NEW HOME FOUND FOR TIN CAN ISLANDERS

Chronicle (Levin), 12 January 1948, Page 5

NEW HOME FOUND FOR TIN CAN ISLANDERS

AUCKLAND, Jan. 11. The transfer of 1100 people who were driven fronx their lxonies on the famous Tin Can island of Xixxafoou by the eruption of a voleano in 104(5, from their tempora -y seitlemeut on Queen Salote's estalt near Nukualofa to their new liome on the fertile Eua Islanu, should be eonipletec by now, said the Governor of Ya'vau, tiie liou. l"ln kaiaia, who is in Auckland. Eua lsland is comparatively a short distance from the Tongan group and the people have travelled on the sinall Tongan' Governinent inter-island sliip llipofua. Stock has al.so been txansported to ,their new home. Eua was populated only by a handful of Tongaus. It is the most fertile islarnl in the group and sweet eorn ean spring from seed to ripeness there in six ueuks. It has enough rich land to provide a full share of individual holdings for many generations of immigrants. The fertility of the island would enable the inimigrants to be self supporting within six months but it wiil be six or seven years before newly planted coeonut palxns ean bear a copra i-rop. In the meantime tlxci settlers will be exempted from the Tongan tax of 32s n year. Advance parties , cleared the land and prepared foi' ttie /lival of the eommunity. Not all Xiuafoou people r>ere enthusiastic aliout their proposed home, however. . Thev petitioned the Tongan (loveru- ; rnent to allow them to return to their ] half desolated home but the autliorities adhered to their poliey.