Tonga

New Royal Palace for Tonga

From Our Own Correspondent

Nukualofa, Nov. 4.

A SUM of £1,500 has been set aside from this year’s Estimates, as a nucleus of a Palace building fund. It is proposed to add similar sums to the fund each year until sufficient has accumulated to build a new Palace in Nukualofa.

The nresent palace, a two storied, wooden building in the old colonial style, was built in the reign of King George Tunou I. It is in a decrepit condition.

The site for the proposed new palace is on a small hill at what was once the Government College plantation, about miles from Nuku’alofa. This site is at present occupied by the local jail.

A fine panoramic view of the eastern part of Tongatanu, as well as a distant view of the high island of ’Eua, about 25 miles to the east of Tongatapu, can be obtained from the new site, and the natural surroundings of the place lend themselves to landscape gardening.

This move will remove the Royal resi

dence from the prying eyes of inquisitive tourists, as well as from the noise, dirt and other distractions of the Nuku’alofa waterfront. The present palace is right on the beach near the wharf.

The new palace will be built of brick and concrete, and will have modern household conveniences. However, the actual building will not be undertaken until the grounds are properly laid out and planted. The work of preparing the grounds will start soon after the jail is removed at the beginning of next year.

Mrs. E. P. Holmes will leave by the “Montoro” for Port Moresby this month where she will make her future home. In pre-invasion days she was a resident of Rabaul for 25 years where her well-known husband was head of the Land & Survey Department. Mrs. Holmes has been living in Brisbane since evacuation from the Islands. Of a happy disposition and

a interesting raconteur, Mrs. Holmes will be greatly missed at the monthly meetings of the Brisbane New Guinea Association,

Jmh

The wartime petrol rationing system has now been abolished in Fiji. The Secretary of State for the Colonies gave his approval for the abolition of petrol rationing on the understanding that the control exercised over public transport services would be continued,