A.—3

52

No. 118. g IB Niue, 27th December, 1904. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letters Nos. 238, of the 19th October, and 266, of the 3rd November, 1904, together with a copy of A.-3, 1903, containing the Order in Council establishing the Cook and other Islands Land Titles Court. Also of three copies of the new Order in Council amending and confirming the original Order of the 7th July, 1902, referred to above. I note that the amendment empowers me to act independently of the Chiet Judge of the Land Titles Court. I have, &c, C. F. Maxwell, The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister in Charge, Resident Commissioner, Niue. Cook and other Islands Administration, Wellington.

Nos. 86 and 97.

No. 119. g IB; _ Eastern Pacific, Rarotonga, 28th December, 1904. In reply to your letter No. 259, of the 29th October, 1 have the honour to inform you that the Constitution provided for the Island of Rarotonga, as printed on page 10 of A.-3, 1894, was repealed by section 38 of "The Statute of Rarotonga, 1899." The Arikis were urged to pass that law by the late Resident, but it was always felt to be unpopular and cumbrous, creating no less than three legislative bodies in an island of two thousand inhabitants. The earliest opportunity was taken to repeal this measure, which was obnoxious if only for the reason that the Council moneys were consistently embezzled by the servants of the Council, and Samuela Terei, the Chairman thereof, went so far as to accuse the late Resident of being a party to the fraud, and published the letter in the public Press. " The Au Empowering Act, 1899," relegated to the district Aus all the powers that would otherwise have been assigned to the Island Council, but Ordinance No. 13, section 2, confers on the Island Council constituted by the Cook and other Islands Government Acts all the powers of the Au. The Act in question did not at any time apply to the other islands of the federation. I forward herewith a copy of the minutes establishing the Federal Council. I have, &c, W. E. Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister for the Islands, Wellington.

No. 93,

No. 120. glß _ Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 29th December, 1904. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 293, of the 24th November, and forward herewith draft regulations which may, I hope, give us some discretion in the administration or a very loose Act. I think myself, that all liquor should come here under bond, and that the Collector ot Customs should not issue more than one case or two gallons of ardent spirits at anyone Under this Act Maoris will get liquor in spite of anything we may do, but the regulations I submit for your approval will, at any rate, minimise the evil. Regulation No 1 will enable us to defeat any importations from lahiti by people of the Native race. l haye > *»., _ W. E. Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister administering Islands, Wellington.

No. 106,

No. 121. _ Rarotonga, 29th December, 1904. In reply to your letter No. 273, of the 18th November last, I have the honour to inform you that I consider that the regulations of the 11th May, 1904, are of the utmost importance, since no adoption would be of real value according to the custom of these Islands unless done in public in the presence of the kopu tangata (relatives) of the person adopting the child _ I have the honour to forward a draft in which I have modified the rules to suit this Group. I have, &c, W. E. Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister administering the Islands, Wellington.

No. 100.

No. 122. Niue, sth January, 1905. I have the honour to forward to you herewith a return of the exports from Niue for the quarter ended the 31st December, 1904. Compared with the corresponding quarter of 1903, you will observe that the value of copra exported has decreased by £386, but, on the other hand,