. In 1900 the British Resident, LieutenantColonel W. E. Gudgeon, conveyed a petition from the Arikis, Mataiapos, and Rangatiras of Rarotonga, Atiu, Mauke, and Mitiaro praying that the Federal Parliament be abolished and that the islands be annexed to New Zealand. Accordingly the sovereignty of the Lower Group was ceded to Her Majesty Queen Victoria. On the 13th May of the following year the British Government issued an Imperial Order in Council under the Colonial Boundaries Act, 1895, extending the boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand to include the Cook Islands, as the Lower Group were then loosely termed, and other islands (the Northern Group and Niue) within certain defined limits. A Proclamation; issued in Auckland on 10th June, 1901, formally applied the Imperial Order in Council, and from that date the Cook Islands became part of New Zealand. C. People The Cook Island Maori is a Polynesian and is closely related to the New Zealand Maori. There is a strong resemblance between these two peoples in tradition, language, and custom. Many of the tribes in both places are able to trace their descent back to,

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a common ancestor. A census of the Cook Islands is held in conjunction with the New Zealand census, and the following figures are quoted to illustrate the population growth : 1906 .. .. .. .. 8,518 1929 .. .. .. .. 10,081 1945 .. .. .. .. 14,519* * Includes 231 Europeans. It is emphasized that these figures refer only to resident population and do not take into account those who migrate to New Zealand. The Cook Island Maoris are all professed Christians. The London Missionary Society, the Roman Catholic mission, the Seventh Day Adventist mission, and the Church of Latter Day Saints are represented in the Group. Maori is still the spoken language of the area, and official publications are published in both English and Maori. The census of 1945 revealed that fewer than 6 per cent, of the population over ten years of age were unable to read and write in their own language. D. Government The Cook Islands are within the boundaries of the Dominion of New Zealand and provision for their government is made in the Cook Islands Act, 1915. Under this Act a Resident Commissioner is charged with the administration of the Cook Islands. The Resident Commissioner is resident in Rarotonga, and is represented on the other islands by Resident Agents. The Maoris are British subjects and New Zealand citizens under the provisions of the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act, 1948. In each of the ten main islands there is an Island Council consisting of ex-ojjicio members, and members who are elected triennially. The ex-officio members of these Councils comprise the Resident Commissioner, the Resident Agent, and the respective Arikis. The Councils are presided over by the Resident Commissioner, if present, or the Resident Agents. Europeans in the Cook Group are represented by one elected member of the Island Council of Rarotonga. The Cook Islands Amendment Act, 1946, under which these Island Councils were reconstituted, also provided for a Legislative Council of the Cook Islands. This body is comprised of ten unofficial members elected by Island Councils and ten official members appointed by the Governor-General. The Council is presided over by the Resident Commissioner, who has a casting but not a deliberative vote. Laws affecting the Cook Islands are made by Act of the New Zealand Parliament or by Orders in Council and regulations issued thereunder. Ordinances applicable to the whole of the Cook Islands may be made by the Legislative Council of the Cook Islands, subject to certain statutory restrictions. These Ordinances require the assent of the Resident Commissioner, and may be disallowed in whole or part by the Governor-General within one year from the date of assent of the Resident Commissioner. Ordinances restricted to individual islands may be passed by the Island Councils concerned, but require the assent of the Resident or may, at the discretion of the Resident Commissioner, be reserved for the signification of the Governor-General's pleasure. The third session of the Legislative Council was held in Rarotonga from 14th November, 1949, until 30th November, 1949. Mr. R. T. G. Patrick, Secretary, Department of Island Territories, attended the session as representative of the New Zealand Government. A notable feature of the proceedings was the active and responsible part taken by the elected members in debates and proposals for the welfare of the Group as a whole. Two Ordinances were passed during the session. The Legislative Council is fulfilling its purpose and marks an important step in the political advancement of the Cook Islands.

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During the session of. the Legislative Council a delegate and two advisers or alternates were nominated to represent the Cook Islands at the South Pacific Conference to be held in April-May, 1950, at Nasinu, Fiji. The following legislation affecting the Cook Islands has been enacted during the period covered by this report: — In New Zealand — Cook Islands Customs (Aircraft) Regulations 1949 (1949/126). Cook Islands Stamp Demonetization Regulations 1949 (1949/131). Cook Islands Sterling Area Currency and Securities Exemption Notice 1950. In the Cook Islands - The Ordinances enacted by the Legislative Council — Building Ordinance 1948, Amendment No. 1. Public Holidays Ordinance 1949. An Ordinance enacted by Island Council: — Penrhyn Ordinance (No. 2) 1949, for the carrying-out of public work by the male population and the observance of certain building requirements in the public interest. Judiciary The administration of justice in the Cook Islands is in the hands of the High Court, the Native Land Court, and the Native Appellate Court. The High Court exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction throughout the Cook Islands, and the Native Land Court is concerned largely with litigation on lands and titles. The Judiciary consists of a Chief Judge, who is also Judge of the High Court, and a puisne Judge. In addition there are two Commissioners of the High Court at Rarotonga, and the Resident Agents act as Commissioners on the outer islands. At the present time there are no Commissioners of the Native Land Court. The Native Appellate Court was established by the Cook Islands Amendment Act, 1946. This Court sits in the Cook Islands and hears appeals and applications for rehearings in respect of judgments of the Native Land Court. Previously appeals were required to be heard by the Supreme Court of New Zealand, and in practice litigants were usually unable to exercise their right of appeal on account of the expense involved. The Rules of the Appellate Court were made in 1947, and the first Appellate Court sat in Rarotonga from the Bth September to the 21st October, 1948. By leave of the Native Land Court, an appeal shall lie to the Native Appellate Court, from any provision or preliminary determination of the Native Land Court made in the course of any proceedings for the ascertainment of the title to customary land or partition. Within twelve months of the commencement of the Cook Islands Amendment Act, 1946, the Native Appellate Court had jurisdiction to grant or direct a rehearing, before either the Native Appellate Court or the Native Land Court, where any person alleged he had been prejudicially affected by any order made before the commencement of the Cook Islands Amendment Act, 1946. During the year under review there were two sittings of the Native Appellate Court. Chief Judge D. G. B. Morison and Judge E. M. Beechey, of the New Zealand Maori Land Court and Judge H. J. Morgan, of the Native Land Court of the Cook Islands, presided at the first sitting from 27th July to 28th August, 1949, and Chief Judge A. McCarthy and Judge H. J. Morgan presided at the second sitting from 6th to 9th December, 1949. Of the thirteen appeals lodged in respect of inhabitants of Rarotonga, eight were dismissed, leaving five still to be heard. Of a total of seventy-three rehearings, orders were made in eleven cases, fourteen cases were dismissed, and forty-eight remain to be heard. There are thirty-seven applications for rehearings in respect of outer islands still to be heard.

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High Court actions during the last five years are summarized as follows :

A summary of Native Land Court proceedings for the last five years is as follows

The Elective System The Cook Islands Legislative Council and the respective Island Councils contain partly ex officio and partly elected members. The number of elected members for each Island Council is set out in the Schedule to the Cook Islands Council Regulations 194-6,. and varies between three for Mitiaro and seven for larger islands such as Rarotonga and Aitutaki, The respective Arikis sit on the Councils ex officio. The franchise for elections to Island Councils is held by all Natives, within the meaning of the Cook Islands Act, 1915, who are British subjects over eighteen years of age and are not disqualified on grounds of insanity or criminal conviction. Every person qualified as an elector is also qualified for election to an Island Council. One European member is elected to the Island Council of Rarotonga by European electors. The franchise is given to adult Europeans who are British subjects by birth or naturalization in New Zealand and who have been resident in any of the Cook Islands, other than Niue, for at least a year. Insanity and imprisonment disqualify electors. The unofficial members of the Legislative Council are elected by the Island Councils* with provision made by rotation of members amongst the smaller islands for the fair representation of each. The Public Service The majority of the senior positions in the Public Service are filled by officers recruited from the New Zealand Public Service for service with the Cook Islands Administration. Local appointees include both Europeans and Maoris, the latter being in the majority. It is the policy of the New Zealand Government that the Cook Islands' Maori shall take an increasing share in the responsibility of administering the Group. Scholarship pupils at present being educated in New Zealand, and pupils who will receive higher education from the proposed Tereora Secondary and Teachers' Training School, will become available to the Administration in due course, and many of them will be eligible for the higher appointments. An Assistant Public Service Commissioner of the New Zealand Public Service visited Rarotonga in November, 1949, to examine prevailing salaries and conditions of employment. As a result of his examination some immediate adjustments were made to place the Service on a more satisfactory level.

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— 1945-46. 1946-47. 1947-48. 1948-49. 1949-50. Civil judgments : Rarotonga 35 51 42 52 ! 101 Divorces granted: Whole Group 13 20 9 10 1 18 Criminal convictions: Rarotonga 1,195 1,179 1,762 1,436 1,321

— 1945-46. 1946-47. 1947-48. 1948-49. 1949-50. Applications heard 169 123 244 381 487 Orders made 159 99 192 298 440 Applications outstanding— Rarotonga 45 4 502 589 518 334 Outeir islands 838 858 • 988 1,053 1,098

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E. Human Rights The Cook Islands are an integral part of New Zealand and the provisions relating to human rights which apply in New Zealand apply also to the Group, without judicial distinction between race or sex. Statutory law gives the people the protection of certiorari and habeas corpus and also affords peculiar protection of land and contractual relationship. Where provision is not made by statutory law, the common law of England as at 1840 applies. Native land is inalienable save to the Crown for public purposes. Such land is in practice acquired where possible by lease in perpetuity. No Maori may have his land taken in execution of debt, and no contract entered into by a Maori is enforceable without the consent of the High Court. Enactments of the Parliament of New Zealand are not in force in the Cook Islands unless specifically applied. PART lI—SOCIAL CONDITIONS A. Social Problems op Race and Cultural Relations The 1945 Cook Islands census gave a total of 1,910 people of mixed descent in the population of the Group, this figure representing approximately 14 per cent, of the total population at that time. There is, however, no social problem involved. The Cook Islanders are singularly unconscious of race distinction, and complete social and economic equality is extended to all sections of the community. The traditional subsistence economy of the Polynesian, which, will be referred to •subsequently in this report, assures landholders of economic security. A social problem arises, however, with a small group of Maoris who migrate from the outer islands to Rarotonga, thereby divorcing themselves from the use of their family lands and becoming dependent upon wages for their subsistence. The incipient secondary industry of this island may develop sufficiently to absorb this group, whose prosperity at present rests somewhat precariously on casual employment. B. Labour and Employment Conditions In the absence of any substantial secondary economy, labour and employment conditions vary with types and methods of agriculture, which in turn depend upon natural resources, domestic food requirements, and availability of shipping and export markets. In the coral islands of the Northern Group the typical Polynesian subsistence economy under a traditional system of communal land ownership prevails. The inhabitants also make sufficient copra to earn a small income. In the Penrhyn and Manihiki Lagoons, pearl-shell is found and exported. The picture is rather different, however, in the Southern Group, where the volcanic origin of the islands has left areas -of very fertile soil and where there is an adequate and reliable rainfall. In these islands, bananas, tomatoes, pineapples, and all types of citrus fruit form the constituents of an export trade which engages the large majority of landowners and provides employment intermittently for stevedoring labour. On Rarotonga a small but busy secondary industry manufactures clothing and footwear. Wage standards for most types of work were established by a special Wages Tribunal which sat in 1946. The passing of the Cook Islands Industrial Union Regulations in 1947 and the registration later in that year of the Cook Islands (Excepting Niue) Industrial Union of Workers established a basis for collective negotiation and arbitration on industrial matters. Union membership is not compulsory, and at present there are no provisions giving preference to unionists for work offering. Basic wage-rates range from 7s. per day to 18s. per day for more responsible work. Early in the year the industrial union of workers applied for a comprehensive revision of wages and conditions. Negotiations were opened, and were still proceeding at the conclusion of the period under review.

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Labour is recruited in the Group by the French Phosphate Co. of Oceania to work the phosphate deposits at Makatea, in the Society Islands. Individual labourers are recruited on single-year contracts and are given medical examinations both before and after their term of employment, during which they are required to make allotments from their wages either to their dependants or to their Savings-bank accounts. The work is relatively highly paid and many workers seek re-employment. As at 31st March, 1950, there were 309 male labourers employed at Makatea, the largest groups having come from Rarotonga and Mangaia (see page 4). Apart from these workers, there is some population movement from the less fertile Northern Group to Rarotonga and the other more fertile Southern islands. A number of Cook Island Maoris, principally females, go to New Zealand to domestic service or to learn trades. This migration is under supervision, and persons desiring to leave the islands are subject to examination for health and character. C. Public Health and Sanitation Problems and Organization For a territory which lies within the tropics, the Cook Islands are singularly free from endemic tropical disease. The most prevalent tropical ailment of a serious nature is filariasis, which, with tuberculosis in its various forms, presents the principal health problems. The Health Department, headed by a Chief Medical Officer, is centred on the hospital and sanatorium at Rarotonga, and health services are extended to outer islands by resident Cook Island Medical Practitioners and Nurses. The Department includes in its functions sanitary-inspection duties and mosquito-control wOrk. Water-swpjply Outer islands rely on stored rainfall for their water-supplies. The problem is to overcome shortages of materials and transport difficulties for the erection of tanks, and provide on each island water reserves adequate for the needs of the people. During recent years the Administration has made steady advance in this matter. In Rarotonga water is gathered from five catchment areas and reticulated to villages through pipes. The service is capable of considerable improvement, and during the year an engineer from the New Zealand Ministry of Works carried out a water survey of Rarotonga preparatory to drawing up a plan for alterations and extension. Sewage-disposal Septic tanks and pit privies are used in the Lower Group islands. In the low-lying atolls of the Northern Group, latrines are built out over the lagoons. Rubbishcollection schemes are in operation in Rarotonga and Atiu. Expenditure Under the provisions of the Cook Islands Act, 1915, all Maori patients receive free medical and surgical treatment. In addition, all school-children, and all patients admitted to hospital, receive free dental treatment. The following table shows the expenditure on health services over the past five years :

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— 1945-46. 1946- 47. 1947-48. 1948-49. 1949-50. Amount expended Population Amount per head £31,429 15,005 £2 Is. lid. £25,176 14,821 £1 14s. Od. £29,398 14,456 £2 Os. 8d. £44,672 14,650 £3 Os. lid. £44,777 15,030 £2 19s. 7d.

