Mission Aids Natives Of New Britain

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29745, 12 February 1962, Page 2

Mission Aids Natives Of New Britain

New foods, education and medical treatment were contributions his mission had made towards improving living standards of off-shore islanders near Talasea, in New Britain, Pastor C. Pascoe said in an interview in Christchurch.

Living conditions were very poor, he said. The natives lived in crowded settlements built on small coral islands several miles off shore. The cultivated plots on the mainland, reached only through the mangrove swamps, were neglected.

The customary feasts, in which several villages took part, depleted first one village’s food supply during initiation rites and festivities. and then another, perhaps a month later. This often resulted in hungry times, he said.

The wild pigs were a great nuisance and were very persistent. Even a sft 6in stockade he had built had proven no barrier—they hurdled it like horses, said Mr Pascoe. The missionaries had introduced new foods to the islanders, including sweet

potatoes, sweet corn, Singapore (a tuber also known as kalabira), yams and lettuce, and fruits such as paw paws and better strains of bananas.

Opportunities for the natives to earn money were limited. Their income from copra was low because of the poorly-kept coconut plantations and a troublesome species of beetle. The mission was helping the development of these plantations with assistance from the Government.

Another industry was the gathering of trochus shells, also known as green snails, from the reefs. The mission planned a sawmill to use the good timber supply. As most natives understood pidgin English, the mission taught them English. Pidgin English might one day be replaced by English, said Mr Pascoe.

When Mr Pascoe returns to New Britain, he will take charge of the mission station at Silovuti for three years. Although he was previously stationed at Rabaul. he lived aboard a mission ship which made long stays at Silovuti and other stations. ;