15

A.—3,

" Veronica " both paid' their annual visits to Niue. Passing vessels within sight of Niue —s.s. " Wairuna," s.s. " Waiotapu," and s.s. " West Nilus " —all offered to take mail for New Zealand. This year saw the advent of the New Zealand Government steamer service, which has been the means of solving the ever-recurring difficulties of a regular connection that has surrounded this service in the past. Nevertheless it brought its difficulties. In the past, vessels called regularly at Tuapa and Avatele, as well as Alofi, to discharge and load. With the steamer service all inward and outward cargoes must come to Alofi; transport difficulties and facilities for handling and storing presented themselves. The New Zealand Government has met this difficulty by generously granting the sum of £2,100 for extensions to the present wharf and additional copra, fruit, and bond sheds, and also by presenting a second motor-truck for transport purposes. With these increased facilities it is now possible to turn the steamer about in two days, whereas previously it took five days. I wish to express on behalf of the island our gratitude for the generous assistance which the New Zealand Government has given us. As in other islands in the Pacific, occasional Sunday work is inseparable from a steamer service, and it was found necessary to work the steamer on Sunday, 13th September last. The call for labour was well responded to : the steamer was loaded and able to get away that evening. On Monday, 14th September, the local missionary wrote to me protesting against my action of working the steamer without first consulting him. On Friday, 25th September, this gentleman called a meeting of the deacons and office-bearers of the various Churches on the island. At the meeting he placed before them a petition, which had been written out by one of the Native pastors at the dictation of himself, against working the steamer on the Sabbath. He got them to sign the petition, purporting to come from the Niue Island people as a whole: this he forwarded direct to you and not through the proper channel—i.e., the Island Council, who are the elected representatives of the people. When the petition was returned to me for report, a special meeting of the Council was called on Friday, 6th November, at which it was ascertained that the petition was not one from the people as a whole, but one from the Church deacons, formulated by the missionary, and resolves into a question of Church versus steamer service. Had the petition been one from the people it would have been put through the Island Council in a proper manner. The petition was signed only by office-bearers of the Church under fear that if they did not sign it they would lose their office in the Church. A full report on this matter was forwarded to you.

Schedule showing Tonnage of Cargoes carried by New Zealand Government Steamer "Hinemoa" to and from Nine for the Period 19th June to 31st December, 1925. IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

I " ~ ~ ~ I Date ° f Vessel i General Timber Con] i Total Arrival. VesseL J Cargo. Umber. Goal. , Tonnage _ I I I I I Tons. Sup. ft. Tons. 8/5/25 S.s. " Navua" .. .. .. 34 .. .. 34 19/6/25 N.Z.G-.s. " Hinemoa" .. .. 122 4,000 5 142 20/7/25 „ .. ..84 3,300 59 150 12/9/25 „ .. .. Nil. (Prom Makogai.) 30/9/25 „ .. ..102 11,500 15 123f 3/11/25 „ .. ..48 2,600 .. 60 4/12/25 „ .. ..45 1,578 3 51J 401 22,978 82 527

t-» I i ' Hflits 3iiid r p . . Departure. 1 Vessel ! Co P ra ' Fruit " Fun s us '| j Coal " Tonnage. _ . Tons. cwt. qr. Cases. Tons. ! Tons. 8/5/25 S.s. " Navua " .. .. Nil. 23/6/25 N.Z.G.s. " Hinemoa" .. 158 12 1 573 ]94+ 22/7/25 „ .. 140 13 3 595 12 13 .. 202i 13/9/25 „ 85 19 2 1,303 H 6* 40 215* 2/1Q/25 „ 136 2 2 476 3 3| 172J 4/11/25 ,, .. Nil. (To Makogai, with lepe rs.) 15 15 5/12/25 „ .. 126 11 0 1,053 1J 6 .. 199J 647 19 0 4,000 17| 28| 55 999| SUMMARY. Inwards, 527 tons ; outwards, 999| tons : total, 1,526J tons.