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Sic, — Rarotonga, Bth December, 1897. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's date. We would respectfully remind you that on the Ist September, 1896, the Cook Islands Hospital was handed over to the sole management of a Board. In pursuance thereof we entered into an honourable agreement with an accredited medical man. We fail to see how any political changes can legally affect our liabilities as a Board, and we cannot admit the justice of making the payment of the guaranteed monthly subsidy contingent on the furnishing by us of certain information which has never hitherto been asked of us under such conditions. Therefore we, as a Board, reiterate the request that you, as British Resident, and as administrator of the Cook Islands expenditure, give orders that the monthly subsidy now due be at once paid. In persisting in your present attitude, you are only throwing obstacles in the way of our fulfilling our part of the agreement, and putting the community in danger of being again without the services of a competent and qualified medical man. All the necessary reports will be duly furnished by the Board at the termination of the financial year. This complies fully with the Government Act under which the Board took office. If the authorisation for the payment of this subsidy be not at the hospital by noon to-morrow, the 9th instant, we must request you to forward the enclosed copy of this letter to His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand. I have, &c, Feed. Goodwin, F. J. Moss, Esq., British Resident. Chairman to the Hospital Board.

(37.) Hospital Subsidy. Sib, — British Residency, Rarotonga, 23rd December, 1897. With reference to the petition to His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand from Messrs. Kohn, Taylor, Piltz, and Drs. Geo. and W. Craig, I have the honour to bring to your notice that, according to the published reports of the Hospital Board, twenty indoor patients and 264 outdoor patients were treated during the six months ending the 30th September, 1897. The accounts of the Board do not show that anything has been received from these patients, and the Board have refused to give me any information. I would submit to your Honour that if any money has been received it is public money, and ought to have been shown in the receipts of the Board equally with the Government subsidy. I have, &c, His Honour Sir James Prendergast, Rarotonga. Feedebick J. Moss, British Resident.

(38.) LiQUOE Tbaffic : T,otal Pbohibition. Youe Honoub, — Rarotonga, 30th December, 1897. As I understand that total prohibition has been suggested, and that you would like to have some persons' views on the subject, I respectfully offer mine. I may inform your Honour that I do not profess to be a temperance man, as I use wine and spirits in moderation, but I do not sell liquors of any kind ; and I am of the opinion, as well as others to whom I have spoken on the subject, that total prohibition would be the best law that could be made for these islands, and that it would be beneficial to all. It is quite evident that the present liquor law is an absurdity, and always has been since its creation. Ido not question the probity of Mr. Gamier, the Collector; but he is not able to cope with the everyday abuses that happen. I fully believe that there would not he any difficulty about enforcing the law if a fine of not less than £100 sterling, or heavy imprisonment, or both, were put on any person known to bring liquor to the islands, and that one-half the amount be paid to the person who would inform the authorities; and if it would be too big a strain on the public revenue by losing the proceeds of the liquor tax, I would suggest to put the tax, or a portion of it, on something else; and by doing so it would be better for all than the present state of things. lam quite sure that suah a course would stop the importation of liquor, both to Rarotonga and the rest of the Cook Islands. Trusting that my remarks and suggestions are not impertinent to your Honour, I am, &c, To His Honour Sir James Prendergast, Chief Justice of New Zealand. Wμ. Tayloe.

(39.) Complaint against Licensing Offices. Youb Honode, — Rarotonga, 27th December, 1897. I wish to lay before you a charge of partiality in the discharge of his duty as Licensing Officer on the part of Mr. J. H. Gamier. The facts are these : I arrived here last August from the French colony of Tahiti, where I had been employed, and found a tradesman residing here named Estall, with whom I had had business relations while he was in Tahiti, and continued to do so here. After I had been here a few weeks he asked me to let him have some spirits for medicinal purposes, which I did, not knowing him to be a prohibited man at that time, for doing which I was summoned by the Licensing Officer for a breach of the liquor law, although it came out in the Court as evidence that the Licensing Officer gave permission to a man to take down the prohibition notice from where it was posted. I was condemned to pay a fine for the above breach of the liquor law. Mr. Moss, jun., a son of the British Resident, appeared to conduct the case for the Licensing Officer, and in doing so he (Mr. Moss) showed a great deal of personal spite. I was afterwards informed that Mr. Moss, jun., also supplied Mr. Estall with intoxicating liquor, well knowing him to be a prohibited person, and when I laid the facts before the Licensing Officer, and after a great deal of correspondence passed between us (copies of which I am enclosing to you), the case was allowed to drop, even after the Licensing Officer wrote to me that the evidence was perfectly satisfactory. Hoping that you will see the injustice in this case, I remain, &c, Isidobe Goldstein. Sir James Prendergast, Esq., Chief Justice of New Zealand, Her British Majesty's Commissioner to Rarotonga, &c.

(40.) Illegal Sale op Liquob. Sib, — Rarotonga, 30th December, 1897. I have the honour to beg that you would be kind enough to advise me as to what steps I should take to have the accusation made against me by Dr. Geo. Craig—namely, that I have sold liquor illegally—investigated. Trusting that your Honour will inform me what form a suit, if instituted against Dr. Craig, should take, and in what Court he should be sued, I have, &c, F. Gulling, His Honour Sir James Prendergast, Rarotonga. For Makea Daniela.