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Medical Facilities On Rarotonga there is a general hospital with accommodation for fifty beds and equipped with dispensary, x-ray, and laboratory facilities. The Tuberculosis Sanatorium constructed on a splendid site at Arorangi, Rarotonga, is a modern building which was completed in December, 1945. It has accommodation for thirty beds. The outer islands for the most part are served by single-room dispensaries or by larger dispensaries which can accommodate a small number of patients. Pukapuka, Rakahanga, Mitiaro, and Palmerston Islands have no hospital or dispensary facilities. The construction of a small hospital for Pukapuka, a dispensary room for Rakahanga, and modern medical amenities on Aitutaki, Mauke, Mangaia, and Manihiki have been approved, while plans are also being drawn for a more up-to-date general hospital on Rarotonga. The following table sets out the medical staff engaged in the Group during the year under review :

Training Facilities Qualified personnel are at present recruited from New Zealand or drawn from the South Pacific Health Service. Cook Island Medical Practitioners are graduates of the Central Medical School, Suva, where selected trainees are sent for a four-year course. Three Cook Islanders are at present in training at Suva. Selected Cook Island girls are given a three-year graduate course of nursing and maternity training at the General Hospital, Rarotonga. Dressers, dental students, and Mosquito Inspectors are all provided with local training, while laboratory and dispensary personnel undergo preliminary courses in Rarotonga prior to further training at the Central Medical School. Dental Services The dental staff, centred on the Rarotonga Dental Clinic, now consists of a full-time New Zealand Dental Officer and Dental Nurse, two Cook Island trained dental nurses, and five trainees selected from the outer islands for eventual posting to their home islands as Dental Practitioners. Previously only a part-time Dental Officer was available. The problem of extending dental services throughout the Group with such a small staff was almost insuperable, and long visits made during the year to the schools on Aitutaki, Atiu, and Mauke merely served to point out the need for adequate dental staff in outer islands. During the year the Assistant Director (Training) of the New Zealand Division of Dental Hygiene carried out a comprehensive inspection of the dental service and made recommendations for its development. His representations included closer liaison between the dental service and New Zealand, and the provision of regular inspection

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Island. Chief Medical Officer. Matron. Certificated New Zealand Nurses. Cook Island Medical Practitioners. Cook Island Trained Nurses. Cook Island Nurse Trainees. Mosquito Inspectors. Trainee Dressers. Dispenser, Laboratory and X-ray Technicians. Rarotonga 1 2 3 3 3 24 9 3 5 Mangaia 1 1 2 1 Mauke 1 1 Atiu 1 1 1 Aitutaki 1 2 2 Pukapuka 1* 1 i "2f Manihiki-Rakahanga 1 Penrhyn 2 * Temporary arrangement. t Dispenser assistants.

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visits by officers of the Division of Dental Hygiene, New Zealand. This is being proceeded with. Until such time as a central dental school is established in Suva and can accept students from New Zealand Territories, it is probable that the training of dental personnel for the Cook Islands will be carried out at the dental clinic in Western Samoa. Meanwhile dental education is being continued in the schools by means of posters and films.

Comparative Dental Statistics for the Last Five Years

Medical Statistics Table 1—Deaths (Maoris) at Different Ages, Year Ended March, 1950

Table 2 Annual number of deaths .. .. . . .. .. 301 . 19-9 per 1,000 population. Annual number of births .. .. . . .. .. 621 41-3 per 1,000 population. Annual number of deaths under one year of age .. .. 70 112-72 per 1,000 live births-

Table 3 —Infant Mortality (Comparative Table)

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1 J 1945-46. 1946-47. 1947-48. 1948-49. 1949-50. Extractions Fillings Miscellaneous : Prophylactic and other treatments, cleaning, scaling, &c. 1,713 915 239 828 489 1,622 2,482 1,893 2,266 2,335 2,743 5,056 3,761 1,927 7,515 Total operations 2,867 2,939 6,641 10,134 13,203

Number of Deaths. Percentage of Total Deaths. Under 1 week 231 7-64" | I week to 1 month 10 1 3-32 I month to 3 months 00 HY~ o 3-65 j*23 -25 3 months to 6 months 2-66 6 months to 12 months 18 J 5-98^ 1 year to 2 years 23 7-64 2 years to 3 years 5 1-67 3 years to 4 years 1 0-33 4 years to 5 years 5 years to 10 years 11 3-65 • Over 10 years 191 63-46 Totals 301 100-00

Year. Total Number of Deaths under One Year. Total Number of Births. Death-rate per 1,000 Births. 1939-40 50 504 99-12 1940-41 40 541 73-92 1941-42 74 553 183-27 1942-43 78 599 130-18 1943-44 68 525 129-45 1944-45 63 564 111-7 1945-46 65 567 114-59 1946-47 81 574 141-1 1947-48 171 635 269-29 1948-49 66 648 101-85 1949-50 70 621 112-72

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Table 4—Deaths of Children (Causes): Rarotonga

Table 5

Note. —The above is an approximate table compiled from the records kept in Karotonga, Mangaia, and Aitutaki only.

Table 6—Comparative Table of Treatments Given at Rarotonga Hospital During the Past Five Years

The daily average number of patients at the hospital was 34-8 and the average length of stay was 15-1 days. There were 57 admissions to the sanatorium and the daily average was 23*5.

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Year. First. Second. Third. 1 Fourth, j Fifth. Sixth. Sixth to Tenth. Broncho-pneumonia; ... Septicaemia Tuberculosis, pulmonaryTubercular peritonitis Pneumonia Bronchq-asthma Prematurity Tetanus Cerebral haemorrhage Myocardial failure Tubercular adenitis Convulsions Stillborn Asphyxia Typhoid Totals 7 2 2 1 5 2 2 2 1 2 1 25 3 2 3 1

Disease. Morbidity Per 1,000 Population. Disease. j Morbidity Per J 1,000 Population. Filaria . . .. 310-3 Gonorrhoea 75-7 Broncho-pneumonia 83-7 Yaws 98-0 Tuberculosis 62-1

— 1945-46. 1946-47. 1947-48. 1948-49. 1949-50. In-patients 469 638 664 654 I 697 Out-patients 6,895 9,029 i 8,812 10,679 5,694 Visits 1,145 2,016 j 2,241 2,884 3,602 Anaesthetics — 1 General 30 99 73 53 27 Local 377 53 * * 54 Spinal .. l 10 12 Operations— Major .. 26 43 43 47 58 Minor .. 440 109 119 344t 35 Confinements 43 29 30 51 60 X-rays 77 248 * | 787 1,673 * Not available. t Estimate.

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Table 7—Causes of Admission to the Rarotonga Hospital

Nutrition The Northern and Lower Groups naturally fall into separate nutrition areas. The diet of the former consists largely of fish and coconut and is high in protein content,' while in the latter, where locally grown foodstuffs are considerably augmented by imported flour and tinned meats, the carbohydrate content seems to be predominant. During recent years nutritional surveys have been carried out in the Group and valuable reports submitted. The question of nutrition in the South Pacific area has been taken up also as a project by the Research Council of the South Pacific Commission, from which much advice is expected relating to the scientific approach to healthy and balanced dieting. Visit of Medical Research Team During the year arrangements were made by the Department of Island Territories, in conjunction with the Medical Research Council of New Zealand, for a medical research team from Otago University to carry out a period of research work in the Group during the University vacation. The team, led by Sir Charles Hercus, Dean of the Medical Faculty, Otago University, and including Dr. S. Faine, Mr. J. A. Samuel, and Dr. G. Satchell, began work in mid-December on Rarotonga, where it remained for two months. D. Housing Conditions and Programmes Native materials such as pandanus leaves, coconut palms, and the sticks of the purau tree are widely used in house-building by the Cook Island Maoris. These materials can be attractively combined in a building which is both durable and healthy. European influence is noticeable in much of the Maori housing on Rarotonga, where burnt lime is used for walls and corrugated iron for roofs. The style is often unattractive and has the added disadvantages of interior dampness and darkness. Concrete blocks have been successfully introduced as a building-material, and a new block-making machine is on order. Its arrival will assist in the construction of houses which will be durable, clean in appearance, and inexpensive. ; The Building Ordinance 1948, enacted by the Legislative Council of the Cook Islands, provides for the removal of insanitary premises by Court order. Further local legislation is under consideration to establish minimum building standards in the public interest. With the scarcity of materials and skilled labour, construction of additional houses for Administration staff has been slow. Certain approved European appointments to the Administration : have of necessity been postponed in the absence of suitable accommodation.

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Percentage of 1 Total Admissions. I Filariasis 88 12-2 Hydrocele 16 2-2 Tuberculosis 36 4-9 Broncho-pneumonia 28 3-8 Hernia • .. . . 10 1-3 Typhoid ; .. 10 1 - 3 188 25-7 Other causes ; . 533 • 74-3 Total; ... 721 100-00

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E, Welfare and Relief Several official and unofficial organizations with the welfare of the people as their object are active in the Group. Of these the chief is the child welfare organization, which is supervised by the District Nurse on Rarotonga and Mangaia, and in the other islands by the Cook Island Medical Practitioners. The Boys' Brigade and the Girl Guides' organization are popular, and the more recently formed Sports Association ia becoming firmly established. Disabled ex-servicemen receive financial assistance from the Administration. The need for relief in the European sense of the word does not arise. Sharing and assistance within the wide family group is normally recognized as a mutual responsibility.. There are few who do not have access to the land and the means of producing an adequate livelihood. F. Criminal Statistics The following table sets out the cases of serious crime in which convictions have been secured during the year : Offence. Number of Cases. Theft .. .. .. .. .. .. 138 Arson . . .. .. .. . . .. 1 Forgery .. .. .. .. .. 1 Indecent assault .. .. .. .. .. 5 Escaping from lawful custody .. . . .. 5 Attempted suicide .. .. .. .. 2 Wilful mischief to property .. .. .. 14 Principally offences have been of a trivial nature. The following table includes the most common : Offence. Number of Cases. Liquor offences .. .. 1,632 Minor offences against the person .. .. 263 Traffic offences .. .. .. .. 74 Minor offences against property .. .. . . 703 G. Penal Administration As at the 31st March, 1950, the Police establishment in the Group consisted of the following officers :

15

Europeans. Maoris. 1 Island. Chief Officer of Police. Constable. Senior Sergeant. Sergeant. Constables. Totals. Rarotonga .. Mangaia .. . Mauke 1 1 1 | 1 "i 9 5 3 13 5 4 Mitiaro i 2 3 Atiu i 5 6 Aitutaki I 5 6 Pukapuka .. Manihiki I 3 2 3 3 Rakahanga .. Penrhyn .» 1 2 3 3 3 1" 1 2 6 39 49

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With the exception of a European Chief Officer of Police and a European constable on secondment from the New Zealand Police Department, the Force is recruited in the Group. During the year the conduct of the Force has been good, and its efficiency has been increased by the policy of bringing outer islands policemen to Rarotonga for training. There is a gaol at Rarotonga and small lock-ups at Mangaia and Atiu. In the rare cases of serious crime in outer islands, prisoners are normally transferred to Rajotonga. There are powers in the Cook Islands Act, 1915, for any person sentenced by the High Court of the Cook Islands to a term of more than six months' imprisonment to be sent to New Zealand to serve his term, but this has been seldom carried out in practice. Persons convicted and fined and unable to pay are permitted to pay their fine in labour on public works. The Police Department is responsible for the censorship of films and for the collection of registration and licence fees. During the year a sum of £B7 was collected in dog fees and £229 in motor-vehicle registrations and driving licences. PART 111. —EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS A. Organization of Educational Administration Education in the Cook Islands is provided by the Administration, the London Missionary Society, and the Roman Catholic mission. The London Missionary Society schools on Mitiaro, Manihiki, Rakahanga, Penrhyn, and Palmerston are subsidized by the Administration. B. Educational Policy and Objectives Added responsibility for education in the Group has been accepted during the year by a policy decision of the Administration to commence taking over, or at least to provide with fully trained staff, all London Missionary Society schools in the Cook Islands. This decision has the full accord of the mission authorities and will be carried into effect as soon as trained teachers become available. The process of replacement will be a slow one, however, and will involve more than the mere training of staff and dispatching of them from Rarotonga. Land and buildings must be acquired, school equipment made available, and an appliable scheme of education drawn up which may differ from that at present being worked in the Lower Group. The first move has been made by the posting to Penrhyn during May of a trained teacher from Rarotonga, whose services have already produced a marked improvement in the standard of the school. C. School Buildings and Other Facilities All school buildings have been maintained during the year. Additional classrooms have been constructed at Avarua School, Rarotonga, while on Mauke two Native-style school buildings, one containing two class-rooms, have been constructed by labour volunteered by the people. On Atiu the people, in a similar co-operative effort, have built a model house at the school. Local materials have been used and the finish and workmanship are of a high standard. Much additional school building is necessary to cope with the increasing school population, and the question of a standard design is at present under consideration. The erection of temporary Native-style buildings is uneconomical, due to the continual renovation which is found to be necessary.

