Handling 4000 Coconuts At

Cook Is. Decline

Handling 4000 Coconuts At Present Prices

From Our Own Correspondent.

Rarotonga, June 15.

ONCE upon a time the Cook Islands grew cotton, and flourished. The Nile dam was built, England took Egyptian cot ton, and our cotton trade vanished in a night.

Pearling flourished. Then the synthetic, or “cultivated” pearl pushed our native pearl out of sight.

Copra became the staple industry—it looked as if nothing could affect it. But whales and soya beans now have under mined the coconut.

The dried product of 130 coconuts is re quired to fill one sack with copra. We count 30 sacks to the ton —roughly 4000 coconuts. London offers us £6/15/- per ton, and we pay for freight, sacks, insur ance, commission, etc. Anyone can have the Cook Islands share of the coconut trade —we are not going to make copra at that price, and lose money.

Half of the copra export tax (£1 per ton) imposed in 1918 was removed last year; and the balance was withdrawn in April last. But this relief is not enough to save the trade.

Our last hope is fruit. The Cook Is.

Administration now is doing everything possible to build up this valuable trade with New Zealand.

Pastor A. H. Piper, General Secretary of Seventh Day Adventist missions, Mr.

J. S. Sandeman, of Victoria, and Dr. C. W, Harrison, arrived in Sydney by the Malaita on June 24. They had been on a tour of inspection of S.D.A. missions in the Solomon Islands. As a result of their investigations a hospital will be built at Malaita, and will be under the charge of Dr. Dorothy Mills Parker.