Bananas Copra-Crushing

Hrh Has

New Ideas

Fish-Cannery, Dried Bananas Copra-Crushing

PRINCE TUGI of Tonga, who visited Fiji in late March to meet Unilever’s chief buyer, was, as ever, full of ideas for the im provement of the Tongan economy.

Many of his ideas have been tried out in other territories, sometimes with indifferent success, but that does not deter His Royal Highness.

As he would no doubt point out himself, Tonga is different.

At all . events, it has a more direct form of government.

“Tonga always has a favourable trade balance because she has not so many retail stores,” Prince Tugi told reporters with a smile.

He st id that the export of copra was still the main industry but oil crushing must come in Tonga as in all copra-producing countries. ••ushing eliminated the free rise of fatty acid due to time spent in storage awaiting shipment and time occupied in sea transport before the copra got to the mills. 30 crushing would make coconut meal available for stock. This would Increase interest in animal hus bandry and give a better and cheaper supply of beef, pork and poultry.

Experiments were at present be ing carried out in Tonga with de hydrated bananas. The bananas were skinned and the stringy out side strips removed. After drying they were canned.

Prince Tugi said that in 24 hours two tons of bananas could be dried.

He said dried bananas were ex cellent for eating. Soon some of pne cans would be opened for test ing.

Under this method all the fruit

on the bunch could be used. Even more important is the fact that dry ing bananas would make it possible to bring in fruit from the outlying islands.

This would apply particularly to Fiji, where good bananas are grown on the more distant islands where the banana boats do not call. If brought in by local cutters, ship ments often miss the New Zealand boat owing to bad weather.

This use of the outer islands would not only increase Tongan shipments but also open fresh markets further afield than New Zealand. (This sounds like our old friend “banana-figs”, tried out in Western Samoa after the war, and in other islands before that. —Ed. PIM).

Another venture planned by Prince Tugi is deep-sea fishing to supply the local market with frozen fish, the surplus to be canned for export. Tonga already has a deep seas fishing boat and is bringing out two Japanese experts to instruct Tongans in the work.

Prince Tugi said that in a very short time deep-sea fishing had be come the largest industry in Ameri can Samoa, where frozen fish was sold at tenpence a pound and a large quantity canned.

He said that Tonga might be able tc supply Fiji with frozen fish, fish in Fiji being, he understood, in very short supply at times, and dear.

A Decimal System For

Tonga

Announcing that the Kingdom of Tonga had completed pre parations for the introduction of decimal coinage, the Tongan Premier (Prince Tugi), gave a Fiji reporter some interesting historical details of British currency.

The recent West European move towards a common market made it very likely that Britain presently would adopt the decimal system, said Tugi. The only virtue of British shillings and pence, and weights

and measures, lay in the fas they reminded us that Britaiir had been conquered by Nasi When he over-ran Europe, 155. ago, Napoleon instructed mosa( West European nations to over to the decimal system. .

Tonga would retain the £2 present, and the new coins w<w tenths and hundredths of tit The main objection to the £ to the decimal systm imj British countries, said Tugi, vwv it would render all existing cso ing machines obsolete. But tld not affect Tonga—there wtv, such machines there.