"THE PROBLEM OF THE PACIFIC"

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 42, 17 August 1918, Page 4

"THE PROBLEM OF THE PACIFIC"

Last night at Victoria College the Rev. J. W. Burton, M.A., addressed the Christian ; Union on "The Problem of the Pacific." Mr. Burton has an intimate knowledge of the Pacific Islands, and is thus able to approach their industrial, educational, and Teligious problems with first-hand knowledge of conditions. His address showed wide knowledge, a clear grasp of the problem, and keen insight into the needs of the native peoples. He said that no one could speak to-day of the Pacific without referring to the Germans. It was regarded by most as a grave mistake ever to have allowed, them in. That was a political question. In fairness to the Germans, however, he must say that as missionaries on the whole they had treated us very well. Whether by accident or by design, the 'Germans had the most populous parts of the Pacific. This meant for them plenty of labour; and this was very important where labour was not easy to get. They enforced the planting of coconuts on the native land. All the copra came into the hands of tho Germans, who were induced by means of Government subsidies to ship it to Germany rather than to Australia. If the; Germans maintained their spirit of world, domination, it would be a serious thing to have them in the Pacific. One of the great problems of the Pacific was the decreasing population. In Tonga there was now an increase, and Fiji had almost turned; but in the Western Pacific the decrease was alarming. Several commfcsions had investigated, and a number of causes had 1 been revealed. These were of an- intricate character; but there was one he would mention, i The peoples had inbred.' Communities were isolated and cut off from intercourse. This resulted; in a weakening of the race. They had come to see Uiat by judicious intermixing a very strong type could be produced. It had been discovered that the offspring of a union of the Tongan and the Samoan, or of the Samoan and the Fijian, were an improvement on any one type. There were new types in formation. To the north of Fiji was a little island whose people had been isolated, for centuries. A Chinese vessel was wrecked there. The survivors intermarried with the islanders. A fine new type was produced. It was found that to mix types of very different levels, say English and Fijian, was not good. Good types could bo procured only by the mixing of similar types. Thus they could, see the function of commerce in the Pacific. Ultimately there would arise a groat Pacific race.

Western civilisation had come to tho Pacific. Tt bad come rudely; and it had come worst sids first. Ho could not dwell on the debasing and degrading nature, of the impact. Sometimes he blushed for his own colour and race. The Islands had. been drugged "with, liquor. For the sake of making the commercial men of New Zealand and Australia, rich whole races had been devastated. The question was: Should not we who brought the evil try to supply the remedy? Our problem was to fit these people to live in the new conditions. We must teach them to work. This was a tremendous difficulty. We must give them ideals, Sfet them to understand tho nobility of the work. The missionary' societies were trying u> do something in. this direction. T3ut. like students, they ■were generally poor.