News From The Cooks

larotonga’s expected isolation during ; absence on survey of the Maui majre, has been relieved by two visits a NZ Civil Aviation aircraft. It took plosives to Aitutaki, for deepening the idromc area, on its first flight, then rried out a survey of the radio vigational aids. It carried passengers, ills and urgent cajrgo to Rarotonga. fhe Cooks had an influenza epidemic January. Over 800 cases were reported 10 with pneumonia. dessrs. A. B. Donald & Co. have lerously donated a suitable radio eiver and the necessary extension loud saker and cables to the Ka/rotonga latorium. lecause the Charlotte Donald, en route Papeete for her annual survey, was ced. by bad weather, to overcarry kahanga cargo to Penrhyn, several all, open sailing craft went from kahanga across the 25-miles open-sea isage to collect the goods. )r. T. T. Romans, has been appointed lef Medical Officer in the Cook Islands. has been on the staff of a public ipital in NZ.

'here has been considerable road king activity on Atiu Island, access ds being built by the population from orchards to the alternative landings Totiko and Kona^onako. wenty thousand trees in the Government sery, Atiu, mainly Australian eucalypts I acacias, brought from NZ late in 1, are now 15 feet in height and will planted out in the reafforestation eme on Atiu as soon as the present 11 of very dry weather ends. Fowls, ks, and turkeys, imported to improve il strains, and add to the island’s Itry resources, are doing well at the chery, which is operated in con ction with the experimental farm. arotonga Public Works concentrated improvements to the Takuvaine water ike (in the mountains at the back Avarua) during a dry spell in ruary. Water supply on Rarotonga become a serious problem. Fines are ig imposed on persons who leave taps ning. he position of Resident Agent, tiihiki Island, is vacant—advertised try £NZ4OO-500. An official interpreter lary £250-400) for Rarotonga is also ght. n February, the Rarotonga Land Court an re-investigation of the Title of utapuatea, under direction from the ive Appellable Court. The land con ed is the compound of the Makea ki in Avarua, on which the Makea’s ce is situated. The block extends m the sea inland to the LMS Church pound. The first palace was built on i land by Makea Pori in the 1830’s, re is much interest in the case. [r. Marama Nicholas has been selected lead the small Cook Islands military tingent to the Coronation. He held rank of Flight Sergeant in the RNZAF the end of the war. r. Stewart Kingan, commercial photo pher of Rarotonga, recently made a es of photographic slides of erosion on otonga, for projection in the local itres, to instruct the people in the sets of de-forestation.

Pukapuka people have built a flat bottomed surf boat to carry three tons of copra and are taking it to Nassau Island for use in loading the inter-island vessels.