Weak Fruit Market

Affects Cook Is.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Rarotonga, July 17.

THE Group’s fruit pulse continues to beat very feebly. Packing sheds re port buying prices (July 16 —“Monowai” shipment) at 1/6d. per case for oranges, 2/- for bananas, and 4/- for tomatoes.

No one except natives, living on the very edge of the barest economic standard and existing principally on a coconut —taro —fish diet, could possibly cultivate and deliver fruit to the pack ing sheds at these prices.

The appallingly low prices, with the resultant inability of the native to pur chase certain lines of European foods, which he has become accustomed to— bully beef, sugar, butter, etc.—no doubt accounts, to some extent at least, for the frequent thefts of foodstuffs which have been recently reported.

Copra making is now only a job that the native will trouble about in the Cook Group in order to buy a tin of bully beef or a twist of tobacco. More so than ever before copra has become a “last resource” —a “nothing in it” busi ness.

Despite the very poor price given for copra in the form of trade goods, the islanders at Rakahanga produce copra.

This is their one and only form of trad ing. In return for copra they are able to procure just the barest items of clothing and food from the outside world.

Penrhyn and Manihiki are pearl is lands and pearls from these islands are still dived for and sold in the world’s markets.

As we come south to the “fruit” is

lands, the idea of copra-making has almost disappeared, compared with what it once was.