Annual Reports on Samoa

and Cook Is.

From Our N.Z. Correspondent

Auckland, Aug. 15.

r f HE 16t h annual report of the N.Z.

Government on the administration of .amoa has been prepared for presenta tion to the League of Nations at Geneva.

The report states that the administra tion during the year functioned normally.

Improved conditions were noticeable, the higher prices and exports of copra being reflected in additional spending power and increased turnover for merchants and in the Government revenue.

The trade turnover for 1935 was £325,- 055 (an increase of 47 per cent.). Ex ports increased by 3,500 tons. Banana shipments created a new record of 109,000 cases, with the price remaining at 4/6 a case, to growers. The financial year ended with a surplus of £11,132. Ac cumulated surpluses amounted to £30,885, including £B,OOO set aside for the replace ment of assets.

It was found desirable to extend ex penditure so that necessary work which had been reduced to a minimum because of curtailed revenue could be proceeded with when the funds were available. Re venue totalled £111,876 and expenditure, £100,736, both being considerable in creases on the previous year.

Cook Islands And Niue

The annual reports on the administra tion of the Cook Islands and Niue Island have been presented to the N.Z. Parlia ment.

For the year ended March 31, 1936, there was an excess of expenditure over income of £135 for the Cook Is., but tak ing into account cash in hand at the be ginning of the year and receipts and pay ments as well, the year ended with £1,468 in hand. Subsidies from the N.Z. Trea sury for public health and education totalled £11,038 and in addition a subsidy of £4,529 was received for hurricane re paration. Trade figures show an excess of imports for the year of £8,077. The balance-sheet of the administration indi-. cates that assets exceed liabilities by £72,604.

The report refers to the uncertainty of the copra market in spite of a recent ris ing tendency, and to the low prices real ised for oranges, bananas and tomatoes.

The prospects for the coming orange season were for a light crop, as trees had not fully recovered from the hurricane.

Prospects were better in the Lower Group where the crop should be an average one.

It probably would be 12 months before normal crops of bananas were again avail able.

The Niue section states that by ob serving the utmost economy during the period of financial stringency it had been possible to do without the usual N.Z. grant of £3,500. This was the first year in which no subsidy had been received.

None was being requested for the finan cial year ending March 31, 1937, the in tention being to make good any de ficiency from the reserve fund.

The anticipated deficit for the year of £4,627 had proved to be only £2,111, Re ceipts amounted to £15,409, which was £4,328 in excess of the estimate, and pay ments £17,520, an excess of £1,812. Im ports totalled £15,288 for the calendar year ended December 31, and exports were £12,076.

Rev. R. L. Newman, who has been serving with the New Guinea Mission at Eroro, Papua, for three years, arrived in Brisbane in August on furlough.