METHODIST MISSIONARY ANNIVERSARIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3353, 19 June 1918, Page 44

METHODIST MISSIONARY ANNIVERSARIES.

VISIT OF REV. J. W. BURTON. Methodist missionary anniversary services were held on Sunday in several churches. The Rev. J. W. Burton, from Victoria, who is the missionary deputation for this year, addressed the Methodist Central Mission in the Octagon Hall in the afternoon. The Rev. S. Griffith (chairman of the district) presided over a fairly largo congregation, and introduced Mr Burton as a former colleague of his. Mr Burton's subject was < "The New Opportunity Among the Indians in Fiji." He spoke first of the successes attained in the whole of the mission fields of the church, and said that they now had selfsupporting native churches firmly established in Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. He pointed out, however, that by far the greater part of the work still remained to be done. There are one and a-half million people in the islands of the Southern Pacific, and of these less than half a million have been evangelised. Within the territory of the Methodist Church in the Pacific there are 400,000 natives untouched by missionary work. Of 60,000 Indians in Fiji less than 300 are professedly Christian, while in India where the Methodist field has a population of a million and a half there are only two missionaries. Coming to the Indian problem in Fiji, Mr Burton outlined the conditions of the indenture system, which, though not wishing to use harsh terms, he characterised as a disgrace to our commercial life. The coolies were recruited in India under unfair conditions. The recruiters were paid so much per head, and did not always inform the "coolies of the conditions under which would have to work. They were promised 12 annas—a shilling—a day. which is perhaps six times as much as many of them would earn in India, but it was not made clear to them that the cost of living in Fiji was three or four times as great as ia India. Whnn they arrived in Fiji they were indentured to plantations for_ a term of five years, and the accommodation provided was very wretched. Though some employers tried to do what was right and fair, there was possible under the system a great deal of injustice. Commissions were appointed to investigate, but Indian leaders themselves were dissatisfied, and they sent out to Fiji at their own cost the Rev. C. F. Andrews and the Rev. W. W. Pearson. The subsequent publication about two years ago of the report of these gentlemen condemnatory of the whole coolie system, caused a great deal of anger in India. It was, in fact, a most serious challenge to our British administration, and grave consequences would probably have ensued if the indentured system had been continued. The Viceroy, with the consent of the Secretary of State, determined on the abolition of the whole system, and now in 1921 every Irdian in Fiji will be a free man. Mr Burton went on to describe some of tho difficulties of mission work among tho coolies and gave illustrations of their curious beliefs, but showed that though the difficulties were many, the work was by no means impossible. ..