The Cook Islands

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 105, 25 July 1927, Page 2

The Cook Islands

“Annexation a Doubtful Blessing”

Trader States Case for Protection.

MR. W. G. TAYLOR, of Taipara M SUN claiming that the Domini in handling the affairs of the Cook arid Juis been divided into three sec\ will appear on Tuesday and Wedne

JN THE SUN of June 1 was published a paragraph under the heading “What the Islands Mean to Auckland,” “Trade With Cook Group.” I now endeavour to state what they mean to Auckland, also what New Zealand means to them.

I have dived into official and other records ancient and modern and set forth various trade returns, copies of correspondence taken from official records and my own experience over many years of residence here. I submit records of 34 years ago and make comparisons and comments thereon, also figures of more recent years. I have tried to set forth my reasons for making yet another appeal for the long withheld measure of protection and thus save these Islands from the disaster which stares them in the face. Trade Returns. 1891, 12 Months Imports, at 4s per Dollar „ $ From New Zealand .. .. 70,447.00 From Tahiti 54.456.00 From U.S.A 6.459.00 Total $131,422.00 £ 26.254 8 0 Coin Imported 1889, $21,049.00; 1890, $10,842.00; 1891, $13,176.00. Exports, at 3s per Dollar $ Cotton, lb, 87,694, value .. .. 9.552.00 Copra, tons, 617, value . . . . 36,070.62 Coffee, lb, 364,078, value . . . . 73.661.06 Limejuice, galls, 13.003, value 2.545.94 Oranges, value 21,020.88 Pines, Bananas, etc., value 165.00 Coconuts, value 704.85 Pearl Shell, value .. .. .. .. 6.125.40 Beche de Mer, value 90.00 Fungus, value * .. 60.00 Timber, value 24.25 £22,550 10s $150,350.00 For nine months, January 1 to September 30, 1891. Note.—Only £3,177 18s for fruit for 12 months. ■- Imports and Exports, 1892 to 1900 Imports.— £184,057 for nine years; average, £20,451 per annum; lowest, £13,000; highest, £26,000. Exports.— £170,974 for nine years: average, £18,997 per annum; lowest, £12,000; highest, £24,000. Census Returns, March 7, 1901 Males. Females. Ages 1-16 . . 410 359 Ages 16-40 399 383 Ages 40-x . 370 286 Total .. 2,207 Note.—ln 1892-3, the total Government revenue was £798, all sources. 1926-7.—The salaries in treasurer’s and Customs Office were approximately the same amount. 1892-3 to 1900-I.—Average total exports, ,£18,997 per annum. 1926-7.—Approximate expenses trading stores, including salaries, approximately same amount. Revenue collected from inhabitants in 1925-6, £23,030 2s 7d. or £4,033 more than the average annual exports for nine years (1892 to 1900) preceding annexation. In the year prior to annexation, 1900, the total amount expended by the native Government was £2,188, while in 1925 the amount charged to roads, bridges and foreshore alone was £2,175 (under New Zealand administration). The amount charged to roads works out at about £IOO a mile. Taking recent past sums charged to roads into account, we should now' have the best roads in the world, instead of which if takes a gang of 20 men and two trucks, constantly employed, to keep the roads in travelling condition. The total revenue in 1900 was £3,165, while in 1925 the tax collected on copra exported was £2,224, while the export taxes on produce in 1925 were £3,123, as compared with the total revenue (1900) of £3,165. Police cost. £1,026 in 1925 and court fees and fines returned £1,574, showing a surplus of £548, which is more than the New Zealand Government can do. Prior to annexation the arikis and chiefs kept order in their districts and serious crime was rare. Thieving was rare, because the whole district was held responsible and the thief was soon located and dealt with. To-day thieving is a serious menace and goes unpunished more often than not. Drunks are easy to catch and the police get some sort of bonus per head for catching beer schools. Revenue and Expenditure, Federal Government, 1892-3, 1899-1900

You will observe that the court has been made a revenue-collecting machine starting from the arrival of the late Colonel W. ,E. Gudgeon in 1898: also traders’ licences from the same date. Will you note also the steady increase in taxation? Court Fees.—lß9B, first collection, £77; population, 2,207. Court Fees: 1926, Last collection, £1,574; population approximately 3,500. Customs.—lß92, first record. £536: population, 2.400. Customs: 1926. Last record, £13,738; population approximately 3,500. f Traders’ Licences.—lß9B. first record, £210; population, 2,207. Traders' licences: 1926, last record, £736; population approximately, 3,500.

