A.—3

High Court. —In Maniliiki the number of oases for criminal offences, and for breaches of regulations and local Ordinances, was 108, whilst at Rakahanga fifty-one cases were dealt with. There are three police officers in each island. Offences committed have mostly been of a trivial nature, and law and order are being well maintained. Land Court Surveys. —During the year the coast-lines of Maniliiki were surveyed. General. —The lagoon at Manihiki was open this year for pearl-shell diving, but 011 account of the poor demand and low prices for shell, little diving was done. A heavy storm in February damaged breadfruit and puraka, but they are now recovering. In spite of the present adverse conditions, the Natives show no signs of discontent. PENRHYN. Health. —There has been little sickness throughout the year, and it can be stated that health conditions are satisfactory. Since October, 1930, no Medical Officer has visited the island. Three lepers are being kept in segregation until there is a chance to send them to Makogai. Vital Statistics. —Births, deaths, and marriages for the year ended 31st December, 1931 : Births— 10 males, 17 females, total 27 ; deaths—-1 male, 3 females, total 4 ; marriage—l. Trade and Shipping. —The schooners " Tiare Taporo " and " Tagua " called seven times during the year at irregular intervals. There were 144* tons of copra and 1-| tons of mother-of-pearl shell exported. This island could export 300 tons of copra without any difficulty, but the present low price offers little inducement to the people to make the necessary effort. As to mother-of-pearl shell, although both lagoon reserves have been thrown open continuously since 1928 for both machine and naked diving, the amount of shell exported from the island for this year is almost negligible on account of the very low price offering. There is practically no demand in London for the black-edged shell produced in Penrhyn and Manihiki. The pipi pearl industry is practically dead at present. They are out of demand in London and on the Continent for the reasons mentioned in previous reports. High Court. —Forty-two cases, none being serious, were dealt with. Police. —The number of officers at Omoka was reduced to two. At Tetautua the number remains the same —viz., two. Duties have been carried out satisfactorily. Planting of Lands.—The Natives have paid a good deal of attention to planting during the year, particularly of puraka, coconuts, and bananas. Nearly all lands of a swampy nature are fully planted with taro.' Breadfruit trees imported from Rarotonga have borne well this year, and there are a.number of young trees coming on. Public Works, Water-supply, &c. —A portion of land lying between the Residency and the settlement of Omoka has been reclaimed from the lagoon, and a start has been made to fill in 011 the south side from the Residency to the Government Reserve boundary. The four 5,000-gallon concrete tanks on the island are in good repair. There has been no shortage of water during this year. Schools. —Work and attendances at the Omoka and Tetautua schools were satisfactory. Rat Pest. —Efforts have been made throughout the year to reduce the losses through rats. The Island Council and Native police supervised the distribution of the 2,000 traps provided by the Administration, and over ten thousand rats have already been destroyed. General. —A survey for Land Court purposes was made of the coast lines of the island. PUKAPUKA. Owing to communication being cut of! on account of the hurricane season, this report is for the twelve months ended 30th September, 1931. Health.—With the exception of outbreaks of dengue fever in November, 1930, and in the following January, the health of the people has been fairly satisfactory. Colds, diarrhoea, ringworm, and yaws were amongst the ailments treated at the dispensary. A serious case of shark-bite occasioned considerable anxiety in the absence of skilled medical attention. However, the patient recovered. Vital Statistics. —Births, deaths, and marriages for the year ended 30th September, 1931 : Births —7 males, 12 females, total 19 ; deaths —8 males, 5 females, total 13 ; marriages—2. Trade and Shipping. —Again this year there has been no communication with Rarotonga by schooner. Eight schooner calls were made from Samoa up to September last. The export of copra to that date totalled 135J tons, whilst the value of imports amounted to £867. High Court. —There were no serious cases amongst the total of forty-nine dealt with during the period. Native police officers have carried out their duties satisfactorily, and there has been no difficulty in maintaining law and order. School. —There are 150 children on the roll, eighty-eight boys and sixty-two girls. Satisfactory progress is being made, particularly in English and arithmetic. Planting of Lands.—Special attention has been paid to the weeding of young coconuts, and to the planting of taro, puraka, and bananas. Since the drop in price of copra, the people have been able to buy very little in the way of European foods, but they are subsisting without difficulty on fish and an abundance of domestic crops. Their main difficulty is to provide money for clothes. Island Council. —Six meetings were held during the year when various matters concerning island affairs were discussed. General. —All inhabitants turn out to help in the maintenance of roads, which have been kept in good order. The concrete cisterns have been cleaned and kept in repair, and there has been a plentiful supply of water during the whole year.

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