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Film-strip projectors are being used successfully in the outer island schools. On Rarotonga 16 mm. educational films are regularly shown in all villages. Teachers give introductory lessons on the film topics and the programmes are screened at night before an audience of children and adults. These performances, in addition to their educational value, provide a means of bringing parents, children, and school authorities together in a common interest. D. Curriculum Manual training, domestic science, agriculture, homecrafts, sewing, and hygiene are taught in the schools. On Rarotonga manual training has been introduced by a Maori teacher who had earlier completed an observation and training course of six months in New Zealand, and it is being extended to outer island schools. A resident Manual Training Instructor has been appointed from New Zealand to Rarotonga. Domestic science, including lessons on cooking and homecraft, is taught on Rarotonga, and sewing-machines for instructional purposes have been distributed throughout schools during the year. Much progress has been made in the teaching of the vernacular and of Maori culture. Regular instruction is given in the Maori language, and English lessons are given as part of the syllabus. The first issue of the vernacular school journal, Te Tuatua Apii ote Kuki Airani, has been distributed, and has been received with popularity by the children and adults within the Group, and with acclaim by educational authorities in New Zealand and elsewhere. It is planned to publish six numbers of this journal each school year. The duties of the recently appointed Organizing Teacher include work on the development of the vernacular in schools and the production of a simple Maori grammar for the guidance of teachers. A complete dictionary of the Cook Islands vernacular is being published and will prove invaluable to students of the language. E. Higher Education Land has been acquired and plans finalized for a post-primary school at Tereora, Rarotonga, but construction has not yet commenced. As an interim measure a special class for the 1950 school year has been assembled, and met for the first time on 13th February. The class, consisting of twenty-four pupils under fifteen years of age selected by competitive examination from the various schools of Rarotonga and Lower Group islands, is at present accommodated in a class-room at Avarua School. Excellent progress has already been made, and by the beginning of 1951 the pupils will be at a New Zealand secondary-school level. Afternoon classes for Maori teachers have been held twice weekly by the European Head Teachers during the year. Of the forty candidates who presented themselves for the Cook Island Teachers' Certificate Examination, seven obtained full passes ; and of sixty-six candidates, thirty-three teachers passed the Student Teachers' Examination. The Education Officer has visited Aitutaki, Atiu, Mauke, and Mangaia to conduct teachers' examinations. An art refresher course conducted by the Supervisor of Arts and Crafts in New Zealand Schools was held in Rarotonga in April. The Government scholarship scheme has been continued during the year. Four boys were sent to New Zealand secondary schools, making the total sent nineteen since the inception of the scheme at the commencement of the 1946 school year. Two teachers sant to New Zealand for six months' observation work and training under the Government scheme have now returned to the Group. One has taken up the appointment of Assistant Maori Supervisor, while the other has taken charge of his school at Atiu and has introduced manual-training instruction there in addition to his normal teaching duties.

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F. Adult Education While there is no formal adult education in the Group, sections of the adult community training as teachers, nurses, wireless operators, and for other professions and technical occupations are encouraged to avail themselves of library facilities and correspondence courses to widen their educational background. Educational films shown throughout the Group primarily for school-children have also proved popular with adults. G. Educational Statistics

Table 1—Comparative1—Comparative Table of School Roll Numbers Over the Last Five Years

The total roll shows an increase of 69 over the figures at 31st March, 1949.

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Roll Numbers. Island. School. 1945. 1946. 1947. 1948. 1949. (a) Government Schools Rarotonga Avarua (including European | 437 ! 502 503 j 558 607 class) Arorangi 281 269 276 323 311 Ngatangiia 205 230 230 266 264 Titikaveka 190 199 212 217 215 Aitutaki Araura 593 604 641 679 711 Atiu Atiu 198 221 221 255 262 Mangaia Oneroa 238 270 276 288 284 Ivirua 138 146 160 172 159 Tamarua 77 79 75 95 98 Mauke Mauke 189 177 185 218 218 Pukapuka Pukapuka 118 127 179 166 169 Totals 2,664 2,824 2,958 3,237 3,298 (b) London Missionary Society Mitiaro Mitiaro 64 22 42 56 65 Manihiki Tukao 18 19 20 31 35 Tauhunu 44 45 77 65 69 Rakahanga Rakahanga 64 114 102 62 61 Penrhyn Omoka 122 115 81 48 75 Tetautua 45 36 48 55 53 Palmerston Palmerston 17 20 17 14 15 Totals 374 371 387 331 373 (c) Roman Cathol ic Mission Rarotonga St. Joseph's Convent 165 165 193 222 212 Atiu Atiu Catholic 59 71 68 71 71 Mauke Mauke Catholic 37 41 46 41 44 Manihiki Tukao Catholic 20 22 20 17 18 Tauhunu Catholic 8 8 8 18 10 Rakahanga Rakahanga Catholic 8 12 20 20 20 Totals 297 319 355 409 375 Grand totals 3,335 3,514 3,700 3,977 4,046

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Table 2—Percentage of Attendance in Adminlstbation Schools School. Percentage. j School. Percentage. Avarua .. .. .. 90-00 ) Tamarua .. .. .. 95-30 Arorangi .. .. 93 • 50 | Mauke . . .. 97 • 40 Ngatangiia .. .. -.92-90 Atiu .. .. ..91-80 Titikaveka .. . . 93 •60 Araura .. .. 96 ■7O Oneroa .. .. 90 •00 Pukapuka .. .. 94 •00 Ivirua .. .. 94 ■ 90 No schools have been closed for any period during the year for illness or other reasons. Table 3—Staff At 31st March, 1950, the total staff was : European .. .. .. 14 Maori .. .... .. 173 (including 26 students who began training during the year). H. Cultural Institutions There are no newspapers in the Group, news being distributed by means of press sheets circulated by the administration. The New Zealand Broadcasting Service shortwave station broadcasts programmes nightly to the Pacific area. These programmes occasionally feature items specifically concerning the Cook Islands. There is the nucleus of a circulating library in Rarotonga, and attention is being directed to its development. PART IV—ECONOMIC CONDITIONS A. Natural Resources The rich, volcanic soil of the Lower Group, in which tropical produce grows rapidly, comprises the principal natural resource of the Cook Islands. In the Northern Islands, soil is scarce and is for the most part replaced by a coarse coral sand. There are no forestry reserves or resources in the Group, though a certain amount of planting is being undertaken to check soil erosion and to provide timber for fruit-cases. There are no known mineral resources of any value. B. Agriculture The agricultural administrative organization is headed by a Director of Agriculture. Provision has been made for the appointment of a Crop Development Officer and two Orchard Instructors. District packing-sheds situated on Rarotonga and in other citrusproducing islands of the Lower Group are managed by local committees. A Fruit Advisory Committee elected by growers is in close contact with the latest developments in the production and shipping of citrus fruit. During the year the Agriculture Department has directed its attention mainly towards the development of citriculture, and has also been responsible for maintaining citrus and banana nurseries and for the supervision of machine cultivation, power spraying, fruit inspection, and the packing of citrus fruit for export. The Department also controls and supervises the export of tomatoes and copra. The following are the estimated areas planted in principal crops : Acres. Coconuts .. .. .. .. .. 18,000 Citrus fruits .. .. .. .. .. 775 Tomatoes .. .. .. .. .. 300 Manioc (cassava) .. .. .. .. 550

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The quantity and value of principal exports of agricultural produce for 1949 are included in the trade statistics on page 25 of this report. Prices returned to growers have in all cases been maintained or increased. Copra has sold at contract prices of £4B sterling for 1949 and £4B 10s. for 1950 per ton f.0.b., oranges at 19s. lOd. per case f.0.b., and mandarines at 21s. 9d. per case f.o.b. The prices for tomatoes have varied from 6s. 4d. to 17s. Bd., as compared with 4s. Bd. to 225. 6d. for the previous year. Arrowroot has increased a -|d. per pound to s|d. From January to June, Fancy lemons were priced at 265. 9d., with the second grade, known as Commercial, at 245. 3d. ; during the remaining months of the year the prices were 18s. 3d. and 17s. 9d. respectively. Agricultural Equipment and Research The Department of Agriculture has taken delivery during recent years of a number of tractors, rotary hoes, and power sprayer units which are made available on hire to orchardists and other farmers. Artificial fertilizers are imported under a growers' scheme and distributed throughout the Group. There is no controlled system of plant breeding and selection; however, the purchase of a 44-acre section of land on Rarotonga for the establishment of an experimental farm is under negotiation. Rudimentary agriculture is taught in the schools, and it is anticipated that intensive and advanced instruction will be possible when the experimental farm is operating under the Crop Development Officer. At present six Maoris from the outer islands are training in citrus work at Rarotonga. Live-stock A general stock census is to be carried out in the Group in the coming year. In the absence of more comprehensive figures, the following schedule of stock on Rarotonga is given : Horses : 153 stallions ; 1,074 mares ; 490 geldings ; 156 foals. Cattle : 35 bulls ; 248 cows ; 31 steers ; 62 calves. Goats : 128 males ; 658 does ; 157 kids. Pigs : 211 boars ; 1,056 sows ; 95 barrows ; 1,150 piglets. Forestry In the Lower Group islands the land is covered by secondary growth, coconut palms, and a scattering of larger trees including breadfruit, mango, kapok, and chestnut trees. In the Northern islands the growth is mainly of coconut palms and low scrub. Fisheries Bonito is the only common type of deep-sea fish in the Group. Most islands have sufficient quantities of off-shore fish for domestic requirements, and shell-fish are found on the reef. There is no commercial fishing. Pearl-shell is dived for in the Manihiki and Penrhyn Lagoons, and large quantities have been shipped to the United States of America during the year. Regulations are in force restricting this occupation to Polynesians, defining areas which may be fished, and forbidding the gathering of shell with diving equipment in the' shallower parts of the fishing reserves.

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Land Tenure The laws relating to land tenure are contained in the Cook Islands Act, 1915, and its amendments. Practically all land is either Native customary land or Native freehold land as defined in the Act. Alienation of land is prohibited by law. Although few sections of land are vested in single owners, section 50 of the Cook Islands Amendment Act, 1946, contains a provision by which security of tenure may be guaranteed to an individual desiring to plant long-term crops, and much use is being made of this section, which is in accordance with slowly changing custom. Tenure may be divided into the following five categories : (i) Native Customary : Land held under Maori custom wherein the individual owners or families have not yet been determined. (ii) Native Freehold : Land held as above but where ownership has been determined by the Native Land Court. (iii) Leasehold : Land leased by the owners to individuals —European or Maori This category includes areas leased by the Crown for public purposes either on a short-term lease or a lease with perpetual right of renewal. (iv) Crown Land : Land taken by the Crown by Order in Council or transferred by conveyance for public purposes. (v) Land vested in religious bodies. The total of land held by non-indigenous inhabitants is set out in the following table :

Citrus Replanting During the year the citrus replanting scheme has been maintained. Under this scheme, which was introduced by the Director of Agriculture in 1945, land is vested in an individual, who receives interest-bearing advances in the form of citrus trees, materials, and labour, and the use of mechanical equipment. No charge is made for the general supervision by officers of the Department of Agriculture. The scheme originally provided for the replanting of 100 acres on Earotonga and an area of 50 acres each on Aitutaki, Mauke, and Atiu. The enthusiasm with which growers adopted the scheme has led to the recent authorization for the replanting of an additional 50 acres on Earotonga and 25 on Aitutaki. The total estimated yield from all plantings when the scheme is in bearing is 67,000 cases of fruit from Earotonga, 33,000 from Aitutaki, and 22,000 each from Mauke and Atiu.

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— \ Area. 1 liarotonga. Outer Islands. Total. (i) Leased by Europeans (ii) Leased by the Crown (iii) Owned by the Crown (iv) Vested in religious bodies A. K. P. 1,604 2 0 124 0 3 167 1 17 83 3 19 1,593 1 30* 202 0 29 978 3 9f 58 2 29 A. R. P. 3,197 3 30 326 0 32 1,146 0 26 142 2. 8 1,979 2 39 2,833 0 17 4,812 3 16 * Includes the lease of Manuae and Te Au-o-Tu Islands, 548 and 996 acres respectively. f Includes the Islands of Nassau and Suwarrow, 300 and 600 acres respectively. Neither of these islands is permanently inhabited.

