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1939. NEW ZEALAND.

COOK ISLANDS. [In continuation of Parliamentary Paper A.-3, 1938.]

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

REPORT OF THE COOK ISLANDS ADMINISTRATION.

Resident Commissioner. In July, 1938, there was a change in the office of Resident Commissioner. Mr. S. J. Smith retired from the position and was succeeded by Judge H. F. Ayson, who was formerly Resident Commissioner of the Islands. Judge Ayson was also reappointed as Chief Judge of the High Court and Chief Judge of the Native Land Court. Finance. The revenue for the financial year ended 31st March, 1939, amounted to £48,966 15s. 2d. and the expenditure to £58,016 2s. 5d., including capital expenditure of £2,455 19s. 6d., leaving a deficit of £9,049 7s. 3d. Subsidies from the New Zealand Government amounted to £21,000, and this figure is included in the above revenue. The Revenue Account and Balance-sheet for the year ended 31st March, 1939, are printed on pages 14 and 15, Appendix A. The Balance-sheet takes into account the value (after writing off depreciation amounting to £2,386 14s. Id.) of all Administration assets as at 31st March, 1939, and all liabilities, and shows an excess of assets amounting to £80,396 16s. lOd. Fruit-control Finance. —In addition to the control of oranges taken on Ist May, 1937, the Government took control of the exporting and marketing of bananas in the Cook Islands from Ist April, 1938, under the Fruit Control Regulations. The year's operations as at the 31st March, 1939, resulted in a surplus of £402 10s. 6d., a total Reserve Fund of £655 2s. 9d. Trade. For the year ended 31st December, 1938, the value of exports was £73,184 and of imports £74,789, showing an excess of imports of £1,605. For the previous year the corresponding figures were : Exports, £86,333 ; imports, £86,534. Details are printed on pages 16 to 20, Appendix B. During the year there was a considerable drop in the export of copra, as only 908 tons were exported, as against 1,629 tons for the preceding year. The value for the year ending 31st December, 1938, amounted to only £6,865, as against £28,337 for 1937.

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