37

A.—3

port difficulties have tendered visits to these places less frequent than is desirable. These visits have rendered it possible for many patients to receive treatment who would have been unable to come to Alofi. There is a large number of' patients on the island who require hospital treatment, and I would earnestly recommend the provision of suitable accommodation for such. I have, &c, C. M. Dawson, The Resident Commissioner. Medical and Health Officer. Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. The change in the system of registration of births, deaths, and marriages outlined in my last report has worked well, and very satisfactory results have been attained. Under the Niue Island Marriage Registration and Divorce Ordinance, 1913, all births and deaths must be registered within one month tinder penalty. I may add that it has only been found necessary to enforce the penalty in one case. The following are the total number of births, deaths, and marriages for 1913-14, as compared with the four preceding years : — Births. Deaths. Marriages. 1909-10 .. .. .. .. .. ..104 79 40 1910-11 .. .. .. .. .. ..80 93 46 1911-12 .. .. .. .. .. ..100 77 44 1912-13 .. .. .. .. .. ..106 99 45 1913-14 .. .. .. .. .. ..94 80 48 Subsidized Service. During the year the schooner " Kereru " was kept on the Auckland-Niue service under a further extension of the original contract. She was, however, unable to make more than fiv< voyages to Niue. While the " Kereru " has done good work in the past, the time has arrived when the people of Niue may fairly claim to be entitled to a better and more expeditious service. Recently the Niue Island Council passed the following resolution : " We, the Niue Island Council in meeting assembled, desire to make known that out people want a regular service between New Zealand and Niue by a steamer in order that we may participate in the banana trade. There are a great many bananas growing in Niue at the present time, but we cannot get them away because we have no ship suitable for the purpose." That resolution exactly represents the feeling of the whole of the people here. With a service by a sailing-ship the trade of the Island will expand but slowly, but with the advent of a steamer service, which will admit of the Niueans taking part in the fruit trade, particularly bananas, trade would expand by leaps and bounds. On the occasion of the visit to Niuc by the late Hon. 11. J. Seddon just before the island was annexed to Creat Britain, that gentleman told the Niue people that one of the benefits that they would derive through annexation would be that a regular steamer service between New Zealand and Niue would be established. That promise has never been fulfilled, but Niueans do not easily forget such things. With a service by a sailing-ship our exports must of necessity be wholly confined to copra and other such non-perishable produce. The following is a schedule of the voyages made by the " Kereru " last year : —

Auckland to Niue.

Niue to Auckland.

Left Auckland. Route. Arrived Niue.* i April 8 . . • . Via Sunday Island . . . . May 15 June 18 .. ■ . Direct . . . . . . July 1 Aug. 4 .. .. „ < • • • ■ • I Aug. 18 .. Sept. 26 .. . . „ ■ • • • • • Oct. 11 . . Nov. lit .. ' . . i . . .. . . Deo. 13 Number of Days. 1 .. i 38 . . 14 .. i 15 .. ! 16 25 * Local time one day behind Now Zealand time. Average per trip, 2O16 days.

Left Niuc* Route. Arrived Auokland. May 21 .. .. I Direct . . . . . . June 8 July 7 .. .. ,, • ■ ■ • • July 25 Aug. 23 .. .. I „ ■ • ■ • • • Sept. 15 Oct. 17 .. .. „ ■ • ■ ■ ■ •. Nov. 2 Dec. 19 .. .. „ ■ • • •. Dec. 31 .. * Local time one day behind New Zealand time. Number of Days. .. I 17 .. I 17 22 15 11 Average per trip, 16'4 days.