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Marketing of Produce Copra is sold to the British Ministry of Food under the terms of a nine-year contract, commencing from Ist January, 1949, which establishes a stable price-level. Citrus fruits, bananas, and pineapples are exported by the Administration to the New Zealand Marketing Department, while tomatoes, the remaining principal export, are either sold directly to local merchants or are consigned to New Zealand fruit auctioneers. C. Secondary Industries A clothing and shoe factory is established on Rarotonga which employs close on a hundred workers. This is the only secondary industry in the Group with the exception of the manufacture of handicrafts, which flourished briefly during the recent war and is now carried out on a casual and domestic basis. D. Standard of Living No accurate information on the national income of the Group is yet available. An agricultural census to be held in conjunction with the Food and Agriculture Organization World Census of Agriculture will be carried out in the coming year and will enable an outline picture to be drawn of standards of living throughout the Cook Islands. A list of retail prices of some staple commodities will be found in Appendix II to this report. This Appendix will enable only a comparison of prices to be made and cannot be interpreted as having a bearing on the standard of living of a large number of the Maori people. E. Communications and Transport The postal and radio services are staffed by locally trained Cook Island Maoris operating under technical officers drawn from the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department. During the year three radio mechanicians from New Zealand have been added to the staff. A parent radio station is established on Rarotonga and maintains communication with Wellington and principal Pacific centres as well as with eleven substations in outer islands. Air/ground/air communication is maintained with all aircraft in the area and continuous watch is kept on the ships calling and distress frequency. Ship-to-shore radio-telephone equipment is installed at Rarotonga, and is being extended to Lower Group islands. The following table sets out the traffic handled by the parent radio station during the period under review in comparison with that for the previous year :

The New Zealand National Airways Corporation has continued to operate a regular fortnightly air service between Rarotonga, Aitutaki, and New Zealand. The T.R.A.P.A.S. air service between New Caledonia and Tahiti has also made calls at Aitutaki at intervals during the year. In March an aircraft operated by Air France visited Aitutaki in the course of a survey flight from Paris to Borabora in French Oceania.

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Year. Paid Traffic. Traffic, Other Services (in Words). Number of Radiograms. Number of Words. Revenue. Free Medical Advice. Meteoro- | logical | Reports. I Air Services. Miscellaneous. Inward Press. Transmitted Press. 1948-49 1949-50 17,187 19,410 361,425 393,780 £ s. d. 4,175 8 0 4,346 17 7 j 8,720 j 6,650 100,798 147,965 | 34,680 35,718 31,949 54,996 362,000 392,550 66,700 69,300

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The regular shipping service between the Group and New Zealand has been maintained by the New Zealand Government motor-vessel " Maui Pomare " during the year, with occasional calls by trans-Pacific cargo-vessels of the Union Steam Ship Co., Ltd. When citrus production from the newly replanted areas is at its height, the need will arise for further shipping space to cope with increased exports. For this reason it is fortuitous that a new vessel, at present under construction for the Union Steam Ship Co., Ltd., is expected to come on to the Islands run early in 1951 and should be able to assist. Within the Group, shipping services have been provided by commercially owned launches and schooners. A significant addition to the fleet has been made during the year with the arrival in the Group of the m.v. " Charlotte Donald," a Diesel-engined vessel of 300 tons cargo capacity. A twin-screw auxiliary ketch, the " Ranui," has been purchased during the period under review for use as Administration vessel and will enable close contacts to be maintained with outer islands. She should be of particular value in cases of urgent sickness. H.M.N.Z.S. " Hawea," a frigate of the Royal New Zealand Navy, visited Lower Group islands in June, and her sister ship " Kaniere " cruised through the Northern Group in the following month. The London Missionary Society's vessel " John Williams VI " was at Rarotonga on a visit in October. F. Public Finance New Zealand currency is in use in the Group. Revenue is derived principally under three heads—import duty, income-tax, and stamp sales. The amounts derived from these sources during the year were £36,531, £17,800, and £19,960 respectively. A new pictorial issue of Cook Island stamps, replacing the 1932 issue, was put on sale in August. The following table sets out the details of revenue, expenditure, and subsidies or grants from the New Zealand Government over the last twenty years.

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Subsidies and Revenue Expenditure Amount spent on Year. Grants from Obtained in of the New Zealand the Territory. Territory. Education. Health. Public Works. £ £ £ £ £ £ 1930-31 17,483 22,888 37,852 9,499 4,658 4,905 1931-32 17,464 25,430 40,582 7,730 5,534 5,217 1932-33 13,850 27,458 40,896 7,891 8,482 2,724 1933-34 11,013 25,518 38,744 ; 8,800 8,155 2,742 1934-35 11,343 26,468 41,430 8,115 8,965 2,163 1935-36 15,568 24,989 40,692 8,786 6,548 2,093 1936-37 13,816 30,268 42,713 9,318 9,179 3,307 1937-38 11,000 45,599 47,207 9,046 8,326 3,827 1938-39 22,112 27,967 58,016 9,306 12,380 5,995 1939-40 24,000 24,943 53,204 8,993 10,069 4,937 1940-41 24,000 26,889 48,345 9,332 10,940 3,709 1941-42 24,000 25,395 46,951 9,513 10,795 4,975 1942-43 19,000 29,748 47,857 8,989 10,370 2,967 1943-44 27,000 | 40,818 59,798 9,846 10,116 5,504 1944-45 79,469 40,228 120,239 10,707 16,202 10,153* 1945-i6 43,669 49,337 93,017 15,035 31,429 8,230 1946-47 18,313 73,999 107,530 19,796 25,176 18,874 1947-48 70,991 78,773 147,106 25,644 29,398 33,147 1948-49 100,249 85,822 207,302 35,659 44,652 36,206 1949-50 155,514 131,281 259,806 42,221 44,777 35,204 * Excludes expenditure on airfield, £48,992.

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Apart from income-tax, which, is levied on the same basis as in New Zealand, and thus affects few individuals apart from European residents, there is no direct taxation of the Maori community. The New Zealand Government has continued to make subsidies and grants available on a generous scale for capital development in health, education, and other social services, and for meeting the budgetary deficits of the Group. G. Banking and Credit The Money-order and Savings-bank Branch of the Post Office offers the only banking facilities in the Territory. The following table gives an account of the business carried out by this Branch during the past five years :

H. International Trade During the year monetary values of both, imports and exports have reached newrecord levels at £315,537 and £214,020 respectively. Measured in terms of cargo tonnages also, there has been an increase over the trade of recent years. Foodstuffs of all kinds have continued to be the largest class of import; other major items, with comparative figures for the previous year, are set out below :

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—- 1945-46. 1946-47. I 1947-48. 1948-49. I 1949-50. Post Office Savings-bank deposits . . £45,929 £60,778 £63,910 £58,984 £80,089 Post Office Savings-bank withdrawals £38,150 £57,105 £65,846 £63,593 £73,900 Number of depositors at 31st March, 4,145 4,489 4,914 5,285 5,646 1950 Amount held to their credit j £87,020 £92,714 £92,946 £90,398 £99,819 Number of Maori depositors 4,026 4,352 4,581 4,742 4,985 Amount held to their credit £60,670 £59,368 £58,533 £60,143 £62,749 Money-orders issued £98,483 £99,012 £146,404 £172,938 £188,842 Money-orders paid £13,640 £32,800 £42,003 £50,478 £67,416

Commodity. Value. Percentage of Total Imports. 1948. | 1 1949. . j 1 1948. | 1949. £ £ Foodstuffs 97,694 101,624 32-5 32-2 Drapery 54,588 67,213 18-2 21-3 Oils and benzine 11,795 22,281 3-2 7-0 Tobacco and cigarettes .. 16,342 16,158 5-4 5-1 Vehicles and parts 11,008 12,441 3-0 4-0 Fruit-cases and sacks 7,678 I 9,097 I 2-5 2-9

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Citrus exports have been higher than for some years, two shipments from Rarotonga being the largest handled since the fruit control scheme took over the industry in 1937. The replanting scheme is beginning to have the effect of swelling exports, and within the next two years citrus fruit from this source will form a large proportion of total shipments. Other notable features during the year have been the continued increase in exports of manufactured apparel and the large exports of pearl-shell to the United States. The following table sets out a comparison of exports by commodities over the last five years : —-

Quantities and Values of Principal Exports

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Commodity. 1945. 1946. 1947. Cases. £ Cases. £ Cases. £ Citrus fruits 74,334 45,411 24,833 19,246 56,973 48,515 Bananas 3,136 1,574 54 27 18 18 Pineapples 808 465 Boxes. Boxes. Boxes. Tomatoes 35,375 27,320 69,550 47,274 22,048 21,049 Tons. Tons. Tons. Copra 563 12,936 617 16,107 793 35,727 Mother-of-pearl shell .. 14 711 48 12,410 131. 24,842 Arrowroot 32 1,636 81 4,380 91 4,362 Candlenuts 277 4,076 Gallons. Gallons. Gallons. Orange-juice 2,728 978 1,975 774 Handicrafts, grassware, 10,881 4,060 2,911 &c. Manufactured goods 1,049 3,058 12,264 (apparel)

Commodity. 1948. 1949. Cases. £ Cases. £ Citrus fruits 38,827 36,864 66,888 56,460 Bananas 38 19 Pineapples 600 433 1,333 900 Boxes. Boxes. Tomatoes 61,290 23,469 22,390 15,485 Tons. Tons. Copra 1,168 57,933 988 47,608 Mother-of-pearl shell .. 114 13,941 288 48,903 Arrowroot 76 4,665 18 616 Candlenuts 171 2,562 Gallons. Gallons. Orange-juice Handicrafts, grassware, 654 &c. Manufactured goods 11,328 27,464 (apparel)

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A comparative summary of export and import statistics by countries of origin and destination is as follows :

The' New Zealand Customs Tariff applies to the Cook Islands, with additional special duties on sugar, cotton piece-goods (except calico), linen piece-goods, piece-goods of mixed linen and cotton, and black twist tobacco. During the war period, import, finance, and price controls were instituted and have been kept in force. Import licences are required for certain goods imported from New Zealand and for all goods imported from other countries. A contract has been concluded during the year with the United Kingdom Ministry of Food for the sale of copra produced in. the Group. The contract is for a nine-year period from Ist January, 1949, and will have a stabilizing effect on the Group's economy. I. Information on Development Programmes Numerous capital development and construction schemes have been planned or carried out during the year. In 1945 a decision was made to re-equip and modernize the Rarotonga Radio Station. Reconstruction began three years later, and was completed in August last. In December a modern telephone system was installed on Rarotonga. Outer villages were linked with Avarua and a new manual exchange put in operation. The Rarotonga electric-power scheme is nearing completion, and is already supplying power to part of the Avarua area. As labour and equipment become free from concluded projects, work will proceed on the Tereora Training and Secondary School, urgently required staff residences, and other capital construction. In outer islands the progress of development programmes is handicapped by problems of transport of technicians, equipment, and materials. Comprehensive plans exist for the rebuilding of schools and dispensaries, and for improvements in reef passages and boat landings. New radio equipment is on order for several islands, and radio-telephone equipment for Penrhyn and Manihiki awaits transport from Rarotonga. A new hospital is planned for Aitutaki, and an extensive roading programme is being carried out on Mangaia.

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. — 1945. 1946. 1 1 1947. | 1948. 1949. Exports, by Country of Destination £ £ £ £ £ New Zealand 100,629 93,817 149,323 155,584 165,033 Australia 1,172 1,254 6,951 United States of America 2,883 12,565 245 514 48,903 Other 1,562 626 2,006 84 Totals 106,246 108,262 158,525 156,098 214,020 Imports, by Country of Origin £ £ £ £ £ New Zealand ! 123,245 | 157,870 ' 201,769 226,427 212,329 Australia ! 3,713 5,652 i 5,301 8,208 7,845 United Kingdom 11,693 18,504 23,647 48,814 68,510 Canada .. .. ' .. 135 1,191 2,743 2,872 6,818 United States of America 2,876 I 8,037 16,501 7,353 11,590 Other 2,408 4,342 3,282 i 6,175 8,445 Totals .. 144,070 195,596 253,243 299,849 315,537 i

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The citrus replanting scheme is being vigorously pursued. The original limits of the scheme have been reached on Rarotonga and Aitutaki, and the acreages made available for replanting on these islands have been increased. At the same time replanting has been extended to Atiu and Mauke. The installation of modern citrusprocessing plant has been under consideration for some time past. During the year the Director of Agriculture has visited citrus-growing areas in Australia and inspected processing machinery, in order to make recommendations for the Cook Island industry. In accordance with the policy of insisting on the highest standards of export produce, the Administration is encouraging the construction of copra-drying kilns throughout the Group. The Assistant Director of Agriculture spent some time in Western Samoa and Tonga during the year inspecting copra-kilns, and has drawn up plans of a model well adapted to local use.

APPENDIX I—INFORMATION RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL ISLANDS

27

1945-46. 1946-47. 1947-48. 1948-49. j 1949-50. Rarotonga Vessels handling cargo 15 14 18 17 22 Other 9 8 8 10 9 Aircraft calls 37 37 31 Exports— Oranges (cases) 12,981 4,790 21,893 8,711 26,106 Copra (tons) 8 8 32 46 86 Other citrus fruit (cases) 4,528 1,464 6,530 2,997 11,736 Bananas (cases) 3,136 54 38 Tomatoes (boxes) 35,096 78,761 21,233 78,385 22,987 Coconuts (bags) 2,490 High Court cases 1j 230 J 1,270 1 1,782 1,475 1,391 Mangaia Shipping calls • 10 13 13 13 19 Oranges (cases) 22,630 11,018 | 14,426 20,671 21,663 Pineapples 708 808 676 1,337 Copra (tons) 6 1 58 33 59 High Court cases 667 517 i 827 505 659 MauJce Shipping calls 1 11 1 11 7 12 15 Oranges (cases) .. 6,530 1,502 5,609 3,030 2,250 Copra (tons) 3 1 6 50 40 High Court cases 65 102 161 205 204 Mitiaro Shipping calls .. .. 4 5 I 9 1 3 8 High Court cases .. . . 51 I Atiu - Shipping calls 12 11 ! 12 10 21 Oranges (cases) 12,916 3,979 8,077 3,326 1,731 Copra (tons) 44 15 . 15 61 59 High Court cases .. .. 528 442 | 505 470 507 Aitutaki Vessels handling cargo 1 19 21 26 13 43 Other 9 Aircraft calls 61 65 77 Exports— Oranges (cases) 12,684 1,000 4,090 Copra (tons) 185 76 i 206 512 Arrowroot (tons) 55 51 74 83 10 High Court cases 320 366 207 ! 232 347

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Appendix I—Information Relating to Individual Islands—continued

APPENDIX lI—RETAIL PRICES OF STAPLE COMMODITIES Bread .. . . . . .. , . 6d. per pound. Biscuits . . . . .. .. Is. 6d. per pound. Butter .. .. . . .. .. Up to 2s. Bd. per pound. Fish (tinned) .. .. .. .. Up to 3s. 4d. per pound. Fish (fresh) . . .. .. Is. per pound. Flour .. . . . . .. .. 3|d. per pound. Meat (tinned) .. .. .. 2s. per pound. Soap .. .. .. .. .. 6d. per cake. Sugar .. .. .. .. .. 9d. per pound. Tea .. .. .. .. .. ss. 6d. per pound. Benzine .. . . .. .. ss. per gallon. Kerosene . . .. . . 3s. Bd. per gallon. White drill .. .. .. .. ss. 4d. per yard.

