[?]Ngan Conscripts

Lesson in How To Fight A Vital Battle

Go To War

ie Kingdom of Tonga has

:ription but the enemy

the conscripts learn to fight

beetle.

•om a Correspondent in Tonga j Tongan males over the age [ 16 are bound by law to spend ie day a fortnight working in m to bunt for the Rhinoceros which is the enemy of the ut palm, and to clear the d of rubbish and rotting trees event the pest from breeding. 00l teachers, shop assistants, •nment clerks, school boys and ters of religion are all among who must give up work for ly to go beetle hunting, ption is only granted to those l medical certificate. Defaulters ibject to a court fine of £2/10/r for each day missed, or one i’s detention, so not many pt to shirk duty.

M. Muller, who supervises the campaign in Vavau, puts out :ular report of the result of eetle searchers, and a typical t report, from July 13 to >t 8 showed that 3,754 workers iaken part in the hunt and found 44 female beetles, 18 , and nearly 18,000 in the egg Dupae stages”.

Still Only in Vavau

tunately, the Rhinoceros has got no further than the i group in Tonga. Regulations been in force for nearly seven to keep it out of the southern s of Haapai and Tongatapu. jassengers travelling by sea Vavau to the southern groups to have their bedding and fumigated before they go, and tier luggage is inspected before ture and on arrival. ting yachtsmen who make i their first port of call are shocked to find that they are llowed to call at Nukualofa or ai, for those places must be i first. Because of the beetle, i must be the last port of call i the Kingdom. y the two Government vessels : and Hifofua are allowed to Vavau and then return to alofa. But then they always to stand a mile off shore at when they are within the iom, for the beetle flies at

It’s An Air-minded Hotel

The only hotel in the South Pacific which has its own airstrip and aerial transport is Korolevu Beach Hotel at Sigatoka, Fji.

The new service came into operation early in October when a Piper aircraft met passengers at Nadi International Airport, and in 20 minutes had set them down in the hotel grounds at Korolevu. This eliminated a winding road journey by taxi or bus, taking 21 hours. The new service will also take passengers from Suva to Korolevu and back.

The service is operated by Fiji identities Bill Clark (manager of the hotel) and Suva businessman Tom French. Mr. French, who is one of the pioneer pilots of Fiji, is piloting the aircraft for the time being.

The photograph above shows the hotel, which has native style thatched bungalows for its guests, spread around the foreshores of the bay. Across the main Suva to Nadi road, in the background, is the airstrip. Below, on the strip with the Piper, are Mr. French, Fiji Airways’ Chief Engineer Ken Boehm and Mr. Clark.

Photos: Rob Wright, Fiji PRO