Niue Hit by Aust.

Import Restrictions

HEAVY restrictions imposed by Australia in June, 1956, against the importation of plaited fibre handcrafts—mainly baskets —adversely effected an Im portant export trade from Niue Island.

This had the serious side effect of greatly reducing the sale of postage stamps used on parcels of handcrafts, according to the official Annual Report on Niue just pub lished.

The report notes, however, that before the end of the financial year and following representations, the import restrictions were again «ased.

The report shows that exports of plaited ware, which had reached a peak of £10,068 in 1954-55 and were valued at £8,091 in 1955-56, fell to £6,321 in the 1956-57 year.

The report does not give figures of stamp sales in the respective years, nor does it indicate how, in spite of the Australian restrictions, the overall exports to that country, totalling £5,168, were still higher than those of the previous year— £4,s96.

Most, but not all, of the plaited wear goes to Australia, and in recent years it has had to com pete there with the much more

varied and better finished Italian product. There is no indication of what other exports Niue sends to Australia, but it would appear that these could only be kumaras or copra, which with bananas are the island’s only known exports—and if these have been going into Aus tralia it will be a big surprise.

t A volcanic explosion on Manam, Island, NG, in October, sent ash over native villages. t A joint US-NZ ornithological ex pedition is to carry out research work on Campbell Island, south of New Zealand next year. The party' will travel aboard a US destroyer.!