The Editons' Mailbag

Praise For Tonga's

Royal Family

PIM has a wide and a long cur rency so it is not a surprise this month to receive a note from Tupou Posesi Fanua, of Nukualofa, Tonga, about a picture and story we printed in June, 1960. She writes: In your picture of our Ist Nukualofa Brownie Pack appear two of our little Princesses and it is men tioned that they are the first two of the Royal Family to be Brownies.

I would like to correct that state ment, Princess Siu’ilikutapu, who is now having her education in New Zealand, was the first of the Royal Family to be enrolled as a Brownie, but not the first to be attached to Guiding. Princess Halaevalu Mata’aho, wife of our Crown Prince, was and is still the first Commissioner for Tonga. The keen interest and ever-readiness to help which she dis plays is a great source of encourage ment to our girls.

We Tongan women are always proud of the fact that our Royal Family takes a lively interest in the progress and welfare of our women folk.

Princess Mata’aho and Princess Melenaite both take lively interest in the well being of their people and are ever organising little individual groups to help their less fortunate countrywomen. We can truly say they are walking in the footsteps of their Royal mother-in-law and in doing so, give to us Tongan women hope for the future of keeping the torch that our beloved Queen has lit. Tonga is indeed blessed in her Royal Family.

BSIP 'Suffering Through

Drink and Gambling'

Honiara businessman Alvin J.

Blum feels he ought to elaborate on his statement in September PIM about the incidence of native gambling in Honiara following the introduction of the Lotteries and Gaming Act.

Mr. Blum was quoted as saying, simply: “The losers spend less but the winners spend more.”

He now writes: “It could appear from this state ment, there was an attitude of in difference on my part to this prob lem of gambling. This is an erroneous impression, as in principle I am against gambling of any kind.

“I was quoted without any km ledge that the casual conversae with the writer of this article in fact to be included in a plam article for PIM and is comp am to a statement out of context, s was referring particularly to thes night game that was going on i door. ‘The losers spend less and J winners spend more.’

“I would like to say here that j erally speaking, not only for my b ness in Honiara and Auki and ofi whole of the Solomon Islands, gambling and drinking is having adverse effect. We find whole farm suffering from lack of food duej drink and gambling and the men in crime can be traced to this fae too.

“This is being written to correct views on the matter of gambling drink and I would appreciate ▼ printing this letter so they are kni to the public. Thank you.”

Mr, Blum is welcome to space which to clarify his views. In ness to PlM’s correspondent, whr a conscientious reporter, it shoulo added that the correspondent Mr. Blum made the statement with reservation or elaboration.

The New Hebrides Scene:

Local Viewpoint

A New Hebrides’ reader writs As an onlooker of long expend in the New Hebrides, it has been teresting to note gradual progress the ever-changing tide of adminii tive officers. It appears that therea many who are zealous and full of* joys of spring for the first four eight months after Long L. abroad. There are: Home remodellers: The addin or pulling-down kinds. Amazing some of these older wooden tern riddled houses stand up to conn changes. To cope with the eva creasing bulk of officials, it is as j that new government dwellings < being built with reinforced cem Whether such walls may be har about and refitted at random, rent to be seen. . . .

Planters and Chopper-dowr Some feel artistically inclined anoj gin a campaign for shade trees i flowers. Police boys are instru to bring out the prisoners fon task. After long tedious years* growth, a new man comes along*] gives counter-orders. Much ado tree-chopping and plant-uprootif

1 yet another kind: The ones couldn’t-care-less. At least es are avoided one way or an il residents are also amused competitive spirit between the national governments over • and better cruisers” fully ed with the best of mod. cons, ter-island tours. It is well to lat there is an over-flow in cer irses. Those of us who tinker with agriculture pray fervently mebody may notice our main Some of the above-mentioned low” could be used to fill up es and thus relieve constant on cars and trucks. Springs res are costly items for the

y working-class.

b Are The Maps

ie South Seas?

C. Marston, an officer of the lagi, writes us with a problem: n experiencing some difficulty

tiring a comprehensive single

! the South West Pacific and be thankful if you could give ie information on this subject, re seems to be a shortage of naps on the South Pacific y, and it seems to me that the increased number of now coming into the area 5-makers could well do some ibout it, to their own and dy’s advantage.”

Drobably not much consola r Mr. Marston to learn that i’t got his problem on his although we especially lise with assistant pursers we assume, try to make ;rs happy by recommending easonable maps—not merely which show every coral head : two big for easy handling, t alleged “maps” which take whole expanse of ocean and the islands as mere dots d around like hundreds and is. of the Islands put out sle maps, usually leftovers ie war, but no map-maker 0 have made the effort to the gaps and put them all in a reasonable size, at a 3le cost, with reasonable

E To “Old Terri

N”: If you would like to us with your name and ad a sign of good faith, or send to us for forwarding on to 1 you want to contact, we can u.