WHERE NATIVES ARE “AIR-MINDED” AND BEER COSTS 5/6

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6811, 15 January 1929, Page 8

WHERE NATIVES ARE “AIR-MINDED” AND BEER COSTS 5/6

Missionary Tells of Work in Guinea AUCKLAND, Jan. 10. Seven thousand miles were travelled by tho Rev. W. A. Sinclair, general secretary of the Methodist Missionary Society of New Zealaud, during his visit to the British Solomon I: lands, and Mandated territory of Ne-.v Guinea and Papua. “The average tourist who returns from the Solomons and Papua sees nothing of the interior, and after a flying visit to the plantations along the coast almost invariably returns to say that he did not see much missionary ,work,” said Mr. Sinclair in an interview to-day. “One can’t see much of what the missionaries are doing unless the interior is penetrated. One of our missionaries last year, in Bougainville Island, came upon villages where the islanders had never seen a European. The were naked and entirely innocent of European customs. The whiteness of the missionary’s skin intrigued them vastly, and they clustered round to run their hands over him so as to be sure that he was alive.”

Though they may be lacking in other respects the natives of New Guinea have already developed air “sense” by reason of the fact that seaplanes are in regular use in conveying passengers and goods from Port Moresby, the seat of Government at Papua, to the Edie Creek goldfields. This seaplane service is, of course, operated by European aviators, but natives are sometimes carried. The journey to the goldfields on foot occupies seven days, but the seaplane docs it in exactly forty minutes. Special apparatus is attached to the ’planes to enable them to land on the ground. The fare is £5 for a European and £lO for the return journey. Goods are charged at the rate of a shilling per lb., and it costs 5s fid to send a bottle of beer to a miner.

The Edio Creek goldfields Lave only recently been opened, but wonderful yields have been obtained. A man returning to Sydney showed Mr. Sinclair a nugget of 470 z., which he had picked out of his waslipan, a find worth £lO7. In twelve months this man had found gold worth nearly £2OOO.

Mr. Sinclair would not have visiteß Port Moresby had the 2000-ton steamer Morenda not run on to a reef between Samarai and the Gulf of Papua. This part of the coast is not properly charted, and no skipper is secure. Tho Morenda had run on to a reef in the same vicinity on her previous trip, and the company promptly changed the captain, placing one of their best men in command. He fared no better, however, and tho Montora, with Mr. Sinclair on board, was diverted to get her off. Passengers and goods wero removed by schooner, but when the Montora tried to tow the helpless vessel from the reef a stout steel cable snapped like a cotton line. The Morenda remained sixteen days on the reef and was not towed off till Boxing Day, when there was an exccptionaly high tide.

The Methodist mission is rapidly extending its medical work. So gratified is the Australian Government with the efforts of the mission that it is co-opcr-ating in every way possible, find tfio work is well subsidised. Two qualified doctors, both of whom have diplomas in tropical medicine, four nurses and a Plunket Nurse are treating the natives with most pleasing results. Great efforts are being made by doctors and nurses to reduce the infantile mortality rate, which for many years has been so high that Mr. Sinclair hesitated to mention the actual percentage. The natives appreciate what is being done for them, and aro not backward in seeking assistance and advice. Questioned concerning the recent trouble at Babul Mr. Sinclair said he was there about three weeks ago, when there was no mention of any disturbance. There are about 3000 indentured labourers at Babul, the majoity earning £l3 per year on the plantations, others being in the constabulary. A Sydney paper had a report describing the trouble as a “mutiny,” but Mr. Sinclair believed that much had been made of very little.