NORTHERN SOLOMON ISLANDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21199, 3 December 1930, Page 2

NORTHERN SOLOMON ISLANDS

ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSION. Ur T Wailc. Homan Catholic Bishop of the Northern Solomon Islands, who has been paying a brief visit to Dunedin, will leave this morning for the north, on his way to Sydney, where he will embark for Rabaul. Yesterday morning Dr Wade courteously afforded nu Otago Daily Times reporter an interview, in which he gave some particulars of his work in the islands. Dr Wade is in charge of a number of groups of islands, of which the principal are Nissan. Carta rets, Ongtong, Bougainville, Buka, Shortland, and Snposta. His headquarters are at Kieta, Bougainville, and lie has, in all, 00,000 natives in his care, of -Whom 13.000 are Catholics. Roman Catholic missionary work was otai'tod on Bougainville in 1847 under Bishop Epallo, who was murdered by the in the following year. His .successor, Bishop Collonibe, died of malaria. Tile church then withdrew from the islands for 50 years, renewing its work in 1897. During the past 10 years the natives have moved whole-heartedly over to ChristianitJ’j. and in this move'the Roman Catholic division has, up to date, received 13,000 of the people, all of whom are baptised. Three thousand people came, in last year,” said Bishop Wade, “and wo hope, judging from the way the people are appreciating the work of the missionaries, that many others will come under our care as the years pass. _ There is a multiplicity of languages, which is a great difficulty with us. The work is often held up owing to this fact, and we resort largely to pidgin English, which is also used by the Government officials. “In my field last year 363 children under seven years of age died, as well ns 691 adults. There were 232 native marriages. No fewer than 120,000 natives went to communion, and we baptised 1411 children. There is great need of assistants and sisters. At present, we cannot send to many quarters from which requests come, chiefly in the Nissan and Cartaret groups.” Last year 15,000 natives were treated at the various mission dispensaries. The was also doing much in the way of medical work. Its officials visited village after village. Any promising young fellow was taken to their quarters and trained, then sent back to his people as a medical “ tul-tul,” who was able to tend to the many sores that affiliated the people, acting, of course, in a rough, but useful way, applying bandages, giving quinine, etc. At first the natives would not touch the “ white man’s medicine,” but of late they had begun to appreciate its value.

The only means of transportation among the islands was by means of schooners, equipped with sails and auxiliary engines, which made the missionary work very expensive. The mission had foijg oceangoing schooners. A large section of the territory had not been visited by the missionary or by the Government. The people were in a primitive state. The missionaries knew of their presence only from the smoke of fires visible on the mountain sides when they were passing from island to island in their schooners.

The Solomon Islands form part of the territory of New Guinea, which is under a mandate to Australia from the League of Nations. The headquarters of the government are at Rabaul, which is in New Britain, and at the head of it is the Administrator, General Wisdom. The Government had difficulty at one time, but they have now won the confidence of the natives, who go to them with their troubles and trials. Under General Wisdom the district officers of the mission arc placed over a large section, and these officers have the power to try court cases and settle disputes. The relations between the Government and the mission were, on the whole, very friendly, especially as far as the beads of the various departments were concerned.

Reference was made by Dr Wade to the fact that cold bad been discovered in New Guinea. "I sincerely hope," he added, “they will not find gold in my territory. If they do the white man will come, and that is no good for the black man,” Dr Wade was born in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A., in 1893; educated at the Marist College, Washington, D.C.; ordained in 1922, after which he went immediately to the Solomons; and was consecrated bishop in Sydney by the Apostolic delegate to Australasia last October.