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No. 15. Sir,— Niue, 27th June, 1904. 1 have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23rd May, No. 86, touching the alienation of land on Niue. As much may be written on this subject, 1 will confine my remarks at present to saying that 1 will bring the "matter before the Niue Council, and ascertain the feelings of the Natives with reference to leasing land. Before anything could be done in this direction, it would be necessary to have surveys made and the titles investigated. 1 have been appointed a Judge of the Titles Court of the Cook Islands, and would be glad to know whether recent legislation affects this appointment. No land on Niue has ever been sold to foreigners, and the Natives are utterly averse to alienating any land by sale. They have always been taught that the whole of the land is required for their own use, hence their reluctance to part with any of it. I hope that wiser counsel will now prevail, and much of the waste land may be utilised to the advantage of both Europeans and Natives. Of course, it must be understood that growing cocoanuts is the only thing likely to pay here. " Cultivation of the land " in the sense in which it is generally used is out of the question here. 1 have, &c, C. F. Maxwell, Resident Commissioner, Niue. The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister in Charge, Cook and other Islands Department, Wellington.
A.-3, 1904, No. 192
No. 16. Sir,— Niue, 27th June, 1904. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 84, of the 21st May ultimo, regarding traders' licenses in Niue. On the 31st May I posted to you an Ordinance called "The Niue Island Traders' License Ordinance, 1904." Covering letter, No. 199. This Ordinance provides for a license fee of £5 per annum for every wholesale and retail trading store. No fee is imposed on branch stores' belonging to establishments which pay the £5 license. In the case of trading establishments including spirituous liquors in their stock in trade, an additional license fee of £5 per annum is required. Of course, the liquor could only be sold to Europeans, and subject to regulations relating to that article. As a matter of fact there are no wholesale trading-stores on Niue, and it is unlikely there will be any. Although the license fee is fixed below what you are prepared to sanction, I think the Ordinance will meet the requirements of this island in respect to trading licenses. I have, &c, C. F. Maxwell, Resident Commissioner, Niue. The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister in Charge, Cook and other Islands Department, Wellington.
A.-3, 1904, No. 189
NO. 17. g IE _ Eastern Pacific, Rarotonga, 27th June, 1904. I have the honour to forward herewith Ordinance No. 13 of the Federal Council of the Cook Islands, which has been passed with the view of making the Au Empowering Act of 1899 more workable. 1 have, &c, W. E. Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister administering the Islands, Wellington.
Enclosure. Federal Ordinance No. 13.—An Ordinance to amend "The Au Empowering Act, 1899." Be it enacted by the Federal Council of the Cook and other Islands as follows: — 1. The Short Title of this Ordinance shall be "The Au Empowering Act Amendment Ordinance, 1904." ~«.„. , • , j 2. The Island Council of each island shall take the place of the Au in such island or any district thereof, and the duties, powers, and obligations of the " Au " as defined and set forth in " The Au Empowering Act, 1899," shall be deemed to be vested in such Island Council. 3 Any Maori in the Island of Rarotonga liable to be called out to work on roads or bridges in pursuance of section eight of " The Au Empowering Act, 1899," such Maori being in the employ of any European may, upon payment of the annual sum of ten shillings, be exempt from such work for twelve months ending on the thirty-first day of March in each year. The said sum of ten shillings shall be paid to the Treasurer of the Cook Islands Administration, and shall be placed to the credit of the Public Works Fund.