Islands.

Shipping Difficulties in Cook Islands.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Rarotonga, July 17.

HOPE has been abandoned of the fruit steamer from Auckland (S.S. "Kanna”) visiting the Cook Group this year for oranges and other fruit.

Outcries against alteration in island shipping

services have appeared so often in the pages of the P.I.M. that it would be needless repeti tion to mention anything of the consequences to the islands of the Lower Group (namely, Aitu taki, Atiu, Mauke and Mangaia) of the disap pearance of the Auckland fruit-boat service.

The paltry prices offering for oranges for ship ment by the monthly mail steamers that call at Rarotonga are proof enough that the market is saturated.

Due to the enterprise of one or two of the larger local firms, two shipments of fruit from both Aitutaki and Mangaia went forward to Auckland direct, during the months of June and July, despite the glut.

The Union Company’s steamer “Waikawa” en route from San Francisco, was diverted to Man gaia and Aitutaki in June, and lifted some 8,000 cases of fruit, mostly oranges. (Similarly, the same Company’s motorship “Hauraki” was chartered to call at these two island's early in Juily. Approximately 8,000 cases were taken aboard for discharge at Auck land.

So far as fruit export is concerned, the in tercepting of route steamers is satisfactory but the difficulty lies in the four islands of Aitutaki, Atiu, Mauke and Mangaia obtaining goods—including shooks —direct from New Zea land and not via Rarotonga.

Of the two schooners operating in the Cook Group both are privately-owned —one by the Cook Islands Trading Company and the other by the old-established firm of Messrs. A. B. Donald, Ltd.

Other firms have branches at those islands and in the absence of the “Kanna” find them selves dependent upon rival firms for inter-island shipping space.