TONGAN AFFAIRS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2924, 30 March 1910, Page 33

TONGAN AFFAIRS.

SURVEYORS' TROUBLES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON. March 28. Private letters trow Nukualofa, Tonga state that the survey start from the chiel (Mr E J. Davis) downward has ra< signed in a body owing to the (as it affirms) unfair treatment meted out to it by the Tongan Government, and to the want of support accorded to it by the British Consul. Tonga is a miniature kinadom with a full complementof Ministers and a Parliament which meets every three years. The King and Ministers are natives, but the assistant Premier and the Chief (and only) Justice are British, and are members of the Government, and tluv survey staff feel* very sore at not receiving support from them. Tonga being a British protectorate,, the consul has extensive powers. In fact, he is practically supreme as representing, the High Commissioners and the survey. ■ staff considers that he has failed to secure justice for them, and thereby practically allowed the British flag to be flouted* The matter is of interest to New Zea« land, 'as all the members of the survey staff are New Zealandere, and well known here as capable* and reliable men. It is stated that Mr J. W. Davis, who recently retired from the Survey Department, Wellington, spent five weeks latterly in Tonga with hia son, the Chief of the Survey Staff, and while" there unofficially inspected the Survey Department. He found that the system of the work was excellent, and' the staff fully as competent as the staff* of > New Zealand local survey offioerß< They were, however, greatly hampered b% having native Ministers to deal with, ana; looked forward hopefully for the ue\»! consul toput" things on, a more business* like footing. Apparently he has not don{ so. In the present state of affairs Mi* Davis strongly advises New Zealand sur-f veyors to keep away from Tonga. He personally selected some of the Tongan surveyors.