SOLOMON ISLANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15349, 9 July 1913, Page 11

SOLOMON ISLANDS.

COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.

Somk facts concerning the Solomon Islands were given yesterday by the Rev. J. F. Goldie, Methodist missionary, and chairman to the mission district since its initiation in 1902. Mr. Goldie is at present on a visit to Auckland.

"The Solomon Islands," said the missioner, " are destined to become the most important commercial centre in the Pacific. In the first place they are outside the hurricane belt. Again, the area is nearly twice as large as that of Fiji, and most of the land, if not all of it, is capable of cultivation. During the last few years lens of thousands of acres have- been taken up for cocoa nut .and rubber plantations by Australian and other firms.

" When our mission was first established in the Solomons, years ago, not more than 500 acres of land were under cultivation by white people, whereas now about 30,000 acres are growing cocoanuts. Of that area something like half is owned iby a British firm of soapmakers, who use cocoanut oil largely in their process of manufacture. A firm of general merchants in Sydney also cultivate several thousand acres in cocoanuts.

"The means of communication between Australia and the group have been improved," Mr. Goldie said. When we first went down there was only a steamer once in three months, which went all round New Hebrides and New Caledonia. Now there is a direct mail steamer from Sydney every six weeks, and shortly this is to be made a monthly service." Referring to the difficulties of mission work in the Solomons, Mr. Goldie. said that at the outset the missionaries had to face natives who were utterly indifferent, if not hostile, to mission work of all kinds. Some of the missioners had thrilling and narrow escapes at times. The mission became a success, however, as soon as the suspicions of the natives » had been disarmed and their confidence had been gained. t The language difficulty also had to be overcome. Mr. Goldie said he had reduced the native language to writing, and had translated into it portions of the Bible and the Methodist hymn-book.