BEFORM IN TONGA. DR MOULTON ON THE OUTLOOK:

Otago Witness, Issue 2651, 4 January 1905, Page 80

BEFORM IN TONGA. DR MOULTON ON THE OUTLOOK:

The outlook for political reform .'in, the Tongan grojp has improved considerably 'jtsays the Sydney Telegraph) since the British Government, took a hand in the game. Initead of trusting- to the result of a general election to_ effect a 'change of _Governrnent,r one ,pf his Majesty's • warships -"quietly dropped "round, at Nukualofa", and carried* off i -both the. Premier, and his son, the Colonial tor' Fiji, "under guard. 1 ' V- I".This -".This "apparently high-handed proceeding lias- given, colour .to' a persistent, rumour, io, the effect that the British Government will, go. a step -further and hoist- the Union J,ack In: the .gronp.--There. is:a.ihoroughness about this method of ensuring reform which is in strong con- - trast with the antiquated, -slow-going pro- " cesses' adopted in this part of the world. But some of those "who know the" group best r do not -believe the rumours of annexation, anfi they fervently hope that the political status*quo will be maintained, with, of course, the necessary changes in the Cabinet: ■ Probably no one knows these island's '.better than the Rev. Dr Moulton. Next year he .will have had 40 years' experience of them. p.* knows the native King well, also the Reported Ministers; he was present at the signing of the treaty some three years agoj and he is returning .to the scene of hie former missionary labours in March next. -At present he is in -Sydney, on furlough. JDr Moulton throws an interesting light on this reform movement and its extraordinary denouement. Their late Premier, Sateki, it [appears, is a very old man, whet has for tnany -years shown a strongly-marked antifßritish bias. - Three years ago the British Government, requested tho native King to Vieppse Sateki, and raise up anothe|l in his iplacer-for in Tonga, although" they" have a {Parliament and a Ministry] the Premier is fche nominee of- 'the King and holds office during ihe royal pleasure.. I ' This Parliament consists of hereditary £hief s, '" who' 'are " nienibers for life, like our Ciegislative Councillors; and popular representatives, elected every three years by a iihovr of hands. But, unlike the Australian Parliaments, the Tongan Assembly only sit* or .about- three montlis during the three r &ars, and the members are not paid. ■ ' /Nominally there is a Government side of %hs House and an Opposition, but the question of loyalty to the British Crown does mofc appear to have Tjeen made a vital one, »nd in any ease the Premier usually stifles »ny inconvenient discussion by peremptorily i wdering h,is opponent to sit dowu. '

- The Tongan parliamentary system, evidently has its_good points. ' the protest of the British Government against the maintenance in | office of Sateki, he was not only allowed to I reiain his hold on the reins of government, I but actually raised to the nobility. "This was such a distinct slap in the face for the British authorities," says Dr Moulton.,. " that I, shoujd,j3ot'-"have-been surprised if they had -removed the head of the Government.then and, there: But there were, about this time,-".^ever»r-.ejianig€s in "the occupancy 6? the Foreign Office at ' Home, and things were allowed, to slide." '- * - , " But.i t , has been- well known, both to .natives and ' Europeans, lately-,"' Continued the doctor, ," thai :there has been \- sort of ring formed for' the purpose of exploiting thr* Tongan Treasury, and' the Premier was supposed to have been one member of this ling.' * ~ f "This is really only surmise, 'but it ia tne' only theory that fits the facts and makes the action of the British Government intelligible; "Parliament has again and again insisted upon an audit of the Treasury accounts, but the Kin® has resisted and protected the Premier and his son. J "I. would like to say this, however, for the native Premier who has been deported : that he h»as-been very successful in preserving law and order through the group. In many ways I consider him fit for his position. He has been there about nine years bT.it he -is a very old man. ' "The Opposition to his Government iii Parliament has been growing, but so far the minority h.ave not been able to enforce their views. Whenever they have attempted to p-y into the affairs of the Government they have been - snubbed. A very great effort was made in the last Parliament to reduce the taxes. At present they raise their revenue by a poll tax on all adult natives of oosa.*year, and an ad valorem dulty averaging about 10 per cent. Some members wanted to reduce the poll tax and increase the duty, but the attempt failed. Last Parliament was a great improvement on preceding Assemblies. The natives put forward and argued new ideas quite keenly." .Personally, Dr Moulton is quite satisfied that tie taxes are equitable, and that the islanda ar© well governed. "Anyhow," he argues, " the people are much better off than the people of Australia ; that is to say, there are no excessively rich people and no poor. There is no necessity for the old-age pension. None of the land is sold. It is parcelled out by the chiefs to the natives, and passed on from father to son, but no ons can sell an acre of it. By conseat of

. the Minister of Lands an occupier may least his block for a term, but he cannot sell the freehold. They build their own houses, anc can easily make their living off the land; in fact, I consider them better off than anj other people in the world. J " They use English, German, American. and French money, but until recently onlj the English currency was in vogue ; sine* then the Germans have been forcing theii coinage on the natives, and the country is flooded with it. I hope that in any official action taken by the British Governmenl they will provide for the abolition of all currency but English. " I do not believe that the Imperial Government will annex the islands, and J fervently hope that they will not ; it would break the hearts of the natives, for they love their own flag. I think the action already taken is sufficient guarantee that things will bo allowed to go on as they were, with the necessary change in the personnel of the Ministry. I somewhat expected, however, that they would put the native King off the throne, and I warned him that they might if he persisted in his unfriendly attitude. " On© strong reason why the Premier has been deported is a feeling' on the part of many persons in the islands that he has treated certain foreign residents very unfairly — the Germans, for instance. No doubt the Germans have asked for redress of their grievances through the British Government, and this was refused by the late Government of the island. Hence I had some apprehension lest the British Government should hoist the British flag, and was gSfeatly relieved to find that they had merely deported the , Premier and his son, the Treasurer. It is very probable, . however, that the British Government .will insist on administering the Treasury for some time to come, after the new Premier has been installed."