Why Some Tongans

Steal

Very Small Salaries of Responsible Officials

From Our Own Correspondent

Nukualofa. July 10.

FOLLOWING the disclosures of em bezzlement of Government funds by the young Tongan Government clerk.

Uliti Balu. a serious complaint has been laid against another young Tongan offi cial in a responsible position, alleging that he was an accessory to certain for geries made on Government voucher pay sheets in connection with the wages of a Government workman at Haapai. The Government Auditor has made an inves

tigation, but no official action lias yet been taken.

These incidents direct attention to the salaries of Tongans, other than Cabinet Ministers, in the Tongan Civil Service They were fixed at least 25 years ago and should be brought under serious re view. Study of the numerous cases of peculation of public funds by Tongans give rise to the conclusion that, in al most every case, the primary cause has been the smallness of their salaries.

With a few exceptions, Tongans in the Civil Service receive salaries as clerks, graded into four classes, with the fol lowing salaries per annum: First Class. £ll5-£175; Second Class, £9O-£115; Third Class, £7O-£9O; Fourth Class, £5O-£7O.

Taking into consideration the quantity and quality of their work, as well as the high cost of living in Tonga, it is not ne cessary to stress the fact that these fig ures are inadequate.

Uliti Balu, although he was in sole charge of the Tongan Government Sav ings Bank, and of the cash used daily by the Tongan Government at the Treas ury, was only a second-class clerk, re ceiving £ll5 per annum. Another man recently under investigation held a post formerly held by Europeans only, occupy ing a £3OO position on only £175, as a first-class clerk.

Due to the advance in education, and the practice of filling Government posts only from successful candidates in the competitive Civil Service examinations, and from young Tongans educated abroad, the present Tongan official is obviously superior to his predecessor of 25 years ago.

Further, it is absurd to expect the educated Tongan of to-day to live as did his forebear of half a century, or even a quarter of a century ago. Western civilisation has made vast changes in his economic and social life.

The Tongan official, who more often than not has a family, finds it difficult to struggle along on his small income.

Frequently, as a result, he gets himself hopelessly tangled up in debts with the local traders, and having no means to free himself from this, sometimes resorts to embezzling Government funds.

It may be pointed out that Tongan officials have their own lands, and are given every Saturday free to grow their own foodstuffs. These factors were taken into account when the present basis of their salaries was fixed, and were considered as sufficient compensation for any lack in them. But subsequent ex perience shows that the one day free per week is not enough for the growing and tending of sufficient foodstuffs to meet daily requirements. In fact, they are forced to employ helpers to tend their food-gardens, with monthly wages from £1 to £2. This expense, of course, has to be met from their salaries, for any possibility of defraying it from pro ceeds of the sale of copra, if any, from their lands, is entirely negatived by the present low price of that commodity.

Mr. A. S. Hermes, of Ba, Fiji, who underwent an operation for appendicitis in Sydney in July, is making a rapid recovery.

Dr. Charles Evans Maguire, who was in the Fiji Health Service about 30 years ago as M.O. in the Taveuni and Rewa Districts and later was in charge of the Suva Hospital, died recently in London at the age of 67. After leaving Fiji, he wem to Tonga as Chief Medical Officer and instituted a Government medical service throughout the Group.