Zealand. The group of islands is heavily subsidised by us to the extent of approximately $2,000,000 a year. Seddon was not content to sit back and accept the fact that Fiji would be administered by Great Britain. He tried again to annex Fiji in 1901. At that time in Fiji there were 100,000 native Fijians, 12,000 Indians and 4,000 Europeans. In 1966 there were 202,000 Fijians, 240,000 Indians, and 33,000 made up of Chinese, Europeans, part-Europeans, Rotumans and other Pacific Islanders. From the trade side it is interesting to note that back in 1901, Fiji's trade with Australia was four times as great as it was with New Zealand, and a similar position still applies. Western Samoa eventually came under New Zealand influence when New Zealand troops landed there in 1914, taking the country from Germany. At that time the native population was 32,000 but 8,500 died through the ‘flu in 1918–19. Today there is a population of 132,000, showing the enormous growth since it came under New Zealand influence in 1914. So Seddon's dream of a great Pacific Federation with New Zealand at its head did not come into being. The prizes eluded him and he was left with, eventually, only the Cook Islands—a widely scattered group of islands none of which could be self-supporting. Although all the Pacific Islands are of intense interest to New Zealand, those with whom we are most closely related and which are under our protection are the Cook Islands, Niue, the Tokelaus and, through a Treaty of Friendship, Western Samoa.

Cook Islands These Islands consist of 15 inhabited islands with a total population of 20,519, the total area of all the Cook Islands being 93 square miles—relatively small when you compare with the Chatham's 372 square miles. In 1966 exports from the Cook Islands amounted to £870,000 while their imports were £1,572,000 of which total, foodstuffs amounted to £429,000. The most important island in the group is Rarotonga where New Zealand is to build a new airport at the cost of $6,000,000. It is the seat of Government and it is the attractive centre which Cook Islanders from all the outer island groups hope to see and hope to settle in. Rarotonga, however, is only 22 miles round. Its total area is 16,602 acres and it has a population of 9,733. Its exports consist of citrus fruits, citrus fruit juices, tomatoes and coconuts. It is hoped that a substantial tourist industry will develop through the new airport facilities. The next largest island is Mangaia of 12,800 acres—with a population of 2,097. The production of pineapples has been encouraged on this island. However, it is extremely difficult to develop an industry on one crop alone, particularly as the fruit cannot be canned on the island and it has to be shipped out from these areas to Rarotonga. You will recall that Mr Seddon, in his visit to the Cook Islands in 1900, promised a blasting of the reefs in the islands, but it is only in recent years that any blasting has been done, the main work being done in Mangaia. Some of the Northern Islands, Manihiki and Penhryn, had fairly large deposits of pearl shell and this has been quite an industry there. The other islands are mostly coconut producers, although the total production of copra in the Cook Islands per year is now approximately 1,000 tons. These islands are: Aitutaki4,461 acres2,904 pop. Atiu6,654 acres1,404 pop. Mauke4,552 acres866 pop. Mitiaro550 acres331 pop. Manuae1,524 acres18 pop. Palmerston500 acres102 pop. Pukapuka1,250 acres800 pop. Nassau300 acres113 pop. Manihiki1,344 acres1,089 pop. Rakahanga1,000 acres363 pop. Penhryn2,432 acres694 pop. Communications are difficult and it is very doubtful whether any of these islands can be made really self-suoporting. There is a gradual trend of emigration from these islands to Rarotonga and then there is considerable emigration from Rarotonga to New Zealand. Land tenure, one of the bugbears of the