THE FUTURE OF TONGA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 156, 30 June 1914, Page 9

THE FUTURE OF TONGA

ANNEXATION INEVITABLE. NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION.

INTENTIONS OF GERMANY.

If the people of Invercargill and Gore, to the number of 20,000, were thrown together into one community, and governed i by * King (it £2000 per year* a Premier , at £600 a yoar, and a series of Cabinet Ministers at from £200 to £600. per year, to say nothing of 50 members of Parliament mid S. small host of civil servants, many of the latter drawing from £300 to £600 per year-then Invercargill and Gore might pride themselves on being in some respects the equal of Tonga, tho quaint little island kingdom tbat lies 1100 miles north of New Zealand. When the Tutanekai, with tho Hon. Dr. Pomare and his party aboard, called at Vavau to got coal on June 17, the Tongan port was gaily decorated with bunting in honour of the birthday of the King of Tonga. In one place, lazily flapping above the palm trees, was the flag of Great Britain J in a dozen places fluttering busily above stores and offices and private res'dencos, was the three-coloured emblem of Germany. When a little later, the New Zoaknders joined tb» white population of Vavau at tho Governor's residence to drink tho health of Tonga's King, smart young traders from Germany comprised two-thirds of the assembly. The visitors noted these things in a speculative way, and when the Tutanokai arrived in Nukualofa, tho bunting which was freely displayed in honour of the visit of the New Zealand Minister was closely examined. The red cross of Tonga predominated; the Union Jack

showed unostentatiously here and there; tho gay stripes of Germany floated conspicuously on a doten flagstaffs. Ashore, German goods were everywhere. On a score of hospitable tables, the visitors found tinned meats and fish and fruit and j vegetables competing for pride of place with the light beer that is bottled in tho Fatherland. The coffee was a Gorman brand, the after-dinner cigarette had been ! imported by Germans, and inquiries ! showed that much of the goods on the j shelves of the stores had been brought from Germany. A "Comic Opera Kingdom." Tonga, of course, is a British protectorate, and it has been generally supposed j ; that, when tho inevitable day comes for [ the island kingdom to bo absorbed by. I one of the Great Powers, it would be \ ; added to the British dominions. But the j activity of the Germans seemed to suggest another alternative, and a pressman sought j information. bow of the men approached : —mostly New Zoalanders in tho service of ! the Government— any inclination ' to discuss what is to thorn a somewhat . delicate Question, but one prominent trader, with an extensive knowledge of the affairs of the Friendly Islands, had something interesting to say. "This has been called a comic opera

kingdom," ho remarked, "and it- certainly has its ridiculous side. In a way, Tonga is interesting, in that it shows that these people have a certain capacity, limited mostly to imitativenoss, to govern themselves. The system might not be so bad if the population were bigger. But isn't it absurd to have a King, and a Cabinet, .and a Parliament, and an elaborate Civil Service, whose salaries absorb half the kingdom's annual revenue of £60,000, all fur the government of 20,000 people! Practically an Autocracy. " Under present conditions, Tonga is practically an autocracy. Parliament meets every three years, and in the meantime King and Cabinet carry on the Government, and pass new ordinances when they think these are required. These remain in force until Parliament meets, when they are confirmed or oluerwisc. If, otherwise, Cabinet need only re-enact them when Parliament concludes its session, whereupon they have the force of law for another throe years. The Premier and Cabinet Ministers mS appointed by the i King, and hold office during his pleasure, except that a Cabinet Minister may bo impeached by Parliament. Tiro proceedings of the triennial Parliament are generally enlivened by some very vigorous im-

peachmenfa. But you can see that the power of the King is really unlimited.

"I do not think that there will be another King of Tonga. The actual work of administration is not carried out by the Cabinet Ministers, but by the white civil servant*. Not only do salaries absorb half the revenue, but administrative charges, of which there is no record, have to be paid by the people. For instance, each villago supports a sort of chief, who is the Government representative there, and to whom each of the people must pay direct an annual tax of one dollar. The white people who.are resident in Tonga and carrying on the trade of .the islands are treated as foreigners, and their interests are seldom if ever considered, yet if the whites were to withdraw in a body the whole place would fall into a condition of chaw

Should Hew Zealand Annex?

"The natives live in expectation of annexation at any time, and although, of oourse, they want to maintain their kingdom, they would not strenuously resist efficient administration by an outside authority. If they were forced to choose the State that would annex- them I believe they would select New Zealand. They havo a strong community of interest with New Zealand, much of the commercial and ncarlv all the administrative work is done by New Zealanders, and a great proportion of the trado of the islands is dono with Auckland.

" I confess that the idea that the boundaries of Now Zealand should be extended to include these islands appeals to me vary much. Tonga is wealthy, and if the present expensive form of government were done away with, a big proportion of tho revenue would be freed and could be used by a vigorous administration for developmental purposes. One of the crying needs of the inlands is good roads. The addition of Tonga would mako the Pacific Islands Department a really important branch of your trovernmont and, since Tonga would be entirely self-supporting, New Zealand

would be the gainor, because the judicious imposition of dirties would give to New Zealand manufacturers that important trade that is now in the hands of the enterprising German traders in Tonga. It would be a simple matter for New Zealand to extend its fruit inspection, native education, and medical departments, and its land titles court, all of which it has already established in the Cook Islands to include Tonga, and the inclusion of Tonga would certainly enlarge and strengthen the whole system. ' The Attitude of Germany. "What about Germany? Well, the Germans are certainly competing against us very vigorously for the trade of these islands", and if annexation by Britain, with the loss of that trade, is the only alternative to annexation by Germany and the retention of it an interesting position may arise. Before Germany got her present hold in Samoa, it was Belie™ that she had covetous eyes op the magnificent land-locked harbour of Vavau, in the north of Tonga, but it is not probable that she tliinys so seriously of annexation now, Still, German interests and influences are strong here, and in considering the future of those islands, and the facts that the native population is not increasing, and that the end of this kingdom is in sight, one cannot afford to forget Germany.'