ME ANESIAN MISSION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3018, 17 January 1912, Page 8

ME ANESIAN MISSION.

HEADQUARTERS CONTROVERSY

BISHOP WILSON'S DEPARTURE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 29. At the Church House yesterday afternoon the Lord Bishop of Rochester presided over th© annual meeting of the Melanesian Mission. There was a large attendance, including the Primate of New Zealand, the Bishop of Derby, the Right Rev. Bishop Montgomery, the Rev. R. E. Fieeth (Banks Island), and Admiral Fremantle. The Bishop of Rochester (late of Adelaide) said that last year had been an important and eventful year in the history of--the mission. The year had seen a change of policy and a development of work. The Solomons had come into a position of importance, and the centre of the mission was changing northwards. The Bishop quoted the fact . of the starting of the medical mission ;n the Solomons, and the splendid service being done by the good ship Selwyn. Added to this was the .authoritative declaration that the Solomons in future should be the headquarters of the mission and the residence of the Bishop of Melanesia. There was, of course, no intention of abandoning Norfolk Island, which would always remain the centre of the training and teaching work. The most striking feature of last year's work was the great conference at Bungana, where resolutions of great importance were considered ai d passed. Bungana saw a momentous and historic conference, and as such meetings were to take place every three years, the chairman thought they would steady the whole future conduct of the mission. The new departure had brought about the resignation of Bishop Wilson. The centre of the mission being in the Solomons, it was absolutely notessary that an unmarried Bishop should take charge there. They parted with Bishop Wilson with a deep sense of regret for the noble work which he had carried on in Melanesia during the last 17 years. Bishop Wilson had been true in leadership; he was always face to face with danger, he never shirked work, he was always bright rind brave, and he was a deep spiritual leader in everything going on. His lordship re- J grotted that the successor could not b© an- J ) outiced at that meeting, but he knew that the committee responsible for the appoint- ' ment were giving their most earnest attenti- n to the selection. I The Lord Bishop of Derby, who spent hi-* younger days in New Zealand and Me a-;csi;j, referred to the position of th© m\s<ion at the present time, which he < dp;cribed as most anxious. Whether it was t'e departure of Bishop Wilson, or th© change of headquarters, he knew not. But the fact remained that friends of the mission were anxious as to the future. Ho said he remembered well the discussion which took place when the headquarters were carried from New Z<v'nnd to Norfolk Island. They had had the same discussion again, and he felt that th/» arguments which hold good in taking the mission from New Zealand to Norfolk Island also held good to-day in transferring th© headquarters to the Solomons. In con- j elusion, he referred to the need of a native ] ministry. [ Bishop Montgomery defended the change of headquarters. He said the mission was passing through a transition stage and the centre of work had shifted. He re- ! garded th© prophecy not only that th© great centre must be in the north, but also that the who!© position of the mission must enlarge itself by coming in contact with other great island missions close by. Be could conceive no nobler and more magnificent work for the daughter churches of New Zealand _ and Australia than to build up churches in New Guinea, Melanesia, and, in time to come, the islands of Polyn esi a. —(Applause.) The Rev. R. E. Freeth (Bank's Peninsula), who is home on furlough, but is shortlv re- , turning to his station, expressed the opinion that unless they greatly increased the staff , thev might have to give tip some of their i work. _ He felt, they should follow the | apostolic direction and send, out men two by two. At present the men were intensely alone. The native boys were interesting and liked to hear the theory of lunar eclipses and about aeroplanes, but they were not

sufficiently companions for whito men. Sometimes in Santa Cruz the missionary did not see another white man for six months.

lhe Primate of New Zealand brought the speech-making to a conclusion by a premise to arouse, if possible, still greater enthusiasm on behalf of the church in Melanesia. He looked forward to the time when there would bo an oceanic province, comprising the Bishopj of Melanesia, New Guinea, Polynesia, and the Sandwich Islands, which would bs bound together for the ecclesiastical government of all those islands.—(Applause.) During last year there was collected in England for the mission £9686, in New Zealand £4214, and in Australia £1440. The Now Zealand totals are": —Auckland, £675 ; Waiapu, £1005; Wellington, £770: Nelson, £159; ChriEtchuroh. £1063; Dunedm, £356; and New Zealand Church Missionary Association, £lB3. In addition. New Zealand collected £133 for the Southern Crors log account