Constructive Policy

Suggested.

[To the Editor.] Sir, —Your own correspondent in a recent article has made persistent de mand for some constructive policy for Tonga. May I suggest something by way of a commencement?

First: To use the words of your own correspondent in another connection, it is absolutely necessary to bring into immediate operation “an interesting system of elimination” which would reduce by at least one half the civil servants of the Government of Tonga; then make those left do a day’s work for their pay, and lengthen the hours of attendance (I had almost written work) to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., instead of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no reason why a bunch of parasites, some alien, some native, should batten and fatten on these islanders.

Second: The 1,200 unemployed re ferred to by her Majesty the Queen as having no taxed allotments should be placed on land without delay and made to produce something.

Third: The natives should be dis couraged from wasting their time joy riding on motor lorries, kava-drinking until the small hours of the morning, attending churches on week days, and all the other dodges for avoiding work, including excessive time for sports; they should be made to go on system atically planting coconuts and any thing else that will add to the coun try’s production.

Fourth: The labour force represented by the youths at present wasting their time in the two so-called “colleges,” amounting to several hundred, should be turned upon their only means of getting a living—viz., the land —and so save many thousands of pounds of tax payer’s money and voluntary contribu tions.

Fifth: Some method of ascertaining the amount of money contributed to Missions each year should be devised, returns to be furnished and made obli gatory by law.

Sixth; The natives, if they are al lowed to contract debts, should be forced to pay them.

Seventh: The Police Department should be made the subject of an ex haustive enquiry by a commission and completely re-organised I am, etc.,

Kataki.

Nukualofa, Feb. 29, 1932.