DR NORTHCOTE DECK, OF MALAYTA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14447, 13 February 1909, Page 7

DR NORTHCOTE DECK, OF MALAYTA.

We know but little of the Solomon Islands, nltiioMgh (hey arc not so very fur from our shores. Tliey have on evil reputation for inhospilablencs s and savagery, and pi'OHMit few attractions except to adventurous trailer* and to the übiquitous missionary. One of the latter class—Dr Northcote Deck—is U> lecture on liis life and work in these out-of-the-way islands on Tuesday next in the Choral Hall. He has been engaged for some yours op the island of Malayla, said to bo the wildest, and most dangerous of the whole group. In nn interview wit.li a contemporary, Dr Deck raid:— "The Solomon Islands lie stretched across Iho sea for some eOO miles, close up to the equator, and (our days' steam east of New Guinea. Tlio two eta !e industries of theso islands, where our mission is working, are kanakas and eoeoanuts.' For about 30' years a stroam of vessels liq,i set out from more civilised lands looking for inim who can work in the tropical sun. But. this export oj kanakas has been gradually restricted. First Australia shut, tlioin wit, ami all in that country were returned to their island homes. Since thon the commissioner at Tulagi, tho capital of the Solomons, lias forbidden natives being carried out of the group, either to New Caledonia or to Fiji. The reason of this is that the flowing plantations i» tho Solomons themselves, require all tho labour obtainable, end so the export of kanakas lioa ended.

"With cocoanuio it is diltcrent. Vast areas bought from natives, who were occupying tho ground, are being cleared as fast as labour can lie obtained to he. planted with cocoanuls, the ground between being sown with sweet potatoes to keep down the grass, which springs up directly tlio forest i s cleared. These plantations will not bear for several years vet, seven years being the time a cocoa-nut takes before the nuts form. Meanwhile planters, to keen things going, fend round traders in ships to buy up nil <ho native nut* on the islands around for calico, tauls, or tobacco. As a. rule, each plantation lias a schooner, _ which cruises from island to island recruiting 'boys' and buying nuts. Most of the labour conies irom Malayta—an island so warlike, inhabited by a people so bloodthirsty and treacherous that for hundreds of miles around large areas of land hove been depopulate! by head-hunting expeditions in war canoes. But the wry qualities which .make Malayta people so fierce anil their island dreaded make them the liost workmen anil the finest Christians when won. In consequence most of the labour comes from Malayla, but, on Iho other hand, all the cocoanut.s exported come from the other islands of the group, the Malaylans having been too busily ongagod in fighting to have 3uk! time to plant many eocoanutfi. Howover, the export of cocoanut.s, which are essential in (lie process of soap-making, continues to increase rapidly, and settlement in the group on all islands by Malayla gees on aiiace.

" To know how our mission came io begin work ill Malayta, you must go back 23 years. At that, time there were thousands of kanakas in Queensland, but no Christian work was being done amongst them. On my uncle's plantation, Fairymead. there wero hundreds employed, and Miss Young (my aunt) felt impelled to attempt something. Disregarding educational work, she beg-aii with tlio simp.o story of the Old Gospel. Somehow it seemed to meet a iiosd in Iho men's hearts, and their lives began to bo changed, and within a few years planters who had ridiculed tho idea of kanakas having souls began Io ask for tho Christian 'boys,' finding them better workmen. For 21 years the work grew and multiplied till there were 19 white missionaries employed in Qtioiislaud, and 2400 men

;■ m iiid hem baptised after evidence of a changed life. Then came the great exodus, when Australia cast out the kani-.kns, ami these thousands of Christians were forced hack into savagery. The coast is fairly quiet for missionaries, but inland there is a surging, seething mass of murderers and cannibals, and no while man has ever yet crossed the island. Here, then, the returning Christians from Queensland fell lilio n deluge. Many went inland, and for tlio present have been lost sight of; hut all round the coast group collected here and there in villages, built churches, and began to tench. In all there are about 40 of these schools, all taught by native Christians, none of whom are paid, Thoy work in their gardens by day and teach in the school night and morning. In addition Io these, we have three stations for while missionaries, with Kuropean houses, nine while missionaries, and Iho auxiliary mission pclioojut Evangel, on which I have lived for the last eight months, visiting conRtnnlly round Iho island churches. Wo also have stations on the islands of Guadalcanar and San Christoval, manned by native Christians."