TIME-PAYMENT FOR WIVES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29233, 17 June 1960, Page 2

TIME-PAYMENT FOR WIVES

Solomon Islands System The young men of Melanesia have to buy their wives on the instalment plan, Sister ' Pamela Crawford, matron of a leper colony on the island of Malaita in the Solomon Islands, told a farewell gathering in her honour at Church House yesterday. The system was adopted many years ago and when a son approached his father for assistance he often received the reply, “Sorry, son, I’m still paying for your mother,” Commitments extended back for three generations with a husband having to pay instalments for his wife, mother and grandmother. Witchcraft and lack of ambition among the natives were some of the problems confronting missionaries in Melanesia, said Sister Crawford who is on six months’ furlough.

Miss Crawford said that of the 50,000 inhabitants of the island of Malaita 20,000 were heathens. They were rather surly and difficult to get to know, but they were very loyal once they became friendly. Miss Crawford spoke of the new drugs which could cure lepers in less than three years. She said that nine years ago those afflicted often spent their lives in a colony. Her own colony had 74 inmates and about 70 outpatients. Slides were shown illustrating Miss Crawford’s talk. A presentation was made to her by the Bishop of Christchurch (the Rt. Rev. A. K. Warren).