Tax Defaulters

Pardoned

Clemency Of Tongan Queen

Prom Our Own Correspondent.

Nukualofa, June 30.

THE 38th Session of the Tongan Parlia ment was opened to-day by Queen Salote Tubou. This is Parliament’s 21st Session in the reign of Queen Salote, whose coronation’s twentieth anniversary will be celebrated on October 11 next.

In her Opening Address the Queen said that, to mark the twentieth anniversary of her accession this year, she would exer cise her royal perrogativ© of mercy by cer tain acts of clemency, which will be incor porated in a Bill. The most important of these is the cancellation of the liability of all poll tax defaulters, from 31st December, 1937, backwards.

This gesture will be appreciated when it is realized that there are about 12,000 judgment summonses on issue in the group against tax defaulters.

It is expected that the Session will be a lengthy one, for certain important mea sures will be raised for consideration, be sides the question of the removal of the Government College from Nukualofa to the country, which is the main topic in the “fai-kavas”—kava parties—just now.