The Tongan Islands

Luck of the "Overtaxed” Native—Some Revenue Problems

From Our Own Correspondent

Nukualofa, Aug. 20.

MUCH has been said and written in the past regarding taxation in Tonga. It has been affirmed that the taxes bear so heavily on the native that, in fulfilling his obligations to the Gov ernment, he is reduced to a state of penury. But what are the facts?

On his making application, at the age of sixteen years, the Government is compelled by law to grant the youth a plantation allotment of 81 acres, to gether with a village allotment of 1 acre, and for this registered allocation he pays a yearly rental of 8/-. As an alternative, if he foregoes the village allotment, the Government grants him a full 12-acres plantation block and, as inducement to accept the latter pro position, charges him a yearly rental of only 4/- for this area.

If he is industrious, and wishes to extend his boundaries, he can apply for a lease of any unoccupied land (there is plenty of it), and this will be granted to him at an annual rental of 4/- per acre. But, for the present, we will confine ourselves to the taxpayer who is satisfied with a statutory allot ment.

A Typical Case

I have in mind a man who, for 25 years, has had an acre section. He states that his average annual return for copra for 17 years works out at about £55. Included in this, of course, is the extraordinary price which ob tained during some of the war years, but may we not take the good with the bad? Now, every year, out of that return, he has contributed to the Treas ury 36/- for poll tax, 8/- for land ren tal, 6/- for a gun, and 4/- for) a horse.

Roughly, then, he has been remitting to the Government 5 per cent, of the monetary copra productiveness of the soil that the Crown gave to him. Is this too much? I do not think so.

He acknowledges that, through the years he, and his family have had free education, free medical attendance, free medicine, and also free dental treat ment.

Apart from the coconuts, his allot ment has supplied most of his humble wants. It has produced in sufficient quantities yams, bananas, kumalas, pineapples and kava. There are nine pigs in the sty, and he says that a dozen more are running loose —and it is rather a source of anxiety to him that one of these tracks a hen to her nest every little while, and conse quently deprives the larder of a num ber of eggs. He has three strapping young sons, each with a 12-acres plot in the neighbourhood and, although the coconut trees on their lands are not all in full bearing as yet, other products of the soil make a welcome addition to the home table.

On the whole, this typical native is, I think, quite contented with his lot.

He is particularly pleased that the Government’s metalling of the main highway has now reached his property, thus giving him better access to the capital, and he is proud to think that he, and his sons, control some 40 odd acres of land, productive and poten tially productive.

Still, I cannot help think that, as I left him sitting on his mat, he was worrying about that pig.

Reducing Taxation

Although the Tongan Government, without a National Debt, is in a very sound position financially—having, in fact, a surplus of £140,000, of which £125,000 is invested in gilt-edged—it is known that the Executive found it no easy task to balance the Budget for the ensuing year.

A firm promise, made last year, to relieve the Tongans of taxation in I some direction could not be disregarded, and the present depressed state of the copra market emphasised the need of relief. It was thought by the man in the street that easement would be reached by either reducing, or abolish ing altogether, the £1 per ton export fee on copra.

The Government’s Executive, howe ever, had other views. They were not satisfied that such a concession would ever reach the native producer, for his benefit, and so decided to ask Parlia ment to grant direct relief by abolish ing the Horse Tax (4/-), the Dog Tax (1/-) and the Town Tax (4/-). The House agreed to this, but relief has only been gained at the expense of the other side of the Budget, where the Public Works estimates received the axe.

The Pension Problem

The question of pensions ran into a long and heated debate. The appro priation for the coming year is £1,933, being an increase of £1,400 in the last 10 years. The Representatives view with some alarm the potential possibil ties of the appropriation ten years hence.

As an illustration, the post of Audi tor-General was reviewed. The present officer, who is also a Minister of the Crown, will retire shortly on a substan tial pension, and it was urged upon the Executive body to refrain from selecting a high-salaried officer from the Colo nial Service to fill the vacancy when a local man might be eligible and with

out Ministerial rank, at a proportion

ately greatly reduced salary.

The Draft Estimates, as a whole, were put through the House without much alteration. Increases in the emoluments of some of the junior

European officials, sponsored by the

Executive, were vetoed by the elected members and struck off accordingly.

The finalised Budget shows the esti mated revenue at £85,630, and the Ex

penditure £84,555.

Cocoa In Favour

A matter of momentous interest to planters, and one which has been the subject of much earnest discussion in Parliament (and rightly so) is the

prospect of introducing a secondary, or

even another primary industry, into the

Kingdom.

For many years, stray cocoa trees had been noticed flourishing here and there in the islands of the group, taut it was not until the recently appointed Director of Agriculture took the matter up that anyone seemed to give them a thought, unless it was to remark that the pods looked very quaint and pretty.

Last year, a bag of the beans was forwarded overeas, and a first class

quality report was duly received. Un

fortunately, some hitch occurred (good ness knows where), and the whole thing was shelved.

However, Parliament has now been

asking questions and, fearing that

there is no prospect of much improve ment in the price of copra, has strongly urged the Executive to consider the ad visability of introducing a disease-re

sisting cocoa during the present year.

This, at any rate, has the appearance of being a move in the right direction.

Revival Of Banana Trade?

