Discipline For

Young Tongans.

Problem of Church and School.

Letter to the Editor.

IN the “Pacific Islands Monthly” of Oc tober, there is a timely article, “Townsmen or Land-Owners?”

There is a large body of opinion in agreement with your correspondent on the subject of education in Tonga, when he says that the educational policy is at fault, but it is doubted whether the evils will be removed by shifting the Govern ment College out of the town of Nukua lofa. There is more affected than the Government College.

First, this scheme may be like others undertaken by the Government of Tonga, with promises to benefit this and that, but almost all resulting in disaster, involving losses to the country of thousands of pounds. May I instance the vessels “Hi fofua” and the “Tokaga” (now “Tui Toga”)? Already £25,000 have been ex pended in the past 16 years on the Gov ernment College, and it is estimated that the removal to the bush would cost an other £2,000; and buildings taken down and put up again are never the same.

Removal of a college from the town to the bush would never solve Tonga’s problem of improving the character as well as the behaviour of its youth. A stiffer discipline is required, not only at the Government College, but at the Na fualu Wesleyan College, and the Wesley an Girls’ College, to bring about without delay a more respectful demeanour to wards their parents and elders and their betters (not only to the faces of the lat ter, but behind their backs as well). A little less arrogance in our young Ton gans is desirable.

The root of the trouble goes further back than the Colleges, and starts with the children just before school age, and in the primary schools. Lack of parental control is a factor. The Missions, also, are too intent on making their children good Callathumpians, rather than good Tongans.

The Government is to be blamed most ly for the present condition of Tonga’s younger generation, because the Govern ment, being mostly Wesleyans, have left too much in the hands of the Wesleyan Mission, who have taken the chance to push on the political influence of Wes leyanism, instead of the Government holding the balance evenly, as between the many competing sects in Tonga—six, to be exact—for the benefit of the children of all, and the population as a whole.

Any scheme touching education put forward by the Wesleyan-ridden Govern ment of Tonga is looked on with suspic ion by many sections of the people, for we have not forgotten, nor will we for get for many a long day, the Wesleyan "manoeuvres” of 1924.

I am, etc.,

Afuha’ Amago.

Member of the Tongan Legislative Assembly.

Nukualofa, 11/l/’3B.

Mr. William H. Potts, a young Eng lishman, who accompanied Dwight Long in his yacht “Idle Hour” from Sydney to Papua in 1936 and who subsequently spent some months travelling in the Mandated Territory and Dutch New Guinea, has returned to his home in Birmingham, England. He is now en gaged in writing a book dealing with his travels.