APPENDIX III—METEOROLOGICAL

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1945-46. 1946-47. 1947-48. 1948-49. 1949-50. Palmerston No figures available. Calls are made occasionally for copra, i tnd sometimes dried fish, which the inhabitants supply to the Central Leper Hospital at Makogai. Pukapuka Shipping calls 1 2 1 3 1 2 8 Copra (tons) 60 80 85 20 96 High Court cases 139 I 158 Manihiki Shipping calls 4 13 1 13 | 9 17 Copra (tons) .. . . 143 93 138 167 150 Mother of pearl-shell (tons) .. 10 ! 63 89 174 228 High Court cases 49 ! 133 87 192 206 RaJcahanga Shipping calls .. .. 1 4 10 1 11 7 9 Copra (tons) .. . . 74 163 115 176 201 High Court cases .. . . .. ] 9 33 18 36 Penrhyn Shipping calls 3 6 13 4 1 10 Copra (tons) 7 87 127 81 73 Mother of pearl-shell (tons) 1 15 10 20 High Court cases 101 142 50 193 116

— 1945. " 1946. i 1947. 1948. 1949. Total rainfall (inches) Number of rainy days Highest fall for any day (inches) Date of occurrence Highest temperature (° p.) Date of occurrence Lowest temperature Date of occurrence Mean of maximum temperature (°F.) Mean of minimum temperature (° F.) Average temperature (° r.) . . 91-69 234 4-63 11 Aug. 88-5 15 Mar. 58-0 3-4 Oct. 81-2 91-69 217 5-08 13 Jan. 89-5 1 Jan. 58-0 10 July 81-0 99-56 211 3-80 5 Feb. 90-2 19 Jan. 55-0 5 Sept. 81-1 57-77 181 4-43 3 Feb. 88-0 1 Feb. 53-8 10 July 80-3 72-59 162 3-11 3 Feb. 91-0 17 Mar. 53-0 17 June 80-5 70-0 69-0 69-5 68-8 69-4 75-6 75-0 75-3 74-6 74-9

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NIUE PART I —GENERAL INFORMATION A. Geography Location Niue, or Savage, Island is situated in the South Pacific Ocean at 169° 46' west longitude and 19° 10' south latitude. It is approximately 300 miles east of Tonga, 350 miles south-east of Samoa, and 580 miles west of Rarotonga. The island is isolated and does not form part of any recognized group. Area and Population Niue has an area of approximately 100 square miles (64,028 acres). It is approximately 13 miles long and 11 miles wide, and the round-island road, which roughly follows the coast-line, is approximately 40 miles in length. The last population census taken in September, 1945, showed a total of 4,253 inhabitants, composed of 23 Europeans and 4,230 Niueans. The inhabitants are distributed amongst twelve villages, whose respective populations according to the September, 1945, figures were as follows : Alofi .. .. .. 967 Liku .. .. 434 Makefu . . . . 212 Hakupu .. . . 463 Tuapa .. .. 349 Fatiau .. .. 87 Namukulu .. .. 92 Tamakautoga .. 235 Hikutavake .. . . 245 Avatele .. .. 329 Mutalau .. .. 635 Lakepa .. .. 305 Total .. 4,253

Alofi, the largest village, is the administrative centre and port of entry for the island. The following table shows the estimated population of the island at 31st March, 1950 :

Topography The island is an elevated coral outcrop with, a coral reef fringing a precipitous and broken coast-line. In general formation it takes the shape of two terraces, the lower coastal terrace being about 90 ft. above sea-level; the upper terrace, which forms the bulk of the island, is about 220 ft. above sea-level. Apart from the rise from the lower to the upper terrace, there are no hills. Seven of the twelve villages are situated on the western lower terrace, and the remaining five are on the upper terrace on the north, east, and south sides. The soil of the island, though fertile, is not plentiful, and this fact, together with the rocky and broken nature of the terrain, makes cultivation difficult and prevents the grazing of stock. The island is heavily wooded in several places, but has no running streams or surface water. There are no good harbours, and the best anchorage, which is at Alofi, is in many ways unsatisfactory.

29

— Males. Females. Total. Europeans 24 10 34 Niueans 2,160 2,277 4,437 Totals 2,184 2,287 4,471

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Climate Niue is on the edge of the hurricane belt, but severe hurricanes are rare, although winds of high velocity are sometimes experienced during the months December until late March. The climate is mild and equable ; the mean annual temperature over the last thirty years was 76-65 degrees and the annual rainfall for the same period averaged 78*898 in. Occasional droughts do occur, but the rainfall is generally well distributed over the whole year. December to March is the recognized " rainy " season, and these are also the hottest months of the year. From April to November, the cooler months, the temperature averages 74 degrees, with warm sunny days and cool nights. The prevailing wind is from the east-south-east. Variable winds are experienced from the west, north, and north-west during the summer months. B. History Niue is believed to have been inhabited for over a thousand years. One historian states that there appear to have been two distinct migrations of people to the island, the first probably from Tonga, the second from Samoa. The evidence of this fact remains to-day in the division of the people into Motu, the northern half of the island, and Tafiti, the southern half of the island. Captain James Cook rediscovered Niue in 1774, making three landings on the western side of the island on the 20th June of that year. He met with a hostile reception from the inhabitants, and, in consequence, called the place Savage Island. The Christian gospel was introduced to the island in 1846 by Peniamina, a Niuean, who had returned after a few years in Samoa. He was followed in 1849 by a Samoan teacher, Paulo, trained by the London Missionary Society. The first European missionary, Rev. W. G. Lawes, landed in 1861. In November, 1887, the Niueans applied to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, to be taken under her protection. This request was repeated in 1898 and also in 1899. Mr. Basil Thompson hoisted the British flag and brought the island under the British Protectorate on the 20th April, 1900. In October, 1900, His Excellency the Earl of Ranfurly, Governor of New Zealand, visited Niue and proclaimed the British sovereignty over the island on the 19th October, 1900. On the 11th June, 1901, the island was annexed to New Zealand by a Proclamation made at Auckland by H.R.H. the Duke of Cornwall and York. The first Government Resident, S. Percy Smith, arrived at Niue from New Zealand on the 11th September, 1901. C. People Composition The Niuean is of Polynesian stock. Owing to the isolation of the island there has been little intermarriage with Europeans, and the proportion of half-castes to the total population is very small. Although there have been no wars or civil disturbances during the past century, the population has shown only a small increase in numbers, and that increase has been during recent years. The limited natural resources of the island, and the earlier extensive use of Niueans as indentured labour in other Pacific groups, are largely responsible for the tendency of the population numbers to remain constant.

30

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The following table shows the ages and sex of the Native population at the census of 25th September, 1945 : Males. Females. Males. Females. Under 5 years .. . . • ■ 305 287 50 years and under 55 years .. 63 87 5 years and under 10 years . . 317 291 55 „ 60 ~ .. 68 98 10 „ 15 „ . . 299 269 60 „ 65 „ . . 36 51 15 „ 20 „ .. 224 210 65 „ 70 .. 34 62 20 ~ 25 ~ .. 119 160 70 years and over .. .. 44 39 25 „ 30 „ . . 121 133 30 „ 35 „ .. 11l 127 2,041 2,189 35 „ 40 „ .. 113 142 s y- I 40 „ 45 „ ..96 113 Total .. .. 4,230 45 „ 50 „ ..91 120 Religion The former pagan heritage of the people has been completely replaced by the Church of the London Missionary Society. Apart from a small Seventh Day Adventist congregation which participates in the activities of the London Missionary Society, there are no other denominations represented on the island. The Church is of great importance in the lives of the Niueans, being now the sole social organization outside the family. The London Missionary Society has a European missionary stationed on the island, and has long maintained mission schools and chapels which, until the recent prosecution of a more vigorous policy of secular education, provided the island with its educational system. Language, <&c. The Niuean language is a Polynesian dialect peculiar to the island but closely related to Tongan, Samoan, and Cook Island Maori. English is taught in all schools, though Niuean is used at Native functions and in the everyday life of the people. The younger generation tend to be bi-lingual. Niuean customs associated with birth, marriage, and death closely resemble those of other Polynesian groups. Cannibalism was quite unknown, nor was tattooing practised. Speech-making is a great feature of Niue life ; their dancing is graceful, resembling the Samoan style rather than the modern " hula " of Karotonga. The Niueans, especially those living on the western shelf, are expert canoe men. For fishing they use a type of out-rigger canoe which is peculiar to the island. The women are expert weavers of hats, baskets, and similar ware, which, during recent years, have been a valuable item of export. The comparative lack of natural resources requires the Niuean to work hard to extract a living from the land. The islanders are industrious and are of a hospitable and peaceful disposition. They have perhaps a slightly lower cultural standard than other Polynesian groups. The traditional form of government is patriarchal, the ruling heads of families, the " patu," having authority in their own villages. In earlier times the " patu " met in conclave under their appointed King to control affairs relating to the island. The Kingship was restored in 1876, and was retained until the end of the century for the purpose of administering a written code of laws. It lapsed, however, with the introduction of the present administration. D. Goveknment Niue is constitutionally included in the Cook Islands, a British Protectorate annexed to New Zealand in 1901 under the provisions of the Colonial Boundaries Act, 1895 (Imperial). In 1903, Niue, while remaining within the boundaries of New Zealand, was placed under a separate Administration which is directly responsible to the New Zealand Government. The inhabitants of Niue have British nationality and New Zealand citizenship.

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Provision for a Constitution for Niue is made by the Cook Islands Act, 1915, and the island is administered under the authority of this Act. The Resident Commissioner, who is responsible to the Minister of Island Territories, Wellington, is charged with the administration of the executive government of Niue. The majority of Administration employees are Niueans, with a few European officers mostly from New Zealand in charge of the Health, Education, Public Works, Police, and Transport Departments. An Island Council meets once every quarter under the presidency of the Resident Commissioner. All villages are represented on the Council, which is composed of thirteen Niuean members appointed by the Governor-General on nominations submitted to him by the Minister of Island Territories. In practice the Councillors are selected by the villages they represent. Laws are made by Act of the New Zealand Parliament, by regulations issued thereunder, or by Ordinances passed by the Island Council and assented to by the Resident Commissioner. The jurisdiction of Island Council Ordinances does not include the establishment of Courts of justice, the imposition of Customs duties, or the expenditure of the revenue of the island. The following legislative measures with effect in Niue have been enacted since the last report was published : Cook Islands Customs (Aircraft) Regulations 1949 (1949/126). Cook Islands Stamp Demonitization Regulations 1949 (1949/131). Cook Islands Sterling Area Currency and Securities Notice 1950. The following Ordinances were passed by the Island Council of Niue and assented to by the Resident Commissioner : Niue Traders' Hours of Business Amendment Ordinance 1949. Niue Curfew Ordinance 1950. South Pacific Commission New Zealand continued its membership of the South Pacific Commission during the year. The projects being undertaken by the Commission have a direct bearing on the social, economic, and educational advancement of an island such as Niue, which can anticipate considerable advantages as the projects reach a more advanced stage. South Pacific Conference Arrangements were made for Mr. Robert Rex, a Niuean member of the Administration staff, to represent Niue in the delegation from the Cook Islands (including Niue) selected to attend the South Pacific Conference at Suva in April-May, 1950. Judicial Organization The Judiciary comprises a High Court with one Judge, a Native Land Court consisting of one Judge and one Commissioner, and a Native Appellate Court of the Cook Islands which has been established to hear appeals from decisions of the Native Land Court. The Resident Commissioner, in his capacity as a Judge of the High Court of the Cook Islands, administers justice in Niue and deals with all civil and criminal cases. On the trial of any person for an offence punishable by death or by imprisonment for more than five years, the Judge is required to sit with assessors. Qualified persons are appointed by the Governor-General as assessors.