If the cocoa, when introduced, is not a revenue proposition for 5 or 6 years, we have here at the present time, in bananas, a catch-crop that may yet prove to be the salvation of Tonga. The

Tongan banana, acknowledged by

many to be the most succulent pro duced in the Pacific is languishing for want of facilities to get it to the over sea markets. Twenty years ago, Tonga was exporting as much as 14,000 cases a month to New Zealand, but the big

shipning company suddently altered

the route of its Islands vessel, and the little Kingdom was left to suffer.

Devising ways and means of trans port for this fruit has fortunately been a subject of very keen debate in Par liament and, rumour hath it, the House has pledged itself to support the Executive up to a very wide margin of expenditure in an endeavour to re-es tablish this industry.

That Charity Fete

The 4th of July is not on the calendar for the specific purpose of giving the nationals of the “Stars and Stripes” an opportunity to re joice. No, Sir! That date happens to be the anniversary of the birth of the Heir to the Tongan Throne; and Tonga never fails each year to get something going to mark the oc casion.

The last 4th was seized upon by the Nukua lofa ladies to stimulate enthusiasm in Church matters. The fine new Anglican Chapel was complete from an external point of view, but the time had come to give earnest atten tion to devising ways and means of furnishing the interior. The ladies decided upon a garden fete.

British Consul, Mr. J. S. Neill, was ap proached. and he willingly offered the use of the Residency with its extensive grounds; the business men were canvassed, and a stock of toys and fancy goods was got together; cakes of all sizes and descriptions were forthcoming from household larders; whilst a goodly num ber of natives, not to be outdone, came along with gifts of native craft, and pigs, fowls and fruit.

The morning broke fine, and from mid-day onwards, the Residency was the scene of an activity seldom witnessed on this tropic isle.

Luckily indeed was the man who, it is re ported, subsequently found an overlooked florin in his pocket, and produced it as evi dence after the event. What a day out the kiddies had, too. . . .

The “Houpla” table, under the energetic control of Mrs. McCreadie and Mr. Smith, vied in popularity with the “Duck Pond,” where Mrs. A. Riechelmann and Mr. McCreadie held sway. Under a spreading mango tree a weird-looking arrangement, under the man agement of Miss Taylor, enticed both young and old to try their luck with a fishing line.

Always an indifferent fisherman, I reeled from this part of the grounds, mentally count ing my cash balance; passed the cordials stall, where Mesdames Miles and Smith were attending to the apparently unending wants of a host of small boys, under the patronage of Magistrate Pearson; and then literally fell into the arms of Consul Neill.

He, attended by an Audit official to in spire confidence, presumably produced a pickle bottle of split beans. Now, I’m gener ally good at this sort of thing, but my guess of 268 didn’t hit just right perhaps I was thinking of Bradman as the audited count revealed 84 half beans!

A visit to the cake stall seemed in order, and there, what with the far-reaching and varied suggestions of Stallholders Mesdames Darrell-Wall and Sundin, I was lucky to get Jet off with the 2-lb. cake that, later, became the main item at a bachelor’s board.

Wending my way toward the afternoon tea tables was not so easy, either. A beautiful patch-work quilt (the gift of Mrs. Grahame) was being displayed by a sho'r of hands on the part of Mr. Clements. Who won that quilt? I was interested to the extent of two tickets.

The afternoon tea was good, and ably dis pensed under the jurisdiction of Mesdames Neill, Heenan, Barnes-Moss and Clements.

Wonderful is the thirst that one works up in unsuccessfully dodging peddlers and such like at these functions. Indication of some excitement at the tennis court hurried me through the third cup, and I was just in time to see the final game of the final set in the tournament. Mr. Finau Riechelmann deserves credit, too, for the able manner in which he conducted this section of the day’s entertain ment.

Haviner earmarked a dollar for an intend ing purchase at the native stall. I made off

in that direction, only to be informed by the lady-in-charge (Mrs. Tuivakano) that an Offi cer of the “Dunedin” had bought the only mat I had favoured. Rather disconsolate at this set-oack I was cheered up considerably a little later to hear the “Dunedin” band (kindly lent for the occasion) strike up “It Ain’t Goin’ To Rain No Mo’,” and in a burst of fervour, I cut out the remaining dollar on four guesses at the doll’s name. It was sheer throwing money away. Who would have guessed a name like that, anyway?

I was sorry, too, because I think I could have made things interesting at clock golf, on the lawn even Mr. Nicholson favoured my chances but the deed was done. I was stoney-broke, and tottered out of the gate with a 2-lb. currant cake under the right arm.

It was a great day. Everybody I know en joyed themselves and, added to previous do nations generously collected by Inspector Bal lard, the total contribution toward Church furniture according to Vicar Favell was in the near vicinity of £lOO. The Church Garden Fete was a triumph for the ladies.

God bless ’em!

“Nuggets” From Vavau

The price of £13 per ton for “dry” in.

Vavau, as against £9/10/- in Nukualofa and Haapai, is deflecting many inter island copra cutters to the northern market.

The epidemic of “Slatteritis,” hitherto confined to Vavau, has spread as far south as Nukualofa, the capital town of the group.

If the powers that be had thought in terms of cocoa, as well as copra, ten years ago, the copra market would not have been such a source of worry to day.

A certain buyer, when invited to be present at an important “fixing price" meeting, regretted that he was unable to attend, owing to the fact that he was too busy weighing copra.

There is foundation in the rumour that a large number of natives who, in. a fit of generosity, loaded a ship with 800 tons purchased by a local merchant, did refuse to accept wages.

There is no truth in the report that the Chamber of Commerce in Nukua lofa is at loggerheads with the Govern ment over the problem of reviving the banana industry.