These estimates do not denote the trade position at all, for the following reasons, taking 1925 figures as an illustration. There were 241,708 cases of perishable produce, valued at £24,421, including the cases, valued at £22,117, as imports and £27,257 as exports. There is also the sum of £3,273 imports and £3,349 exports, representing sacks for nuts and copra. Thus we get £24,390 imports and £30,508 exports, or a total of £54,498 (about 19 per cent.), which should be shown as goods imported and re-exported and not included in the trade turnover, as they represent paper and string, so to speak. I have accepted the values shown for the produce as substantially correct, because the Flora made good records with her cargoes of fruit, but 1924 and 1926 are considerably overestimated because the Ngakuta did not average more than the cost of cases during her two years of service. To quote examples: I sent 400 case of oranges to the South Island in her first trip to Wellington in 1924. These

. Rarotonga, has written to TRf ion has been Jar from sym pat Kelt Group. The article is a Jonj, * lions. The remaining two article, ■sday. — Ed., THE SI X. ,ei would be shown as export £l2O, whereas I actually r^* 1 ? debit note of £2O to pay JT 15,1 t Xew Zealand. P y Char S« b Her whole cargo on this was over-valued by about £7oon c: all subsequent cargoes, 19M a A , aa « by about 50 per cent. ad ls « Again, in 1907. I imported 2 too , cases, at a total cost of £sa lroduring the war they would have' £350, and to-dav £2OO e co *l In 1907, freights to Auckl aad „„ 20s a ton. to-day they are From Auckland, general 40s esse- , a ton, while to-day they are linT 1 . 33s respectively. Copra" was ** now is 72s a ton plus lighterage a* 4s a ton). U is obvious, therefore, that our «„ creased trade returns are inflated high costs and freights, because I* , increase these costs you show a lug! set of trade figures, with decreased™ return to the producers, and If decrease these costs you show trade ligures, with increased nett n turns to the producers, because increases are debited backwards wir, us and not forwards as in other In 1925 I worked out the approxi,™, value of the sovereign, and obtained s, 6d as the value to the producers co» pared with 1907 and it is much the same to-day, so I will use that va's, in the following example: Imports, 1925, £130,609, less (imports re-exported) and you n, £106,218 at Ss 6d to the £ equals £45 li' Exports, 1925. £151,939, less £|p (imports re-exported) and you r« £121,431 at 8s 6d to the £ equals £si ins' In 1891, or 36 years ago, the trail* figures were as under:— Imports.— £26,254; exports, £2B lg? (last quarter estimated). Imports, 1891, £26,284; 1925, £45,143 or 72 per cen:. increase in 34 years. Exports.—lß9l, £28,187; 1925, £51, 6(15 or 84 per cent, increase in 34 years. ' ' Population.—lß9l, 2,400, total; IBSi 3,500 (estimated). Increase in 34 yean of about 50 per cent. In 1891 our exports were, non-perishable produce 86 per cent., perishable psoduc 14 per cent. In 1925 they were 38 per cent, and 62 I per cent, respectively. These Islands have been under New Zealand control for 25 out of the 34 years above mentioned. Comparison Trade Returns, 1891, Compared with 1925 1891. —lmports from New Zealand 70,447 dollars; from Tahiti, 54,486 dollars: from U.S.A., 6,489 dollars; British, 70,447 dollars (53i per cent.); forei*:., 60,975 dollars (46a per cent.)