MISSION SHIP

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 10

MISSION SHIP

THE SOUTHERN CROSS

ARRIVAL AT WELLINGTON

CONDITIONS IN THE ISLANDS

The Melanesian Mission motor-yacht Southern Cross, the seventh vessel to ; bear the name, arrived at; Wellington (from Nelson early this morning. Painted white and flying several flags, the little vessel makes a fine picture as she lies at Queen's Wharf, and scores ol people showed a keen interest in her and her Island crew during the forenoon. The Southern Cross came south to New Zealand to bring the Bishop of Melanesia (the Rt.Rev. W. S. Baddeley, M.A., D.S.C., M.C.) to the General Synod in New Zealand, .and, is making a tour of" a number of the ports to enable supporters of the mission to see how. the work is carried <out.

The Southern .Cross is the latest of a succession of'mission ships which was begun by Bishop Selwyn/with the purchase of the Undine, which was used ,in 18*8 for the first voyage of the Bishop around his ocean diocese. The present vessel is small, but a wonderful, amount of cabin space has been built into.her, and the whole makes a very suitable means of transportation for the Bishop and his priests and teachers through the great expanses of Melanesia. Even the limited deck space has been constructed to enable the passengers to move around without much difficulty, and the vessel has been given sufficient beam to provide steadiness.

Forward, provision is made for. a crew of fifteen or sixteen Islanders, and just behind their quarters is a good-' sized hold ;for stores. Below the bridge are the officers' quarters, and. on the deck below, the saloon is fairly roomy and can be used as a chapel, the altar furnishings being arranged at the forward end. . Just behind the engineroom there is a roomy cook's galley, and a hatchway at the stern leads down to accommodation for passengers, fifteen' Islanders being; housed there during the present, cruise. There is a fair amount of open deck aft of the officers' quarters, and this can ,be screened ' off and used for meetings when the weather is fine. While the vessel is in Wellington this space is being used for the display and sale of literature dealing with the mission. The Southern Cross is commanded by Captain D. H. Cambridge, and associated with him are:—Chief officer, Mr. Haydn Jones; chief engineer, Mr. W. Hulbert; second engineer, Mr. J. Norriss. Major H. S. Robinson, general secretary and treasurer of the Diocese of Melanesia, is also on board. The native passengers include the Rev. Daniel Sade, a deacon y of Guadalcanar; the Rev. Sam Sassai, deacon on the isle of. Malaita; the Rev. John Pitta. deacon on Savo; the Rev. William Parapolo, a priest of Gala, whose father, is also a priest; and a number of teachers. The Rev. Ini Korpuria and the Rev. Stephen -, Talu : also came to New Zealand but they have gone to St. John's College, • Auckland, for a short period of training and experience. Mission work was widespread in the j South Seas, Major Robinson said' when interviewed this morning. The different churches were all doing good work, and the native ministers were.giving invaluable assistance. The British authorities in the British possessions and mandated territories also deserved praise for the way the islands and New Guinea were being administered. There was nothing but praise for their work throughout Melanesia. The bad old days when whites could buy large areas of land with blankets and beads, were gone, and the rights of the natives were properly protected. At the present time land could not be bought; it could only be leased under Government supervision, and the natives were getting the returns from their land that they were entitled to. . In addition to looking after the interests of the natives, the administration was doing as much as funds would allow for their health. This work was assisted by" the missions, each one having one or more hospitals. When the vessel leaves Wellington, ports on the east coast will be visited, and the return voyage to the islands will be made about the end of the present month.