Prince

Tonga’S Crown

Useful Visit to Australia

CROWN Prince Tugi, of Tonga, after a busy month in Australia, left Sydney for Suva on November 15, accom panied by his wife, the Princess Mata’aho.

Tugi probably is the most enlightened and progressive Polynesian in the Pacific to-day. He takes his responsibilities, as the hereditary future ruler of Tonga, very seriously; but his activities actually flow from his interest in government and his enthusiastic eagerness to apply his prac tical knowledge for the advancement of bis people. He studied and graduated at Sydney University some years ago, and he since has made a special study of agricul :ure.

Like other Pacific administrators, Prince Tugi dislikes the idea of a coconut economy, solely—he wants, for Tonga, an alternative major crop; and, after in vestigation, he has settled upon peanuts tor ground-nuts).

He has just spent some time in Queens land where he investigated every phase af peanut culture, economics and market ing. He is satisfied that the average rongan farmer can grow peanuts; that :his form of production will be suitable for Tongan life; and that there is a pro stable market in New Zealand for all die peanuts that Tonga can produce. Ex pensive experiments will be started very soon, in which the economic use of machines will be tested.

Prince Tugi’s other chief interest is edu cation. He is eager to find every possible medium for the better instruction of his Deople.

While in Sydney, he got Mr. Lex Halli iay to show him everything possible about fie taking, production and display of 16 nm. documentary films. The Prince is convinced that films of this class can be ised effectively in the instruction of the rongans; and he has taken some equip nent back to Nukualofa with him.

Prince Tugi believes also in the jrinted word. The Tongans are in creasingly literate, but there is no Tongan lewspaper. The Prince has evolved a )lan under which a fortnightly newspaper vill be produced in Auckland, in the rongan language, for distribution in Donga. A Tongan native is being trained o operate a linotype; and the supply of copy” to Auckland, and the carriage of he newspapers to Tonga, can be done asily by the planes, which run regularly.

Reception In Sydney

3N the evening of November 13, at the invitation of the officers of the Board of Methodist Overseas Mis ions, about 30 representative citizens of Sydney gathered at Wesley College, Uni ersity of Sydney, to formally meet Prince Dugi and Princess Mata’aho. It was a ery happy function. The guests enjoyed heir informal conversations with the *rince, and were impressed by the harm and good looks of the Princess, ‘rincess Mata’aho was educated in New Zealand, but was making her first visit to Australia.

Members of the Tongan Royal Family lave suffered a good deal from vulgar ■nd offensive publicity given them by a ection of Australian and American news papers, and both Prince Tugi and his wife fere obviously dodging the limelight.

Vherever they went, however, they made lew friends and found new admirers. ?his attractive couple are likely to fill an important place in the South Pacific in he future.