SERVICES CURTAILED

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1055, 20 August 1930, Page 7

SERVICES CURTAILED

DRASTIC ECONOMIES MADE IN COOK ISLANDS GOOD POSITION REACHED THE <S EX’S Parliamentary Reporter PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Tuesday. Satisfaction at the state of affairs in the Cook Islands is expressed by the Minister of the Cook Islands, Sir Apirana Ngata, in his annual report, submitted to Parliament today. “The Rarotongan treasury shows an excess of revenue over expenditure amounting to £1,287 7s 7d and the Niue treasury an excess of £2,203 4s Sd,” says the report. "Tho Cook Group is a particularly difficult one to finance. The territory consists of 14 islands scattered over a very wide area (850.000 square miles). The northern group has little communication with the outer world and is practically non - revenue - producing, while each island requires separate staffing and other administrative expenditure. Even in the absence of devastating droughts or hurricanes, it. is difficult for the territory to produce revenue for its ordinary expenditure, and it is only by severe curtailment in every direction and by tho postponement of many necessary works during the past two years that a satisfactory balance-sheet has been produced. Such services as education, medical, water supply, consumptive sanatorium, the removal of leper patients for treatment at Makogai, roads and bridges, schoolhouses, etc., have necessarily had to be curtailsd or held in abeyance awaiting more prosperous times. SLUMP IN COPRA MARKET “Although during the year the trade of the group has been well maintained, a very heavy slump in the principal export, copra, lias been operating for some time and must have a serious effect on the finances of the coming year, and no extraordinary expenditure will therefore be undertaken. “The health of the people has been good, and medical officers have traversed practically the whole of the group, an undertaking of some magnitude, with only three medical officers. “The most pleasing and satisfactory feature of the report is the uniform increase tlwoughput tho. territory of births over deaths of the native peoples. All the islands at which the New Zealand fruit steamer calls have now been connected up with wireless and the more northerly islands will also be joined up as circumstances permit. There has been no serious crime in the group and small police services have been practically self-sup-porting throughout the year. ISLAND FRUIT TRADE “The Maui Pomare has carried out a satisfactory fruit trade with the Islands. She has given to Niue the first regular service that that island has had and has opened up a banana trade which the native people have been eager to exploit. The vessel has also been the means of creating a valuable banana trade with Samoa. The service, however, is very severely handicapped by the number of New Zealand ports of call, which imposes a heavy burden both financially and by the additional time occupied. As was advised in last year’s annual report a reduction of the service to one North and one South Island port would assist materially both the Island fruit trade and the service being carried on by the vessel.” -