25

A.—3

improved since the hospital at Earotonga has been established under the Drs. Craig, both of whom are able men and up to date in their profession. Unfortunately, we have no statistical data on which we can rely, except from Aitutaki, where the native population are notoriously diseased. For some years the ministers of the London Missionary Society kept an almost perfect record of the births, deaths, and marriages in each island; but, for some reason unexplained, the late Eesident placed the registration of these matters in the hands of the Arikis, who naturally began to charge fees, with the very unsatisfactory result that the people avoided registration whenever it was possible to do so, and therefore it is that there is no reliable record except from Aitutaki, which, as I have said, cannot be accepted as a fair instance of the general health of this group. Eecokd of Berths, Deaths, and Maebiages in the Island of Aitutaki fob the past Pouetben Yeabs, the Population being 990 in 1886. Year. Births. Deaths. Marriages. 1886 ... ... ... ... ... 40 42 18 1887 ... ... ... ... ... 33 61 17 1888 ... ... ... ... ... 35 46 7 1889 ... ... ... ... ... 28 41 6 1890 ... ... ... ... ... 33 52 20 1891 ... ... ... ... ... 21 33 8 1892 31 28 14 1893 36 31 16 1894 ... ... ... ... ... 29 18 27 1895 ... ... ... ... ... 24 32 6 1896 ... ... ... ... ... 27 23 18 1897 ... ... ... ... ... 27 27 13 1898 33 35 17 1899 ... ... ... ... ... 24 30 7 421 499 194 By this table it wili be seen that in fourteen years the deaths exceeded the births by seventyeight, and during the same period the number of children baptised was only 336, or eighty-five less than the actual births. In other words, eighty-five infants died, mostly from tetanus, before they were old enough to be baptised. I submit Tables I to IV, in which the shipping trade and revenues of the Cook Islands are set forth :—■

Table I.—Return of Shipping for the Port of Rarotonga for the Year ending 31st December, 1899.

Table II.— Exports. This table sets forth in detail the exports from the Cook Islands for the year ending the 31st December, 1899. The value of the produce in question for the past eight years has been as follows:—

The decrease in the exports for the past two years is due solely to partial failure in the orange- and coffee-crops, which are the staple articles of produce in these islands. 4—A. 3.

Inwards. Outwards. Sailing. Steam. Men-of-war. Total. Sailing. Steam. Men-of-war. Total. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. •ritish merican 'rench fative 1 3 5 37 287 28 402 .. 219 .. 1,829 .. 2,737j 28 19,491 1 2,575 30 3 5 37 2,575: 75 19,778 1 402 3 219 5 1,829 38 22,228 47 287 402 219 1,997 27 18,724 1 18,724 1 2,575 29 3 5 38 19,586 402 219 1,997 Totals 1898 46 19,491 1 2,905 27 2,575 75 22,204

Year. 1892... 1893... 1984... 1895... 1896... 1897... 1898... 1899... C Cook Island Value. £ 15,394 18,703 18,937 19,084 15,486 21,751 11,209 11,199 ds. Foreign. Value. £ 4,943 905 1,728 1,054 1,333 2,381 1,408 3,020 Total Value. £ 20,337 19,668 20,665 20,138 16,819 24,132 12,617 14,219