DIOCESE OF POLYNESIA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 10 April 1934, Page 7

DIOCESE OF POLYNESIA

BISHOP KF.MPTIIORNE REVIEWS

WORK

The work going on in the Inost widely scattered diocese in the world, the diocese of Polynesia, was reviewed on Friday evening by the bishop of the diocese, Bishop L. S. Kempthorne, in a lantern lecture given at St. Andrew’s Hall, Epsom (states the “New Zealand Herald’’). The bishop described his diocese as extending for 4000 miles from east to west, and for 1500 miles from north to south, but he admitted the truth of the lemark that it "consisted mainlv of water.”

A feature of the work of the mission stressed by Bishop Kempthorne was its cosmopolitan character. There are over 10,000 whites scattered throughout Polynesia, in contrast with only 500 or 000 in Melanesia. In Fiji, where the headquarters of file mission are situated, there are 90,000 Fijians and 75,000 Indians brought or born _ there as the result of the system of indentured labour which existed for. fifty years. Under the care of the mission come also large numbers of Chinese and of Melanesians such as Solomon Islanders. Almost all the lantern slides shown were of scenes in Fiji, hilt the lecturer explained that lie had oversight also of such far-flung islands as Samoa, Rarotonga, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Nauru, and Ocean Island. Among the branches of the work illustrated were the mission schools for Chinese, for Indians., and for Melanesians and the visitation of the leper colony of Mnkogai. He paid a tribute to the splendid educational work done by Miss .lames, ot Auckland, now Mrs Elder, in building up in face of many difficulties a large and successful Indian girls’ school. A great hindrance to this work was the custom of taking the girls away at the age of twelve to he married. Speaking of the MlO lepers at Makogai, the bishop said they were, really a very happy lot. They lived under almost ideal conditions and many had 1 iet'ii released as freed from the disease. Leprosy was no longer the plague it once was. and if in ken early enough there was excellent prospect of cure.