A.—3a,

4

imported liquor. Inquiry was necessary in each case because of the difference between the penalties prescribed by law in regard to ordinary drunkenness and those for making or drinking bush-beer. It appears to me that the present method of control is quite sufficient to prevent the abuse of liquor if care and vigilance be exercised. In one respect it has seemed to me that Mr. Stevenson did not quite appreciate his position. He informed me that he considered that any authority issued in terms of section 278 by any of the officers there mentioned was conclusive, and that he could not challenge it in any way. I advised him that such was not my opinion; that section 278 must be read with section 277, and that he as the statutory officer appointed under the latter section, and responsible for the observance of its provisions, would be well within his rights and his duty in referring any authority issued under section 278 back to the issuing officer if there was any ground for suspecting an evasion of the Act, or that the issuing officer had been misled or was unaware of any fact that should be brought to his notice before the authority was acted on. Mr. Stevenson said that this view of the matter had not been previously put to him, but that he fully accepted it and would act upon it in future; also, on my suggestion, that he would personally supervise all sales and deliveries of liquor whatsoever in future. The Resident Medical Officers have expressed themselves as only too pleased to have their authority scrutinized as indicated. As to the return given by Mr. Stevenson showing the number of what are locally known as " permits " — i.e., authorities to sell liquor issued by the various doctors —the total certainly seems to me to be fairly, large, but the matter is one which is peculiarly within the province of the medical men. It is to be borne in mind that the numbers given include Europeans as well as Natives, and that one individual may have quite a number of permits in the course of twelve months, so that the total number of permits by no means represents the same number of persons. Bush-beer. In forming an opinion as to whether there is any increase in the drinking of bush-beer by Natives, my own knowledge, apart from hearsay, is from perusual of Court and other records. Of the people with whom I have discussed the question it appears to me that, as a rule, those who have been long resident in the Islands hold the opinion that bush-beer drinking is not increasing. One resident, not an official, on whose views I place some reliance, said to me, " There is actually much less drinking than formerly, but it has changed in character. Formerly the middle-aged and elderly men used to drink largely, but they did so in discreet fashion and were not much seen or noticed. Young men rarely indulged. But in recent years, while the elders are less addicted to the habit, the younger men seem to have taken to it to some extent, and they are less careful of appearances than their elders were." I have myself observed that the great majority of those charged before me with drinking bush-beer were quite young men. But other residents of long standing declare than ten years ago bush-beer drinking was much more in evidence than at the present time. Having regard to all the information that has been available to me, I have come to the conclusion that bush-beer drinking is decreasing rather than increasing, but it would be idle to deny that a good deal still takes place at certain seasons of the year. A return which I have had prepared by the Registrar of the High Court showing the convictions for bush-beer making and drinking and for drunkenness during the six months ended 30th September last is somewhat instructive. This return shows, —- April ... ... ... 1 case, involving 1 person. May ... ... ... 7 cases, involving 15 persons. June ... ... ... 13 cases, involving 16 persons. July ... ... ... 16 cases, involving 32 persons. August ... ... ..." 13 cases, involving 18 persons. September ... ... 3 cases, involving 3 persons. Since the 30th September there has been no arrest for drunkenness or bush-beer drinking or making. All these convictions except one, that of the European already referred to, were for bush-beer making or drinking. The European case took place at Titikaveka settlement, ten miles from headquarters at Avarua, and was apparently caused by overindulgence in his allowance of liquor imported by himself in terms of section 276. His liquor was promptly stopped. The figures in the return do not mean that the police were inactive before May and after August. The four months, May to August, cover the period during which oranges are ripe and fit for bushbeer making. Further comment is unnecessary. When ripe pineapples become plentiful then I fear the Court figures will again increase. In June I temporarily employed an extra Native constable of previous experience in Aitutaki. He left in July. Subsequently the man in charge of live-stock has been detailed for duty as special constable on Saturday evenings and Sundays. Entire suppression of the practice will be a very difficult matter. Though Rarotonga is not a large island it is extremely well adapted for hiding-places. It is a network of gullies and steep hills densely vegetated. Every orange or banana tree or pine-apple-bush is a potential brewery, and practically nothing else is needed but a receptacle for the liquor. If a man is determined to make it he can readily evade observation. Indulgence in liquor of an intoxicating nature is a very ancient custom of these people, and it is correspondingly difficult to convince them that it is wrong: "When Makea-te-Pa-atua-kino was lying drunk with kava," said a witness before me in the Land Court. This Ariki lived three generations before the arrival of the missionaries. They always had trouble over and were continually warring against the habit. You will find the expression "bush-beer" used in the translation of laws of Rarotonga appearing in Mr. Moss's report of 1891 (in parliamentary paper A.-3 of .1891), Law XVI, showing that it was then well known. These laws were printed at the Mission press in 1879. Spiritual influence,