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A.—3

No. 2, 1900. —An Act to regulate the Enlistment of Cook Islands Labour foe Islands OUTSIDE THE GROUP. Whereas it has been the custom for masters of vessels to enlist Natives of the Cook Islands for the purpose of labour on islands outside of this group, and that it is advisable that this custom should continue as mutually beneficial to each party : And whereas it is not advisable that all the labour should be taken from one island, as heretofore has been the case : Be it enacted— 1. The Short Title of this Act shall be " The Labourers Emigration Eestriction Act, 1900." 2. From and after the passing of this Act it shall not be lawful to allow a greater number of labourers to leave any island of the Cook Group on contract with a foreign firm than those set forth in the following schedule : — Earotonga ... ... 70 men. Atiu... ... ... 30 men. Aitutaki ... ... 50 ~ Mauke ... ... 20 „ Mangaia ... ... 50 ~ Mitiaro ... ... 10 ~ 3. The Arikis in each island and the Eesident Magistrate at Aitutaki will be held responsible that the number of labourers set forth in section two are not exceeded, except on a written permission signed by the British Eesident and the Chief of the Federal Government. 4. No Native of the Cook Islands shall be allowed to engage himself as a labourer to a foreign firm until the master of the vessel shall have exhibited a permit signed by the Chief of the Federal Government and the British Eesident, which permit shall set forth the number of labourers that may be engaged in each island. 5. Any Ariki who shall be found guilty of negligence, and thereby allow any of the foregoing sections to be broken, may be fined any sum not exceeding five pounds; and any labourer attempting to evade the provisions of the said sections three and four shall be liable to a fine of not exceeding one pound. 6. In order to preserve the peace and well-being of the Cook Islands the Chief of the Federal Government may, with the consent of the British Eesident, order any man who has been an habitual offender against the laws of the Cook Group to join a labour party for a period of not exceeding twelve months. Habitual drunkenness, persistent immorality, the manufacture of bushbeer or roro, and petty larcenies shall be offences within the meaning of this section. 7. The British Eesident may fix the proportion of salary that shall be payable to any man dealt with under section six of this Act, and the remainder shall be payable to the Eegistrar of the High Court, to be dealt with as ordered by the Chief Judge of that tribunal; notice in writing to be served on the labour agent in each case. 8. Not more than one-half of the salary due to any labourer shall be paid in trade; the balance shall in every instance be paid in the presence of some European officer after the return of the labourer to his home or to the Island of Earotonga. 9. Every labour vessel shall call at the Island of Earotonga and obtain authority to remove labourers before enlisting the same at any island of the group. 10. Every master of a vessel carrying labour as aforesaid who shall infringe any of the sections of this Act shall be guilty of an offence, and on summary conviction before the High Court shall be liable to fine of not exceeding twenty pounds. Passed. Te Ariki Tapu Eangi, Chairman of Cook Islands Parliament. Approved. Makea, Ariki, Chief of the Federal Government. Approved.—"W. E. Gudgeon, British Eesident.—The Residency, 22nd August, 1900.

No. 3, 1900. —The Import Duties Act 1898 Amendment Act, 1900. 1. The Short Title of this Act shall be " The Import Duties Amendment Act, 1900." 2. Notwithstanding anything contained in section four of " The Import Duties Act, 1898," from and after the passing of this Act a duty of twenty per cent, shall be levied on the original cost, freight, and charges on all goods shipped from the Society Islands and dependencies, whether from the Port of Tahiti or other ports of the said colony. 3. Any person infringing the provisions of section three of " The Import Duties Act, 1898," shall be liable to a fine of not exceeding one hundred pounds, and the vessel from which goods have been landed in contravention of the said section may be seized and held by the Government until the fine and costs imposed thereon have been paid. 4. And whereas Maori passengers have been in the habit of importing clothing into the Cook Islands from Tahiti, and have evaded the duty by wearing the clothing for a short time : It is hereby enacted that it shall be in the discretion of the Customs officer at Earotonga to charge a duty of ten per cent, on second-hand clothing imported from Tahiti or other port in all cases where in his opinion an attempt has been made to evade the duty. 5. From and after the passing of this Act a duty of ten per cent, shall be levied on all Chili dollars imported into the Cook Islands. 6. The penalty provided by section six of " The Import Duties Act, 1898," shall apply to this Act. 7. Section four of " The Import Duties Act, 1898," is hereby amended by the insertion of the following words after the words " duty free " in the proviso to the said section : " Provided always that the personal effects shall be genuinely second-hand, and that the clothing shall not have been used merely for the purpose of evading payment of duty."