A.—3.

No. 14. Sir,— Cook and other Islands Administration, Wellington, 2nd October, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th August last, asking to be supplied with Ratin poison for the destruction of rats in'the Islands, and, in reply, to inform you that nothing definite is known here as to the results of the use of Ratin, which purports to be a bacteriological rat-destroyer, and I do not think it would be advisable to introduce its use unless something more were known as to its effects. ); I should be glad to know what results followed from the use of the " Common Sense poison which was sent to Penrhyn in December, 1906. I have, &c, The Resident Commissioner, Rarotonga. James McGowan.

No. 15. g IR _ Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 14th December, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter (No. 187) of the 2nd October, on the subject of rat-poison. I have, of course, no knowledge as to the efficacy of Ratin or its probable effects, but I thought it possible that it might be well known in New Zealand. As to the action of the rat-poison sent to me from New Zealand for the Island of Penrhyn, I never could learn from Captain Nagle what effect it had, nor do I think he had even sufficient interest in the matter to learn what had been done with it. If, however, you can send me some more tins of the poison sent to Penrhyn I will have it mixed with grated cocoanuts, and used by the Europeans on their plantations, where the rats exist in thousands and are doing much harm to the young nuts. 1 have, &c, W. E. Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner. The Hon. James McGowan, Minister administering Cook Islands.

No. 16. Ste,— Cook and other Islands Administration, Wellington, Bth February, 1909. Referring to previous correspondence, I have the honour to inform you that 20 lb. of the ratpoison known as " Common Sense," similar to that forwarded to Penrhyn Island, will be forwarded to you by the " Manapouri " to-morrow, the 9th instant. Kindly let me know the results of the poison. 1 have, &c, The Resident Commissioner, Rarotonga. J • Carroll.

REPRESENTATION OF COOK ISLANDS IN NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT, AND ELECTION OF EUROPEAN MEMBER OF FEDERAL COUNCIL. No. 17. g IR Rarotonga, 24th October, 1908. I have the honour to forward (enclosed) a resolution by the Arikis and members of the Council of the Island of Rarotonga with reference to the presumed desire of these Islands for representation in the New Zealand Parliament. The Arikis and members who have signed this resolution do not believe that the Government of the Dominion have any intention of giving these Islands representation, but they wish to place on record the fact that they believe that such representation would be against their interests, and contrary to the conditions of annexation. I have, &c, W. E. Gudgeon, The Hon. James McGowan, Minister administering Islands. Resident Commissioner.

Enclosure. At a meeting of the members of the Federal Council and of the Rarotonga Island Council, held at Rarotonga on the 17th day of October, 1908, the attention of the members was called to certain paragraphs in the New Zealand papers to the effect that a member was required in the New Zealand Parliament to represent the Cook Islands. It was resolved that the following be submitted to the Hon. James McGowan, the Minister administering the Cook and other Islands : — " That the members of the Federal Council and of the Rarotonga Island Council whose names are subscribed hereto strongly object to any representation in the Parliament of New Zealand by means of a member for the Cook Islands, inasmuch as the Cook and Northern Islands are by the conditions of annexation a self-governing community under the British Crown, and since included in the Dominion of New Zealand for Imperial purposes only."

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