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Provision is made for appeal to the Supreme Court of New Zealand from decisions of the High Court. The following is a summary of Court proceedings for the years 1945-49

The majority of the offences for which convictions "were recorded were not of a serious nature, and of the above figures, 275 convictions were for offences under the local Sanitation Ordinance. There were 2 convictions on charges of causing actual bodily harm and 57 convictions for the offence of manufacturing intoxicating liquor. The Native Land Court administers the land laws of the territory. The Court has held no sittings during the past year. The Commissioner of the Native Land Court has settled numerous disputes by negotiation between the parties involved. Penal Administration The police establishment at 31st March, 1950, was as follows : One European Officer in Charge, one Native sergeant, and twelve Native constables. The island was without the services of a European police officer from December, 1948, until November, 1949. There is a Niuean constable in each village of the island, with two constables in the main village of Alofi, which naturally falls into two sections. The Niuean constables undertake a number of duties outside ordinary police work and act as liaison officers between the Administration and the people. The conduct of the Force has been good. The standard of efficiency of the Niuean police is not high, but shows improvement. The European Officer in Charge of Police is also responsible for the censoring of films. E. Human Rights The territory is part of New Zealand and the same guarantees applying to the residents of the metropolitan area apply to those in Niue, with two major additions. First, alienation of land except to the Crown for public purposes is forbidden, and land cannot be taken in execution of debt; secondly, no contract entered into by a Niuean is enforceable without the consent of the High Court. There is no discrimination of creed or race in the administration of justice. The admission of immigrants is strictly controlled and no undesirable person is allowed to enter. No discrimination is made between the rights of men and women on the island, and the Cook Islands Act, 1915, applies both to the indigenous and non-indigenous population. PART II—SOCIAL CONDITIONS A. Social Problems and Cultural Relations The isolation of Niue enables the islanders to lead an extremely simple life in which there are few social problems. The London Missionary Society, being the only denomination, plays a predominant part in the organization of Niuean social life. The Church

2—A 3

33

1945. 1946. 1947. 1948. 1949. Criminal convictions 629 I 400 599 506 928 Civil judgments 1 1 Divorces granted 8 1 14 i3 io 18

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laws and statute law together regulate the code of living of the Niuean. There is no system of chiefs as in other Polynesian groups, nor is there a ruling class or servant class of people. Whilst authority is vested in the heads of families, called " patu," in general the Niuean is essentially an individualist. B. Labour and Employment The only substantial employer of labour is the Administration, which employs Niueans in the Education, Police, Public Works, Transport, and other Departments, and to load or discharge vessels making calls. Apart from this, labour is from time to time engaged by local firms to prepare copra for shipment. During the last three years the Administration has employed a large number of unskilled labourers on public works. The basic wage-rates are 7s. per day for unskilled labour, 9s. per day for waterside work, and a varying scale for higher classes of labour, with provision for overtime and Sunday work when required. Provision for the registration of an industrial workers' union and an employers' union and the machinery for settling labour disputes is contained in the Cook Islands Industrial Regulations 1947. No such organizations have been formed and there have been no labour disputes over the last six years. Only a small proportion of the population is dependent entirely on wages. The bulk of the population is engaged in the cultivation of its lands and the harvesting of crops for local consumption and export. The price of produce purchased by the . trading firms for export is regulated by the Administration to ensure that growers receive full value at current prices. No migratory labour is employed on the island. Some eight Niueans are employed by the New Zealand Government on an annual contract basis at Raoul Island. Some fifteen Niueans are at present working for the New Zealand Reparation Estates in Western Samoa. All contracting arrangements for such labour are made through the Administration. High wages and easier living conditions attract a number of Niueans to New Zealand each year, but, in view of the infrequent shipping calls, the volume of departures is not great and presents no problem to the Administration. C. Public Health and Sanitation Niue, although situated in the tropics, is largely free from diseases prevalent in tropical countries. However, certain other infections, notably tuberculosis, have become established which, together with periodic epidemics, have provided the main health problems. The health of the people during the past twelve months has been good. There were no serious epidemics. The endemic disease of filariasis remains prevalent among the people, but yaws continues to decrease. Pulmonary tuberculosis has increased and gonorrhoea again became prevalent. The principal difficulty in combating disease on Niue arises from the isolation of the island and the consequent lack of contact with more developed areas of the Pacific. This engenders an unfamiliarity with modern methods of hygiene and public health, and a lack of understanding of the benefits of up-to-date techniques, attitudes which can only be overcome slowly by continual demonstration and explanation. The Administration, through the Medical, Education, and Police Departments, gives as much health education to the people as possible. Constant and strict surveillance of villages and enforcement of health and sanitation regulations serve to bring home to the Niuean the part he must play in overcoming one of the most serious problems of the island. There are no running streams or surface water on Niue and rain-water for household and drinking purposes is stored in concrete tanks and reservoirs. The Administration assists the people in the erection of the water catchments and tanks.

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Tlie development of the deep well has been delayed until tests have been completed to determine the potability of the water struck at 175 ft. If the tests prove that the water is pure for .drinking, investigations will be made to discover whether it is practical to sink wells in the vicinity of all villages. Under a local Ordinance, every dwellinghouse must have a pit privy, and on account of the porous nature of the coral terrain, these privies are quite satisfactory. The amounts expended on health services during the last five years are as follows :

All medical and dental treatment, including hospitalization, is provided free of charge to the inhabitants. The money for this expenditure is provided out of subsidies from the New Zealand Government. There is one general or public hospital, situated near Alofi, and maintained by the Administration. This hospital contains sixteen beds, but averages many more patients during periods of epidemic or serious illness. Attached to the hospital is an x-ray unit, a dispensary, an out-patients' clinic, and a dental clinic. All outer villages are visited each week by the Medical Officer, and to assist him in this work a mobile clinic is now being constructed. School, shipping, and public health inspections are carried out, and there is a child welfare clinic held weekly in each village. The out-patients' dispensary at the hospital is open each morning, and special calls are made to villages as required. The staff of the Medical Department at 31st March, 1950, consisted of a European Matron, a European Nursing Sister, a Tongan Assistant Medical Practitioner, and two Niuean Dental Officers. In addition, there were three Niuean Dispenser-Orderlies, one Niuean Dental Assistant, and six Niuean Nurses, all of whom are untrained. From the beginning of September, 1949, Niue has been without the services of a European Medical Officer and his duties have been carried out by the Assistant Medical Practitioner since that time. The Medical Department has no facilities for training medical or dental staff; however, two Niueans are at present being trained as Assistant Medical Practitioners; in addition, another is being trained as a Dispenser and one other as a Sanitary Inspector and Mosquito Control Officer. These Niueans are receiving their training at the Central Medical School, Suva. Three Niuean girls are being trained as Nurses at the Government Hospital, Apia. Vital Statistics Births for the calendar ye ay 1949 .. .. .. 148 Deaths for the calendar year 1949 .. .. .. 95 Births per 1,000 of population .. .. .. .. 33-84 Deaths per 1,000 of population .. .. .. .. '2l-71 The number of deaths under one year of age for the calendar year 1949 was 18, the infant-mortality rate per 1,000 live births being 121-62;

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— 1945-46. 1946-47. 1947-48. 1948-49. 1949-50. Amount expended Population Amount per head of population £5,305 4,271 £1 4s. 9d. £8,211 4,328 £1 17s. lid. 1 £7,293 4,318 £1 13s. 9d. £8,019 4,333 £1 17s. 0d. £7,529 4,471 £1 13s. 8d.

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Table I shows how the deaths were distributed according to age throughout thepopulation

Table II shows the number of deaths brought about by disease and other causes,, and the rate per thousand of population in each case : —-

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Number of Percentage of Deaths. Total Deaths. Under 1 week 1] 1-05" 1 week to 1 month 2 1 21 1 month to 3 months 2 1 >18 21 ; >18-95 3 months to 6 months 1 1-05 1 6 months to 12 months .. 12 J 12-65 j 1 year to 2 years 7 7-35 2 years to 3 years 4 4-2 3 years to 4 years 1 1-05 4 years to 5 years 1 1-05 5 years to 10 years 1 1-05 Over 10 years 63 66-35 Totals 95 100-00

— Number. Rate Per J 1,000 Population. (a) Infectious diseasesTuberculosis Infective hepatitis (jaundice) Infantile gastro-enteritis Acute laryngitis (with obstruction) Broncho-pneumonia Influenza .. .. .. (b) Other causesSenility (over seventy years) Malnutrition Birth injury Ulcerative stomatitis .. .. Antepartum haemorrhage (placenta prsevia) Carbuncles, abscesses, septicaemia, &c. Ovarian tumour Chronic bronchitis and debility Hemiplegia (cerebral thrombosis) Malignant tumours Prematurity Indefinite and undiagnosed complaints Totals 28 3 2 1 4 2 6-40 0-69 0-46 0-23 0-91 0-46 42 per cer 22 4 1 4 1 4 1 1 3 2 1 11 Y ' it. of total. 5-02 0-91 0-23 0-91 0-91 0-91 0-23 0-23 0-69 0-46 0-23 2-51 58 per cen t. of total. 95 21-71

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Table III: A summary of the work performed at the hospital and during weekly .and other visits for a period of five years ended 31st December, 1949, is set out below :

Table IV : The number of cases of infectious diseases occurring over the period <of the past five years are set out in the following table : —-

Details of the state of nutrition of the whole population are not available. There .are signs of malnutrition among children between the . ages of nine months and two years caused by early weaning and incorrect feeding. Child welfare work by the

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Year Ending 31st December, 1945. 1946. 1947. 1948. 1949. (a) Hospital and out-patients— In-patients Out-patients attendances Special visits Operations— Major .. .. .. \ Minor .. .. .. J Anaesthetics — General Local and regional Number of x-rays Daily bed average Average number of days in hospital 4b) Dental — Total number of patients Number of operations performed Number of extractions Number of fillings Miscellaneous prophylactic, scaling, Xrn 71 23,024 2,295 369 2 315 4-55 11-29 221. 139 21,839 1,891 137 29 134 6 10 950 699 j 26,3771 5,589J 260 119 100 16 8 1 i 317 403 29,663 13 205 88 114 17 16-3 15 2,970 5,149 1,237 1,345 2,567 1 313 11,727 1,835 6 180 67 97 223 14 15-8 4,085 6,099 1,483 1,567 3,049 Out. 4c) Child welfare and schools — Children and infants seen Visits to homes (d) Public health, &c.— Shipping visits Ships quarantined 11,456 11,260 755 12 9 14,561 455 16

Diseases. 1945. 1946. 1947. 1948. 1949. Yaws 1,038 1,173 1,218 327 229 'Tuberculosis (all forms) 26 13 27 65 47 Infective hepatitis (jaundice) 112 49 65 24 13 ■Gonorrhoea 44 171 88 26 82 'Typhoid fever 13 12 7 4 Infantile gastro-enteritis 72 5 Dysentery (unclassified) 5 Leprosy 1 2 2 Pneumonia and broncho-pneumonia 29 41 427 83 14 Puerperal fever 3 2 7 2 Varicella 25 5 8 1 5 Whooping-cough 606 237 Measles 3,056 Influenza 197 112 Widespread Ringworm 146 55 1,222 Widespread „ Scabies .. .. .. 166 163 33 Filaria 181 120 132 Prevalent Prevalent Myositis tropica .. .. 6 60 10 „ „ 'Tetanus 2 1

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European Nursing Sister is combating these practices and encouraging a changed "attitude amongst parents who have hitherto shown little appreciation of this problem. Daily supplies of malted milk to school-children are provided,: and this scheme continues to show beneficial results. Difficulty is still experienced in obtaining the services of qualified European medical staff; also, continuity of the work is without doubt adversely affected by short-term appointments. The services of the two Niuean students at the Central Medical School, Suva, and the three student nurses at the Apia Hospital, Western Samoa, will become available early in 1951. Child welfare work, which is now in its fifth year, is carried out by a European Nursing Sister who visits every village weekly. A clinic is held, and homes are visited to see sick children. Practical demonstrations were given to show the rudiments of' hygiene and the preparing, cooking, and feeding of suitable native foods to infants, but the attendances were not encouraging. A recognized infant-food is issued free of charge where considered necessary by the medical authorities. Children in the Administration schools were inspected during the year by the Medical Practitioner. Lectures in elementary hygiene were again given to the Administration school-teachers, who also carry out routine treatment of minor skin-diseases among the school-children. All children and teachers of the Administration and mission schools are regularly examined and are given dental treatment where necessary. Dental Officers also give lectures on the care of teeth. D. Housing Conditions and Programmes By local Ordinance, all dwellinghouses must be provided with proper and sufficient ventilation, and the medical authorities have power to condemn dwellinghouses considered unfit for habitation. For a number of years, construction of Native houses was of coral stone foundations coated with cement, native timber, lime plaster walls, and a corrugated-iron roof. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining supplies of corrugated-iron and cement, the recent tendency has been for houses to be constructed in more simple style with the walls and roof made of coconut-leaf thatch. This type of house, whilst not so imposing as the former structure, provides natural ventilation and is considered to be far more healthy. The Administration is proceeding, with the development programmes outlined in the last report. Two houses and a new Residency are now partially completed. In addition, the programme provides for another house, new prison quarters, improvements to public buildings and roads, and extension of water-supplies. During the year, the Administration assisted the local mission in the reconstruction of accommodation for theological students. E. Welfare and Relief The aged people in each village are under the protective surveillance of the Niuean constable, and this, together with periodic visits by the European Police Officer in Charge, ensures that they are being properly cared for. The Church authorities supply food and clothing in some cases. PART lII—EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS The educational policy outlined in the 1949 annual report is being continued. The difficulties and disadvantages of teaching the Niuean children solely in the English language were placed before the Island Council in September, 1949. Members, after discussing the matter very fully, unanimously passed the following resolution: — " The proposal to teach in Niuean as well as in English in Administration schools is agreed to by the Island Council and it is recommended that the-

