A.—3

The following return shows the tonnage of cargoes carried to and from Niue for the year 1927 by the New Zealand Government steamer " Hinemoa," which is the only vessel carrying cargo between Niue and New Zealand : —-

Schedule showing Tonnage of Cargoes carried by N.Z.G.S. "Hinemoa" to and from Niue, for the Year 1927. IMPORTS.

EXPORTS.

SUMMARY. Inwards, 509j- tons; outwards, 920J tons : Total, 1,429| tons. Trade. Imports for the year 1927 totalled £1-1,006, as against £17,563 for 1926. Exports amounted to £11,350, as against £17,655 for 1926. All with the exception of £60 went to New Zealand. The main items were —Bananas, 7,564 cases ; basketware, 1,747§ dozen ; copra, 257f tons ; fungus, 49,951 lb.; and hats, 1,327J dozen. Return of imports and exports for the year ended 31st December, 1927, together with a summary for the past twenty-five years, are attached hereto (Appendix A). Copra. —The export of copra, the main product, was extremely poor, and shows a big drop of nearly 400 tons on the previous year, being less than half a normal year's output. The crop was one of the poorest that the island has ever had. This is attributed to the severe set-back the trees received by the prolonged drought of 1925-26. Very little improvement can be expected until the new crop matures in July or August. Fruit. —During the year six shipments, totalling 7,564 cases, were made, the average net return for same being 7s. per case. The industry is steadily developing. Since the passing of the Planting of Lands Ordinance in September, 1926, over 175,000 plants have been planted. -The Natives a,re taking a keen interest in the industry, and with the advent of the new Government motor-ship " Maui Pomare " next year a big stride forward should eventuate. The development of the banana trade will make a wonderful difference to the social conditions of the Niueans. Hitherto copra has been sufficient to provide only their bare necessities, but the proceeds from fruit shipments should result in a higher standard of living and assist materially in the progress of the people. Cotton. —A further attempt to reintroduce the cotton industry to Niue has been made. 300 lb. of Allan's Upland Improved long-staple seed was obtained from the British Cotton-growers Association, Manchester, England. The seed was distributed among the Natives of the various villages, and was

14

Date of Arrival. I Trip No. General Cargo. Timber. Coal. Total Tonnage. Tons. Sup. ft. Tons. 14/4/27 .... 1 56J 612 .. 57f 17/5/27 .. .. 2 30i 495 20 5lf 13/6/27 .... 3 71 650 45 117 31/7/27 .. .. 4 34| 2,669 .. 40 4/9/27 .... 5 20| .. 13 33J 6/10/27 .. .. 6 35| 500 15 51J 27/10/27 .. .. 7 51 1,167 .. 53 6/12/27 .. .. 8 102 1,350 .. 105 Totals .. .. 401J , 7,443 93 j 509J

i i I i Date of Departure. j Trip No. Copra. Fruit. I Fungus. Goods Coal. Xorinage I I __J j_ | i Tons. Cases. lb. | Tons. Tons. [ 15/4/27 .. .. .. 1 50 .. 20,585 6$ .. 66 19/5/27 .. .. .. 2 15 1,173 6,451 5 .. 101 14/6/27 .. .. .. 3 9 1,073 6,319 H .. 85£ 3/8/27 (leper trip) .. .. 4 .. ... .. ... 80 80 6/9/27 .. .. ..5 100 734 9,138 9f .. 163J 7/10/27 .. .. .. 6 39 1,732 4,362 .. .. 149| 7/11/27 .. .. .. 7 27 1,507 1,913 1J 28 156f 7/12/27 .. .. .. 8 21 1,392 2,556 3J .. 118$ Totals .. .. .. .. 261 7,611 51,324 27$ 108 920J