* 1925.—Imports from New Zealand, £91,506 (70 per cent.); other British, £18,624 (141 per cent.); foreign, £20,473 (153 per cent.). Note. —Result of annexation: British trade increased approximately 31 per cent., New Zealand trade increased approximately 16i per cent. In 1891 Customs tariff was 5 per cent ad valorem. In 1925 Customs tariff was New Zealand tariff with additions. In 1891 transportation controlled the markets. . „ . In 1925 Customs tariff controlled the markets. Government Revenue and Expenditure One Year’s Revenue 1592, £708; 1900, £3,165; 925. £22,368 : Increase in 37 years, 3,200 per cent , £22,560). One Year’s Expenditure 1892, £934; 1900, £2,188; 1925, £31,411 j Increase in 33 years, 3,20( per cent (£22,481). ,„„.*** 1 Note.—lncrease revenue, , £2,457, nine years before ;>i nexea; lw- j 1925, £20,103, 25 years alter annex*. Increase expenditure, 1892-1900, j nine years before annexed; 19W-IS-J. . £21,227, 25 years after annexed. Exports 1891, Compared with 1925 1891 In 1891 the bulk of export* w«rt to New Zealand for transhipment abroad, a small quantity of coffee and corn# going to Tahiti. The whole of the copra went toner Zealand for transhipment Home. 1925 In 1925, £41,121 worth of copra so»f to U.S.A.; £5,395 to the United Kingdom. Coffee, cotton, limeju:cc, fungw Beche de mer are out of Proaucuor All fruit goes to New Zealsnd~HP' cent, of exports against 14 per in 1891. Note.—These island* hsv* bm changed from a non-perishable » a perishable - commoditiea*produc ing country. Thus from a tr*df point of view, annexation hae been their ruin, for in 1891, until anne*«; tion, we had the world'e mark* for the bulk of our produce, whle» was non-perishable, and *V, have no market for the bulk of produce, which is perishableNew Zealand promptly seeuree these islands as a market f° r J ; products by customs tan™, ? ul . fuses us any protection in markets. (To be continued.) MINING NEWS new waiotahi.—The mine ’•jj ager’s reports for the weeksntho 23: The drive hillward for the ww Cambria reef has been advance® country rock is hard j * strong heads or ioints th . ro^^1 k « |lg , certain amount of water i« ■ MOAN AT AIA R!'The manager r«*«for the week ending July ?3. on the reef from Iso. 1 Th« ***' extended 12ft, a total of ;<*<• here averages 3ft wide ana well, carrying a fair amount s c blend, ruby silver and ho j # gold have been seen for th® . pti V tance. I also secured 101 b fa*# stone and 101 b of stone sho-winf dabs of gold. The reef *tlll »<» ## promising along the bottom oi The Inverness crosscut ha* » V* out for a further distance of of 410 ft, from the main

Duties. i 1 3 © 5 ; £ s 3 '? S’ » % T3 iS 3 £ »5 Oh o £ £ £ £ £ £ _£ 1892- 536 1893- 943 1894- 1048 1895- 1289 1896- 926 1897- 1,128 245 278 228 120 120 180 17 25 11 19 189 14 798 1,246 1,287 1,429 1,230 1,322 934 861 1,376 1,441 1,654 1,439 1898-9 948 274 77 210 192 1,802 1,403 18991900 1,780 300 431 209 35 3,165 2,188 Shown in Nearest Pounds.

Trade Returns, 1915 to 1925 Imports. Exports. £ £ £ 1915 . .. 65,590 1915—63,057 128,647 1916 . . . 58.47S 68,146 126,624 1917 . .. 80,061 60,190 140,251 1918 . . . 99,632 82,708 182.340 1919 . .. 142,925 127,729 270,654 1920 . .. 177,911 94.697 272,608 1921 . ... 112,974 69,301 182,335 1922 . .. 116,726 1 £5,802 252,52S 1923 . .. 131,590 118,710 250,300 1924 . .. 138,202 154,554 292.756 1925 . . . 130,609 151,939 282,548