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proposal be put into operation as soon as possible. It is also recommended by the Island Council that the teachers should take lessons in their own language so that they can impart their knowledge correctly to the children." Increased emphasis has been placed on the teaching in Niuean, and the preparation of reading texts in the Niuean language is in hand. The Administration maintains schools in the villages of Alofi, Hakupu, and Mutalau under the over-all control of a European Headmaster in Charge. The London Missionary Society provides education to children in the other nine villages and receives a subsidy of £BOO per annum from the Administration for this work. The proposal to replace the mission schools with four regional schools is being proceeded with and plans and specifications of the permanent buildings required are now being prepared. With the erection of these schools, the policy of free Government education will be extended to all school-children between the ages of six and fourteen years. The Administration schools teach the subjects as laid down in the syllabus of instruction contained in the regulations of 1934. Sewing, woodwork, and Native handicraft classes have been held regularly. New sewing-machines for the sewing classes, and additional tools for woodwork, have permitted development in these activities. The elementary medical education of children in al] grades continues, and during the year children were taught to process coconut-oil for use in skin treatments. In addition to practical tuition in agriculture, special attention has been given this year to the planting of coconuts by the pupils, and over 11,000 nuts were planted. Full use of the 16 mm. sound-film projector has been made in the schools, and the films have been also shown to parents. Class-room instruction has been assisted considerably by the use of the film-strip projector. A scheme to accelerate the brightest pupils at an early age to enable them to reach a European standard of education before it is too late to commence professional or other training has been introduced at Tufukia School in the 1950 school year. A class of thirty selected from the three Government schools wijl be in the charge of a European teacher who is to be appointed specially for this purpose. Regular classes for the training of local teachers were held by the European Headmaster in Charge and the European Infant-mistress. Special lectures in Polynesian legends were given at these classes by the Resident Commissioner. Sixty teachers sat for their qualifying examinations and fourteen gained their Junior Teachers' Certificate and six their Senior Teachers' Certificate. Two teachers were given a six months' observation course in New Zealand Maori schools during the year and a further two have been selected for similar work for next year. Under the New Zealand Government scholarship scheme, seven Niuean boys are receiving education in New Zealand schools. Two Niuean boys are in their final year at the Central Medical School, Suva, and three Niuean girls will at the end of this year complete their training as Njirses at the Apia Hospital, Western Samoa. Two further boys are receiving training at the Central Medical School, Suva, one as a Dispenser and the other as a Sanitation Inspector and Mosquito Control Officer. Another Niuean youth is being given tuition at the Suva Technical School as a Manual Instructor, and will take up duties in the Tufukia Technical School on his return. The absence of any single large community on Niue, the travelling involved in reaching the villages, which are scattered widely throughout the island, and the preoccupation of a hard-worked staff with the normal routine of school education prevent the development of any broad scheme of adult education. The Administration has necessarily confined its activities to training additional Niuean teachers in preparation for replacing mission with Administration schools. The London Missionary Society provides special training for fitting selected students into positions as pastors in the various villages. Both types of training provide a useful basis for extending adult education in future years.

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The following table sets out the roll numbers of Administration and mission schools during the last five years :

The rolls of Administration schools for 1949, average attendances, staff numbers, and pupil-teacher ratios are set out below :

During the year a school journal written in the Niuean language has been introduced with signal success. The journal includes fables, legends of Polynesia, and other articles which have helped to broaden the educational experience of the Niuean school-child. Periodical school inspection is carried out by the Officer for Islands Education, whose headquarters are in Wellington, with closer supervision by the Headmaster in Charge of Niuean schools. Physical education in the schools contains a blend of traditional Niuean and introduced European games. Native dances are encouraged, and there are organized inter-school basketball and Rugby football competitions. A few traditional European songs have been introduced slowly into the schools. New music has been written for the daily rendering of the Lord's Prayer in school assemblies. Orders have been placed for additional musical instruments to assist in accompaniments. The three Administration schools have given formal art instruction during the year with good results. The extension of secular education to include those villages relying on mission schools awaits completion of plans and availability of necessary building-materials. The additional staff which will be required are at present under training. PART IY—ECONOMIC CONDITIONS A. Natural Resources The natural resources of Niue lie exclusively in the products of the soil. The island is well wooded, and supplies of timber for housing and canoe-making are obtained from the indigenous forest, which grows luxuriantly on the decayed coral. Material for plaited ware such as mats, baskets, hats, and table-mats is obtained from the coconuttrees and the leaves of the pandanus palm. The coconut is to be found all over the island, though it grows only sparsely in the interior. The coconut grows to perfection on the lower terrace, where it forms a forest which almost rings the island.

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1945. 1946. 1947. . 1948. 1 1949. Administration schools 679 667 653 701 710 London Missionary Society 506 521 454 524 515 schools Totals .. 1,185 | 1,188 1,107 1,225 1,225

School. Rolls. Average Niuean Teachers (Including j Teacher-trainees). j Teacher . Pupils Attendance. Ratio.* Boys. Girls. Total. Men. 1 IWomen. Total. ! i i 1 Tufukia 183 146 329 286-82 12 18 30 1 : 11 Kofekofe 109 90 199 176-19 10 10 ! 20 1 : 10 Tuasea 93 89 182 167-23 | 1 15 6 -21 1:9 * The low teacher-pupil ratio is due to the large number of junior Niuean teachers under training against the time when the Administration takes over the schools at present being run by the London Missionary Society.

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Foodstuffs such as taro, yams, tapioca, maize, and other vegetables are cultivated in plantations, usually situated at a considerable distance from the villages. The banana, of which there are several varieties, grows almost everywhere, and flourishes even in the rockiest areas of the island. Limes and lemons grow well; no attempt, however, has been made to cultivate the orange extensively, though experimental plantings have been made. Pia, or native arrowroot, is not cultivated, but grows wild in the bush and semi-barren areas. The extremely rocky nature of the island makes agriculture difficult, and practically all crops have to be grown in the small pockets of soil among the coral rocks. The only live-stock that can be kept under these conditions are pigs and poultry, the quality of which the Administration improves from time to time by importing new blood and varieties. Niue does not abound in fish, which are neither plentiful nor easily caught on account •of the absence of any natural harbour, beach, barrier reef, or other shallow water anywhere on the coast-line. Shell-fish are not abundant; land crabs are found and are used as food by the people. A reconnaissance soil survey of Niue was undertaken by an officer of the Soil Bureau, New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, between 20th April and 25th May, 1949. The specific recommendations made by this officer in his report Are as follows : (1) Preparation of an educational brochure, mainly for use in the schools, on the urgent need to conserve organic matter in Niuean soils. (2) Appointment of an Agricultural Officer resident on the island to — (a) Conduct experimental work in collaboration with the Departments of Agriculture in New Zealand and Fiji, and with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in New Zealand. (b) Advise the Administration concerning Ordinances relating to agricultural production. (c) Assist with educational work in schools, and with evening talks to village committees. (d) Develop demonstration projects in collaboration with Native landowners. {3) Continuation of land survey and inauguration of a land title survey by a judicial Board, to confirm ownership and open up the way for permanent soil improvements. {4) Commence experiments in grassland establishment, dairy and beef farming, at Fonuakula. {5) Extension of experimental citrus orchards on lands adjacent to Fonuakula. (6) Field trials with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash manures, with various legume crops, to find a means of shortening the interval between planting staple food crops without further impoverishing the soil." (7) Field trials with potash and nitrogen manures as a means of extending the useful life of banana plantations. B. Agricultural Production and Marketing The economic life of the island is dependent upon the exports of copra, Native plaited ware, and bananas. Under present-day conditions, copra is the largest and most valuable commodity ■of export. It is all Native grown and is sun-dried. The two local purchasing firms have entered into a nine years' contract for the supply of copra to the United Kingdom Ministry of Food, and under the terms of the agreement the production from Niue is Actually shipped to New Zealand.

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The price to the grower is fixed by the local Administration on the basis of export realization, less a reasonable profit and handling margin for the traders. Exports are inspected and check-weighed with the firms by the Administration. Bananas are purchased by the Marketing Department of New Zealand at a fixed price per case for each year. The fruit is all Native grown and is purchased and exported by the local Administration on behalf of the New Zealand Marketing Department. All shipments of bananas are inspected before export by locally trained Niueans. Small quantities of kumaras are being grown, and it is hoped to have sufficient later in the year to make a trial shipment to New Zealand. Exports in the past have not been large, but have provided an additional source of income for the growers. The experimental plot of citrus trees imported from Rarotonga and cultivated by the Administration is showing good results and the trees should be in production next year. A census of agriculture as part of the organization of the Food and Agriculture World Census of Agriculture is to be carried out in Niue during the coming year. It is anticipated that this census will provide additional information on the agricultural potential of the island. Land Tenure By the Cook Islands Act, 1915, land is vested in the Crown, subject to Native rights gained and held under ancient custom and usage. Land acquired by the Administration for public purposes represents a negligible part of the whole, and areas in each village used for Church purposes are held on lease to revert to the Native title-holder when no longer employed for those purposes. The ownership and the boundaries of the first type of land, the so-called Native " customary" land, are now generally disputed, and the Native Land Court possesses exclusive jurisdiction to investigate the title to customary land and to determine the relative interests of the owners. As the Niuean depends for his livelihood upon his family lands, alienation is prohibited, so that there are no land-owners apart from the Administration and the island people. No lease of Native land is for a period exceeding sixty years. The passing of land by will is prohibited. On the death of either parent of a family, the land passes to the children ; if there are no children, the land reverts to the family, and is thus pass.ed from generation to generation by blood descent. This policy of land tenure ensures the Niuean sufficient food and shelter, and money with which to purchase clothing and other necessities. There are differences in the wealth of the families, but under the influence of communal ownership, intermarriage, and the customary adoption of children, these differences lose any. significance. Niue offers little encouragement to Europeans to settle. C. Industry The only industries on Niue are those based on Native manual skills, of which mat and hat weaving are examples. Competition from foreign sources of supply has had the effect of diminishing the quantity and value of the exports during the year, and efforts are being made to extend the market for this produce, which is essential to the economy of the island. D. Standard of Living As recorded last year, there are no details available to measure the national income. The list in Appendix II sets out the current retail prices of the principal items of consumption and may be used for a comparison of costs of living. Although the Niuean population lives largely off the land, the recent tendency, caused by the high prices received for copra, has been for the people to make greater purchases of foodstuffs from the stores. Bread, for instance, is sold in every village of the island, and imported soapand kerosene are now everyday necessities.

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E. Communications Post Office and Radio Station A radio station is maintained by the Administration for overseas communication, and a single-line telephone system connects the villages on the island. Full postal services are provided at Alofi, and the following table gives a summary of the transactions over the past five years :

The Niue Post Office Savings-bank is a branch of the New Zealand Post Office Savings-bank. The figures given above relate only to local transactions in Niue, as it is not possible to give an accurate indication of the total transactions for the year. Technical assistance in the operation and maintenance of the Niue postal and radio system is given by the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department, which supplies .the European staff on secondment. Transport Niue has some seventy miles of main highway roads. These roads are of improved earth construction and surfaced for about thirty miles with makatea or coral sand, which is obtained, from deposits on the upper terrace. The coastal road, which is about forty miles long, passes through all twelve villages. In addition, there are three crossisland roads, from Alofi to Hakupu, Liku, and Lakepa villages, which are approximately seven, nine, and eight miles long respectively. These main roads are 12 ft. wide and are the all-weather type ; there are no bridges or viaducts. As secondary highways there are almost twenty-four miles of unimproved earth, non-surfaced roads which have been made by the islanders to open up new areas for crop cultivation. The transport of goods and produce to and from the port of Alofi is carried out by the Administration and privately owned motor-trucks. There are no passenger transport services. At Alofi there is no harbour, and shipping is worked at a poor anchorage in deep water. Cargo is transhipped by launch-towed whaleboats plying between the ship's side and a concrete jetty erected alongside a narrow boat passage blasted years ago through the fringing coral reef. The transport section of the Administration, which is staffed by thirteen Niueans and a European mechanic in charge, is responsible for the maintenance of thirteen motorvehicles, the launch engine, two Diesel engines, three small generating plants, and a generating plant which supplies power for the hospital. The Public Works Department equipment is also serviced, and includes a Diesel tractor, Diesel-operated air-compressor, three 240 v. generating plants, and two small stationary engines. The 30 cwt. truck which arrived in December is kept in continual use by the Medical Department, being used for district work and the conveying of patients to and from the hospital. The truck averages over 1,000 miles a month on this work. An additional car has also been obtained for the use of the Administration. Improvement in the availability of spare parts from New Zealand has had the effect of speeding up the servicing and repair work on all vehicles. Extensive alterations have been carried out in enlarging the Transport Department's workshops and office. All work can now be undertaken inside the building, which was not possible previously.

