A.—3

20

Total Values. £ New Zealand .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 46,517 United Kingdom .. .. .. ... .. .. .. 3,518 United States America .. .. .. .. .. .. 7,994 Tahiti 2,563 Niue .. .. .. .. .. .: .. .. 60 £60,652 Rarotonga, 30th April, 1909. W. J. Stevenson, Collector of Customs.

No. 2. Sir, — Cook and other Islands Administration, Wellington, 13th May, 1909. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant, forwarding your annual report for the year ended 31st March, 1909. I have, &c, The Resident Commissioner, Rarotonga. James Carroll.

FOOD FOR LEPERS ON PENRHYN ISLAND. No. 3. Bir, — Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 19th June, 1908. While at Penrhyn I inquired into the conditions of the lepers who have been isolated, and found that in consequence of the fall in the price of pearlsbell they are not too well off for food. I have therefore authorised the store of that island to supply food to the extent of £4 3s. 4d. per month, and to see that the lepers receive it. I have, &c, The Hon. James McGowan, Minister administering Islands. W. E. Gudgeon.

No. 4. Sir, — Cook and other Islands Administration, Wellington, 17th July, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th June last, stating that you have authorised the supply of food to the lepers at Penrhyn to the extent of £4 3s. 4d. per month, and, in reply, to inform you that your action is approved. I have, &c, The Resident Commissioner, Rarotonga. James McGowan.

MEDICAL REPORT AND VITAL STATISTICS. No. 5. Sir, — Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 20th June, 1908. I have the honour to forward attached a short report by Dr. Gatley on the result of his medical tour in the Cook and Northern Islands. Dr. Gatley is probably justified in stating that leprosy is notincreasing, though a man suffering from this disease was found at Pukapuka, where it had not previously been known. It is singular thafrthis man had not been'away from his island. It would therefore seem that leprosy may be developed without contact with a leper. At Aitutaki three people are isolated on an island in the lagoon, but it will probably be found that two of them are suffering from a well-known island form of the disease known as " kovi," a form that does not necessarily cause death. The real difficulty in dealing with all of these forms of disease is the apathy of the people and their hostility to any form of isolation. It is therefore difficult to obtain information in suspicious cases until after the disease has reached the stage when it is dangerous to others. In my report for the year ending 31st March, 1908, I furnished the vital statistics for the Group so far as I had been able to obtain them, and I now submit for your information those missing from the report. Island. Births. Deaths. Marriages. Population. Mitiaro .. .. .. ..6 18 3 210 Mauke .. .. .. .. ..6 44 .. 444 Pukapuka .. .... ..9 15 4 435 Palmcrston .. .. .. ..3 1 2 98 To the deaths of Mitiaro must be added seventeen men and women who were lost at sea while passing from the Island of Atiu to Mitiaro.