Parcels For Tonga

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30368, 18 February 1964, Page 3

Parcels For Tonga

i Sir.—Being interested in the i Tongan Islands and its i people, I very much appreciate your article on Friday. For some years I have I written to and sent parcels to i a Tongan family, but why Ido these people, who have little chance of earning a living, have to pay before they can collect the parcel? At Christmas I forwarded a parcel, containing mostly used clothing, a few packets of biscuits, and several plastic toys, all of N.C.V. I paid 11/- postage; my friend paid 6/6 to retrieve it This is only one instance. Perhaps the Pan Pacific Conference can do something to overcome what seems an injust levy.—Yours, etc.. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR. February 19, 1964. [The District Collector of Customs (Mr W. G. Lowrie) said: “I am not aware of what concessions are allowed by the Government of Tonga in respect of gifts to private persons there, so cannot comment on the amount of duty charge. The goods described would not, however, be regarded by my department as of no commercial value or ‘N.C.V.’ as it seems they may have been described on the parcel declaration. May I suggest that the correspondent takes care in future to correctly describe and value goods on overseas parcel declarations and to indicate that they are gifts. I feel sure that they would .then be given the benefit of any gift concession allowed by the authorities at their destination.”]