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— 1945-46. 1946-47. 1947-48. 1948-49. 1949-50. Money-orders issued Money-orders paid Post Office Savings-bank deposits .. Post Office Savings-bank withdrawals Number of radio messages handled £7,177 £3,781 £8,709 £1,359 2,001 £9,531 £4,894 £4,501 £972 2,346 " £7,840 £3,364 £4,927 £464 2,790 £19,668 £4,728 £6,865 '£906 3,093 £22,577 £2,268 £5,402 £820 2,986

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Public Works For the past year a Buildings Overseer and a gang of European tradesmen have been on loan from the New Zealand Ministry of Works for the purpose of erecting residences and schools for the local Administration. The local Public Works Department is responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads, buildings, water-supply, and other amenities, and the Buildings Overseer has, in addition to his other duties, supervised the carrying-out of this work. The major work of the new residences commenced in April, and at 31st March the blocklaying of two new houses and the Residency was •completed. The roofing and interior work has been held up pending receipt of the necessary materials. The concrete wharf, which was liable to storm damage, was strengthened. An additional portion of the wharf roadway was concreted, and a new boat-shelter constructed, mostly of native materials. Considerable repairs were made to the cargo lighters and launch. New pit privies were erected at Kofekofe and Tuasea Schools, and repairs to schools buildings were also carried out. The resurfacing of the portion of the round-island road between Alofi and Hakupu (approximately six miles) is almost completed. This work was suspended owing to the shortage of benzine-supplies. The European plumber has carried out extensive repairs to tanks and water catchments in most villages. Various alterations and repairs have been carried out at the Nurses' home and hospital, including the provision of a sluice-room. General maintenance and repairs were carried out on Administration buildings, residences, and furniture. F. Public Finance New Zealand currency is in use. In view of the limited revenue derived from the exports of the territory and from all other sources, and the expenditure necessary to carry out the New Zealand Government sponsored development programmes, Niue cannot, under present conditions, be self-supporting. In meeting the increasing costs of maintenance and improvement of present public services and to continue with the programme of planned development, Niue has a yearly deficit which is met by special and general subsidies from the New Zealand Government. Revenue within the island is raised principally from the sale of stamps,-radio telegrams, High Court fines, and import and export duties. Direct taxation in the form of a poll-tax, known as an " Aid to Revenue," is levied on all Native males aged eighteen years and over at the rate of 10s. per annum. A tax on all dogs over the age of six months is also levied at the rate of ss. per annum. Income-tax at New Zealand rates is payable, and, in addition, all seconded New Zealand Government officials pay social security tax. The £2OO personal exemption leaves few taxable incomes and, in effect, income-tax is collected only from Government officials and three of four traders. Estimated revenue for the year 1950-51 is £33,824, while estimated expenditure is £88,865, leaving a deficit to be covered by subsidy from New Zealand of £55,041. Large items of expenditure outside of salaries include residences and new schools, £17,590 ; new plant, including.motor-vehicles, £4,900 ; maintenance of scholarships in New Zealand, £1,680 ; and water-supply, £750. A comparative statement of expenditure over the last five years is as follows :

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Year. Revenue. Expenditure. Deficit. Subsidy. Final Surplus or Deficit. £ £ 1 £ £ £ 1945-46 14,590 25,123 10,533 7,755 -2,778 1946-47 .. 28,726 32,387 3,661 5,000 + 1,339 1947-48 28,418 42,730 14,313 6,522 -7,791 1948-49 19,434 50,820 31,386 32,257 + 871 1949-50 34,673 74,942 40,269 44,83-8 +4,569

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Depreciation and other writings-off totalling £2,664 are included in the expenditure. The main items of revenue for the year were : £ Stamp sales .. .. .. .. .. 3,769 Customs import duties . . .. . . 6,471 Income-tax .. .. .. .. .. 3,100 G. Banking and Credit There are no trading banks established on the island. The problem of providing a suitable form of rural credit to enable Niueans to develop their lands or to gain access to the soil has not yet arisen in Niue, though it is possible that the development planned for the island may require some type of financial assistance to be made available. H. International Trade During the year a fairly regular shipping service was maintained. There were fourteen shipping calls by the regular passenger and cargo vessels N.Z.G.M.V. " Maui Pomare " and the Union Steam Ship Co.'s m.v. " Matua." A special call was made by the Union Steam Ship Co.'s m.v. " Katui "to uplift copra. Two calls were made by the auxiliary schooner " New Golden Hind." H.M.N.Z.S. " Hawea " made an official visit in July, and H.M.N.Z.S. " Rotoiti" called in December to transfer Niuean labourers for Raoul Island. Exclusive of parcel mail, the inward cargo, 1,472 tons, and the outward cargo, 1,136 tons, handled during the year was a record amount for the port of Alofi. In addition, 2,771 bags of parcel-mail, mostly containing Native plaited ware, were shipped, and this also is an increase over last year's figure. During the year 113 passengers disembarked and 139 embarked, both figures being an increase on those for the previous year. Import and export values for 1949 exceeded the figures of 1948 and constitute new record levels for the Territory. The adverse trade balance is to some extent due to the comparatively, large importation of materials for developmental programmes. Comparative statistics for the last five years are as follows :

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Country of Origin. 1945. 1946. 1947. 1948. 1949. Import Values £ £ £ £ £ New Zealand 23,620 37,984 52,290 57,962 63,127 Australia 251 643 1,485 1,538 2,042 United Kingdom 2,935 6,503 1,721 6,452 9,081 United States of America 10 730 458 800 Western Samoa 116 21 1 *074 49 7 Other 40 796* 2,226t 3,049$ 1,704 ' Totals .. 26,972 46,677 58,796 69,508 76,761 Export Values New Zealand \ 27,674 29,721 42,266 45,046 50,533 Australia 1,662 6,142 2,926 1,677 1,505 Western Samoa 399 Other' 132 10 ' 46 14 Totals 29,468 35,873 45,591 46,769 52,052 * Includes India, £585. f Includes Rarotonga, £1,070. $ Includes India, £1,081.

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The following table sets out the quantities and values of the principal exports over the period of the last five years :

The record shipment of copra from the territory and the high price it commands have been the two main factors which have contributed to the island's continuing prosperity. The price of copra is regulated by a nine years' contract with the United Kingdom Ministry of Food. During the past year the planting of young palms has been considerably increased and growers have given greater attention to the care of their coconut plantations. The number of cases of bananas shipped was disappointingly small, but increased plantings have been carried out and it is hoped that larger shipments will be made at the end of 1950 when the new shoots come into bearing. The large drop in Native plaited ware exports this year may very well be due to the renewal of competitive imports from foreign countries into New Zealand, as pointed out in last year's report. Hat exports, which were the chief object of concern in this connection, have dropped from 7,992 dozen in 1948 to 842 dozen in 1949. Exports of both basketware and table-mats improved during the year, but in no way made up for. the tremendous drop in the export of hats. The New Zealand Customs Tariff is in force and there is free trade between the territory and New Zealand. Local duties are, however, imposed on cotton piece-goods, sugar, and twist tobacco, irrespective of their countries of origin. APPENDIX I—METEOROLOGICAL REPORT A summary of the observations recorded at the radio station at Alofi for the year ended 31st December, 1949, and a comparison with the previous four years is contained in the following table :

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Year. Copra. Bananas. Tvumaras. Plaited Ware : Value. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. ' Quantity. Value. Tons. £ Cases. . £ Tons. £ £ 1945 415 9,986 7,662 4,141 10 141 14,683 1946 352 10,179 9,346 5,335 20 292 19,652 1947 695 28,505 15,797 1948 572 29,571 1 008 660 16,262 1949 893 43,843 3,328 1,724 6,080

— 1945. 1946. 1947. 1948. i | 1949. Total rainfall (inches) 80-80 93-94 71-09 ! 94-67 67-05 Number of rainy days 177 187 189 149 187 Highest fall for any day (inches) 3-60 4-50 3-72 9-99 8-09 Date of occurrence 23 Apr. 15 Dec. 17 May 31st Oct. 1 Jan. Highest temperature (° f.) 92-0 90-8 90-2 91-0 88-4 Date of occurrence .. 22 Mar. 28 Mar. 20 Mar. 6 Oct. 21 Feb. Lowest temperature (° p.) 57-0 60-2 57-5 58-4 58-2 Date of occurrence 6 June 27 June 26 Aug. 19 Sept. 21 July Mean of maximum temperature (°f.) Mean of minimum temperature 82-3 82-3 82-2 81-8 82-7 70-3 70-2 70-5 69-2 70-1 (° F.)

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A period of slight drought was experienced during the months of April, May, and -June, 1949, the total rainfall for the three months being 5-9 in. Plantations and food «crops were not damaged by any storms. Niue is included in the system by which islands receive hurricane warnings from the Fiji Meteorological Service, and maintains six weather schedules daily with that office.

APPENDIX II The following table shows the retail prices of the principal items of consumption :

Bacon .. .. 2s. 9d. per pound. Beef .. .. Is. 3d. per pound. Biscuits (cabin bread) .. Is. to Is. 2d. per pound. Biscuits (fancy) .. .. 2s. sd. per pound. Butter (fresh) .. 2s. per pound. Butter (tinned) .'. .. 2s. 6d. per pound. ■Cheese (tinned) .. 2s. 6d. per 12 oz. Cocoa .. .. 2s. 9d. per pound. Coffee .. .. ss. per pound. Dripping .. Is. 2d. per pound. Fish (tinned) .. .. 3s. per pound. Flour .. .. .. 3d. per pound. Fruit (tinned) .. .. 2s. sd. per tin. •Jams (tinned, 14 oz.) .. Is. 3d. per tin. Matches . . .. Is. per packet. Ham . . .. 2s. 6d. per pound. Meats (fresh) .. Is. 9d. to 2s. 6d. per pound. Meats (tinned) .. 2s. per pound. Milk (sweetened, condensed) Is. 3d. per 14 oz. Milk (unsweetened, condensed) .. Is. 6d. per 16 oz. Milk (powdered) .. 3s. per pound. Peanuts .. 2s. per pound. Potatoes and onions .. sd. per pound. Rice .. .. .. 7d. per pound. Salt .. .. .. 3d. per pound. Soap (laundry) . . Is. Bd. per bar. Soap (toilet) .. .. 6d. per cake. .Sugar .. .. .. Bd. per pound. Soups (tinned) .. .. Is. 2d. per pound. Vegetables (tinned) .. Is. 6d. per pound. Waters, mineral .. lOd. per bottle. .Sweets .. 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. per pound. ■Chewing-gum .. .. l|d. per packet. Chocolate (cake) .. Is. 6d. per pound. Tobacco (cigarette) .. 3s. 4d. per 2 oz. Tobacco (pipe) .. .. 3s. 6d. per 2 oz. Tobacco (twist) .. .. 12s. per pound. Cigarettes .. Is. per packet. Cigarette-papers .. 2d. per packet. Aspirins .. Is. 9d. per packet. Brilliantine .. Is. to Is. 9d. per jar. Talc powder .. Is. 9d. to 2s. 6d. per packet. Toothpaste .. Is. 6d. per tube. Exercise books .. .. Bd. each. Writing-pads .. .. Is. each. Envelopes .. .. 6d. per dozen.

Cups and saucers .. 2s. 6d. each. Plates (dinner) .. .. Is. 6d. each. Tumblers (glass) .. Is. 3d. each. Frying-pans .. .. 9s. each. Saucepans (medium) .. 15s. each. Lanterns (hurricane) .. 15s. each. Lamps (pressure) .. £5 each. Stoves (primus) .. £2 each. Axes .. .. .. 14s. 6d. each. Bush knives .. .. ss. 2d. to 7s. 3d. each. Bicycles .. .. £2l each. Bicycle tires .. .. 15s. each. Bicycle tubes . . .. 6s. 9d. each. Bicycle chains .. .. 9s. 3d. each. Bicycle rims .. .. 13s. 6d. each. Kerosene, lighting .. 3s. 3d. per gallon. Methylated spirits .. 9s. per gallon. Benzine .. 6s. per gallon. Cement .. .. 15s. per bag. Paint (house) .. £3 per gallon. I Brushes (paint), 4 in. .. 13s. 6d. each. Brushes (whitewash) .. 9s. each. Cotton prints material .. 3s. to 4s. per yard. Cotton drill material .. 4s. 6d. per yard. Gingham .. 6s. per yard. Pareu cloth .. ss. per yard. Calico .. .. 2s. sd. to 3s. 9d. per yard. Silk (artificial) .. .. 4s. 6d. to ss. per yard. Sheeting .. .. 6s. per yard. Mosquito netting .. 6s. per yard. Blankets .. .. 655. per pair. Towels (hand) .. .. 4s. each. Towels (tea) .. .. 3s. each. Pillow-slips .. .. 3s. each. Rugs .. .. .. 375. 6d. each. Cotton (sewing) .. .. 9d. per reel. Cotton (stranded) .. 4d. per skein. Ribbon .. .. Is. per yard. Shirts (sports) .. . . 10s. 6d. each.. Shirts (collar) .. .. 225. 6d. each. Singlets .. 6s. each. Neckties .. , .. ss. 6d. each. Handerkerchiefs .. 2s. 6d. each. Socks (cotton) .. Is. 6d. per pair. Socks (woollen) .. 1. 7s. per pair. Shoes (canvas) .. .. 9s. per pair. | Shoes (leather) .. .. £2 per pair. : i Umbrellas .. .. 12s. to £2 each.

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APPENDIX lII—VISITS Mr. A. C. S. Wright, of the Soil Bureau, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, arrived in Niue on 20th April, 1949, and spent some five weeks on the island conducting s soil survey. In May, 1949, Mr. Bryan O'Brien, of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, spent three days on the island collecting recorded material for a series of descriptive broadcasts. On 15th August, 1949, Mr. E. C. Smart, Aerodromes Engineer for the New Zealand Ministry of Works, visited Niue in connection with the building programme of the local Administration. At the same time, Mr. H. Keys, New Zealand Ministry of Works Electrical Engineer, spent a few days on the island to report on the proposed scheme for a more extensive reticulation of electricity throughout the Village of Alofi. By the same voyage of the m.v. " Maui Pomare," Mr. D. C. Donovan and Dr. McDonald Wilson, of the War Pensions Branch of the Social Security Department, visited Niue to examine some sixty war veterans who were applicants for war pensions. H.M.N.Z.S. " Hawea," under the command of Lieutenant Commander A. C. 8.. Blomfield, D.S.C. and two Bars, paid an official visit to the island on 25th June, 1949.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given; printing (1,239 copies), £162.

By Authority: R. E. Owen, Government Printer, Wellington. —1950-

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