No Food Shortage In

The Friendly Isles

Written by R. W. ROBSON while he was recently in Tonga Of all the reigning monarchs in the world today, there is none in less danger of starvation than Queen Salote of Tonga.

the last two hours I have sat on this motor vessel, Tofua, and watched parties of men and women, singing their famous native choruses as they prance down the wharf with vast baskets of roast pigs, chickens, fish, lobsters, yams, all to be care fully carried aboard and piled happily around Stateroom 9, wherein their Queen is travelling to Samoa, Fiji, Auckland and Sydney.

Chief Steward Gifford is biting his finger-nails. “I don’t know where to stow it”, he wails. “There’s enough food here to victual a small army— and, anyhow, the Tofua’s a well-found ship”.

But the tactful Tofua officers have to smile and bear it. This ancient practice of making lavish gifts of food to a departing Tongan VIP is one with which no one dare interfere.

And Salote is much more than a VlP—she is not only the unchallenged ruler of 60,000 people, but she is very deeply loved and venerated. When ever she leaves or returns to Tonga, they show their devotion in these public farewells and greetings.

The Queen boarded the Tofual Nukualofa yesterday, from her fame* wooden palace—which is not 1 yards from the gangway.

Massed choirs, a first-class baa a smart little company of arni police, marched down the wharf sa lined up; a small cannon on the se shore banged 21 times; and as t tenth bang echoed across the lib town, the Queen’s large blai limousine emerged from the palai grounds, and very slowly broug the famous, handsome lady, wavb and kissing her hand to her delight! subjects, along to the gangway, ai a spirited rendering of her nation anthem.

In Nukualofa, there was no d play of food, but princes and col mercial tycoons, consuls and chun heads and bureaucrats, crowded i decks, to say au revoir to the smilii Salote, for whom all “foreigner have great affection.

Food Conscious But Vavau, where Tofua made 6-hours’ stop, and the Queen a rap; inspection of the island’s village took no chances on the ship’s larde That perhaps is because Vavau I very food-conscious, at present.

Last March’s hurricane not on took off much of Neiafu’s collects roof—it also destroyed most 9 Vavau’s plantations and food-gardeci Since then, this community has bef on very short rations indeed. 1 talked it over with Dr. Mathesor

Here is part of a cargo of thousands of water-melons which the "Tofua" recently carried from Vavau to the New Zealand market, where they command quite profitable prices. Usually, the damage done by a hurricane is accentuated by a following drought. But Vavau's calamity last March was followed by soaking rains, and consequently Vavau hopes to make a coconut recovery in 1962.

One of the singing parties which approached the "Tofua" at Vavau with gifts of food for Queen Salote. This party carried several hundredweight of roasted pigs, chicken, fish, lobsters, taro, etc.

:al medical officer, and a store er. heard they were really up t it,” I remarked, pointing to •owd in Neiafu’s one street, they look well fed.” ven’t got a shilling to spend,” ed the storekeeper. “They’ve Dthing to sell, and won’t have for another 18 months.” sy’ve merely gone back to their le foods,” said the doctor. : was heavy rain after the and the gardens produced in mce within a very short time, was some distress at first, but nger after they got organised, ey’ll always sell their copra, or iffs for cash, if the chance and then they buy canned and fish, and flour, of course love stuff made out of :n flour, this has done ’em good,” added ictor. “They’re all down a bit ight, and in the right places, ey were never healthier.”

Biggest Pig

n, speechless, we watched a lo past, carrying to the Vavau the biggest pig I ever have n a roasted condition. The ng stevedores used a ship’s to get it aboard, for Salote’s mce, during her perilous ricane or no hurricane, no one :an say that Vavau neglected rer may be its obligation to the Tongan Royal Family itely nourished. ua, in Vavau, picked up nds of huge water-melons, to

join Nukualofa’s 14,000 cases of bananas and hundreds of cases of pineapples, in the New Zealand market.

LATER: The food from “starving”

Vavau was not wasted. The Queen handed it over to the 60 or 70 deck passengers on Tofua, who are expected to victual themselves.