A.—3.

No. 133. g IH Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Ist February, 1906. In reply to your letter No. 30, I have the honour to state that I have received the draft regulations under section 28 of the Licensing Acts. The provisions thereof appear to me to cover all the weakest points of the statute, and are therefore most satisfactory. In these islands we cannot trust to the police, and have to depend on the law-abiding spirit of the Europeans to carry out the spirit of any Act. As a rule we can safely trust to them, but there are one or two who I have thought might import largely for their own use, but might sell or barter to the Natives. This is now impossible since the Collector of Customs has power to curtail imports. I am very much of the opinion that the Solicitor-General's advice should be carried out, and all clauses relating to importation or sale of liquor in our local laws repealed, except that absolute prohibition should be the rule in Mangaia. I have, &c, W. E. Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. the Minister administering the Islands, Wellington.

No. 121.

No. 134. cj IR __ Rarotonga, Cook Islands, sth February, 1906. Mr. Percy Browu having audited the accounts of the local Government for the year 1904-5 and for the first half of the present year in a very thorough and satisfactory manner, I have the honour to request that you will approve his auditorship for the present year, in order that the accounts may be presented to you at the end of March after a thorough investigation. Mr. Brown's work is thorough, and he can give the time to it that is required, and is therefore a very fit and proper person for the billet. I have, &c, W. E. Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. the Minister administering the Islands, Wellington.

No. 135. g IRj Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 7th February, 1906. I regret that I have to report that Pa Ariki died this morning. The deceased was a halfcaste, and not of high rank, but he was a man of sterling character and ability, a man anxious to see his people progress, He will be a loss to the London Mission, and a still greater loss to the local Administration, for he could at all times be depended on, and never failed to take a sensible and progressive view of every subject brought before the Council. I have, &c, W. E. Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. the Minister administering the Islands, Wellington.

No. 136. g IR Niue Island Administration, Niue, 12th February, 1906. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Niue Island Ordinances Nos. 15 and 16, " The Niue Island Sale of Cocoanuts Prohibition Ordinance, 1905," and " The Niue Island Fishprotection Ordinance, 1905," which have been assented to by His Excellency the Governor. I will have them translated, and the Niue version sent to you. I have, &c, C. F. Maxwell, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister in Charge, Cook and other Islands, Wellington.

No. 120.

No. 137. g IR) Cook and other Islands Administration, Wellington, 13th February, 1906. I forward herewith a copy of despatch from the Secretary of State to His Excellency the Governor with reference to the flags of Rarotonga and the Cook Islands, at present appearing in the Admiralty Flag-book. Will you please say if they are correctly depicted in the accompanying drawings, and also if there is any reason for retaining them in use 1 Since the annexation of the islands to New Zealand there is, I suppose, no real object in using special flags in the islands, but there may be some local consideration in favour of retaining them. I shall be glad to hear from you on the subject. l have, &C-, The Resident Commissioner, Rarotonga. H. Mills.

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