Tonga Is
p. 43 · Read in the full issue
Going Ahead
FRINGE Tungi, Tonga’s energetic Premier, returned to Tonga in May after a quick look at Japan and he liked what he saw in the ist.
He visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, e great tuna fishing port of Misaki id Ise Bay, where the late Miki- Dto established the cultured pearl dustry. He stayed mainly at Jap lese-style hotels.
The Japanese diet, with a pre ference of fish dishes, suited m very well.
A few things surprised him, bow er. One was the common Jap ese business practice of supply l full-time secretaries to visiting erseas businessmen of rank jretaries able to speak the visitors’ iguage.
Tongan Affairs
He had these points to make out Tongan affairs: * A broadcasting station in ikualofa will be on the air by the d of the year if the work con iues according to plan, and good Dgress is being made. There will a new 5 kil. transmitter, on a squency in the standard broadcast nd which should cover the whole nga group. • Tonga still hopes that part of 3 finance for a hotel in Nukualofa hich hasn’t one) will be obtained •m overseas’ interests. Finance s “now offering”, but it was a estion of deciding which interest uld be invited to join the pro :t, and on what terms. The
matter is still under discussion, but should be settled soon. • It was still the Government’s intention to replace the Royal Palace “in due course”. But when and where it would be erected were still matters for consideration. (Plans were drawn up by New Zealand architects a year or so ago, but nothing came of them). • Petrol users in Tonga should have the pleasure of experiencing a drop of perhaps 5d per gallon in the price when bulk shipments commence, probably early next year.
At present it costs Tonga 1/1 per gallon handling charges to import petrol in drums from Fiji. This sum would, it is estimated, be reduced to 8d per gallon when bulk ship ments commence.
Oil Storage
Negotiations are now completed with Shell Oil Co. and Vacuum Oil Co. for the establishment of oil storage tanks at Nukualofa. These tanks will be ready for use by the end of the year. The Tonga Gov ernment’s oil barge, now building in Auckland, will be ready well be fore then. Discussions are still pro ceedings in regard to the delivery of bulk oil by this barge to Apia also —but this rests on negotiations be tween the oil companies and the Western Samoa Government, which were still in progress in May.
Main purpose of Prince Tungi’s visit to Japan was to negotiate pur chase of a fishing vessel. (See ship ping news, and also p. 121).
Prince Tungi.