[?]El For Tonga

Prince Tungi's Off Again

[?]Re Fish, Cheaper

ISTLESS, energetic Prince Tungi, of Tonga, passed through Syd ney in late April on his way to m to buy a 120-tons vessel to t a fishing industry for Tonga, professional Japanese fishing ter, Isamu Naoi, using the ex pand trawler Pearlin (now re ed Alaimoana ) bought by Tungi Duple of years ago, is already ling selected Tongans in the art arge-scale fish-catching. Tungi js the new vessel, with a 40freezer space, will supply all fresh fish that Nukualofa and iu need. iter, if the venture succeeds, i or more” other fishing vessels be acquired and ultimately Fiji, oa and Tahiti would also be ►lied. The tuna-canning in ry in American Samoa repre ed a profitable outlet, too. le Tongan Government’s agent apan, a subsidiary firm of the lential Matsubishi group, will se on the purchase of a suit vessel. eets from Japan, in no way as ited with Tonga, have already ed the fishing potentialities of area. There is every reason to ive that Tonga could now de p a valuable fishing industry,

but whether it will become a truly Tongan industry remains to be seen The dream that Pago Pago’s tuna industry would soon become a truly Samoan industry is still a dream.

While in Sydney, Tungi held a series of discussions with major and independent oil companies interested in installing bulk oil tanks in Tonga. At present, all oil for the Kingdom is expensively reshipped in drums from Fiji. Tungi hopes to slash the landed cost of oil by transporting it in bulk in barges towed from Suva by the Tongan Government’s new tug-workboat Hifofua and pumping it direct into tanks. Oil barges now being built in Auckland should be ready for service next August.

Don't Like it Frozen

However, there is one aspect of Tungi’s fish plan that might not appeal to the Fijian buyer. That is the freezing of the fish cargo which, it is reasonable to assume, will be caught four or five days before dis posal on the Fiji markets.

The Fijians, at Suva anyway, are averse to buying fish that has been “on the ice” for even a couple of days let alone up to 10 days. They say that the natural fresh flavour is just not there. And the Fijians would be the only substantial customers of any such venture if it comes off.

But the demand for fresh fish at both Suva and Lautoka is increas-

ing every year with the increase in population so that perhaps these people might only be too happy to get what they can and not be so discriminating in their choice —particularly if it is cheaper than the local product.

Prince Tungi, right, photographed last year, with Governor of American Samoa, aboard his new "Aoniu".