17

A.—3

EXPORTS.

SUMMARY. Inwards, 503J tons; outwards, 1,961§ tons: total, 2,465 tons. Trade. Imports for the year 1929, totalled £19,109, as against £18,637 for 1928. Exports amounted to £22,206, as against £20,938 for 1928. Of this amount £13,449 went to New Zealand, the balance, £8,757, to United Kingdom, Western Samoa, Australia, Fiji, American Samoa, and Hawaii. The main items were : Bananas, 17,434 cases ; basketware, 2,948 dozen ; copra, 735 i tons ; fungus, 6,606 lb. ; and hats, 574§ dozen. For details of imports and exports for the year under review and summary of trade for the past twenty-five years, see Appendix B attached hereto (see page 31). Copra. —The export of copra, the main product, shows a considerable drop as against that of 1928. The crop during the second half of the year did not come up to expectations, and very little improvement can be expected until the new crop matures. Present indications are not at all bright. Fruit. —During the year six shipments, totalling 17,434 cases of bananas, were made. The January shipment of 2,250 cases became a total loss to the shippers, owing to the severe gale of hurricane force experienced at that time making it absolutely impossible to load the fruit. The suggestion made by the Department, that the time was opportune to endeavour to sell our fruit on an f.o.b. basis, was placed before a full meeting of the growers here, who unanimously approved of its adoption. Arrangements were completed for the whole of the Niue output for 1930 to be sold on an f.o.b. basis, and for its distribution through the hands of the Fruitbrokers' Associations to the Wellington and South Island provinces at prices which were satisfactory to the growers. This is an ideal arrangement, and follows out the policy of the Government in giving direct shipments of tropical fruit to southern markets. Fungus.—6,Blo lb. were exported. The market is still greatly affected bv the unsettled state of affairs in China. Basketware. —There is still a good demand for this class of goods in New Zealand ; 2,948 dozen were exported during the year. Hats. —The demand for these goods has improved slightly ; 574J dozen were exported during the year. High Court and Native Land Court. Criminal cases for 1929 totalled 182, as against 245 in 1928. As usual the majority of these were offences against morality, and there was very little that could be called serious crime. Fees and fines collected amounted to £153 2s. Civil work was negligible in quantity, there being only 14 actions. In the Native Land Court the only work before the Court was ten applications for adoption orders and one application for annulment of adoption, orders being granted in all cases. Niue Island Council. Four meetings of the Nine Island Council were held during the year, one in each quarter. No new ordinances were passed. Vital Statistics. During the year there were 119 births and 86 deaths; the latter included one European, all others being Natives. Most of the deaths were of persons sixty years of age and over.

3—A. 3.

Date of Departure. Copra. Fruit. j Fungus. ! rr^ 0 *^- ' CtOOus. lonnage. _ .. I . t Tons. Cases. lb. i Tons. 14 January, 1929 .. .. .. 157J .. 642 i 158 23 January, 1929 . . . . . . * * * * * 25 February, 1929 . . . . .. j 59 . . 1,149 . . 59| 2 March, 1929 .. .. .. .. .. 2,252 . 2 153' 20 April, 1929 .. .. .. .. j 69 . . .. .. 69 25 April, 1929 .. .. .. .. .. 2,290 .. J ' 158J 8 July, 1929 .. .. .. .. 173 .. .. .. 173 13 July, 1929 .. .. .. .. .. 3,202 1,997 H 223J 19 August, 1929 .. .. ..157 .. 507 157J 24 August, 1929 .. .. .. .. 3,304 922 2| 230J 30 September, 1929 . . . . .. 83 .. 988 . . 83f 5 October, 1929 .. .. .. .. 3,140 .. U 218" 18 November, 1929 . . . . .. 50 . . 605 . ." 50| 23 November, 1929 .. .. .. .. 3,246 .. 2| 227i Totals .. .. .. .. j 748J 17,434 6,810 j 10| l,961f * Nil, owing to severe gale of hurricane force.