ARMY IN EAST INDIES

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1931, Page 5

ARMY IN EAST INDIES

SALVATIONISTS’ PROGRESS

COMMISSIONER VISITS TARANAKI.

EARLY DIFFICULTIES REVIEWED.

.Tlie work of the Salvation Army in the East Indies was the subject of an address by Commissioner John Cunningham, head of the Army in New Zealand, at the New Plymouth Citadel yesterday afternoon. The Commissioner illustrated every phase of his lecture with stories from actual life. -

The Mayor, Mr. H. V. S. Griffiths, who presided over the meeting, said he considered one of the most interesting things in life was to travel. Next to that was to listen to those who had travelled extensively. Commissioner Cunningham traced his early connection with Dutch people such as he worked among in the Dutch East Indies from the time he had been transferred to South Africa. On board ship he had realised the necessity of learning their language and it was from the Boers he had first learned. Transfexied to Holland in 1912, where he had to act as secretary for the Army woik, lie found the language vastly different, but he mastered the tongue and in 191(1 he was sent to the Dutch East Indies. Had that part of the world been owned by Britain, Commissioner Cunningham was sure his audience would know all about it, but presuming they knew little of the country he gave a graphic outline of the Dutch East Indies. They were composed, he said, of about 2000 islands. The largest, Borneo, was three times as big as New Zealand and had a population of 50,000,000. It could oe seen the Dutch East Indies were no inconsiderable part of the world. lhe islands had a tropical climate, where eternal summer reigned and days and nights were practically of equal length. The islands were populated by a coloured people who spoke many languages, but although Dutch was official the Malay language was the medium by which most business was done. Originally the islands had been Buddhist °in religion and the world-famous temple of Boeroeboedoer had been built by them. Later the Mohammedan priests came across and the population was now mostly Mohammedan, Java boasted of a splendid railway service which was the fastest narrowguage service in the world. The Army had gone to the islands about 35 years ago and at first was met with official resistance, the Dutch fearing a religious war. In spite of the handicaps placed before them the first officers ■ made their headquarters at Safoeran. They made little headway for six or seven years until devastating rains laid the crops waste and placed the islanders in a sorry -plight. The Dutch officials joined with the Army in forming a relief scheme for the natives, but after a while the Dutch tired of the work and left it all to the Army workers, who were forced to apply for extra help from London. . A few years later the great Danish eye specialist, Dr. Wille, offered his services to the Army in the Dutch East Indies and the Commissioner dwelt for some time on. the splendid work Dr. Wille had done. His services had been at last recognised by the Dutch Government, which paid 70 per cent, of the costs of erecting a fine hospital, for him ax.d was now annually subsidising his work. „ ~ , The headquarters of the Army was now at Celebes and throughout the islands the Army was established in 100 outposts. In later years the Army had taken over the care of the lepers in the Dutch East Indies, and at the present time there were approximately To,ooo of these unfortunates under its ca-re. .The main leper station was at Pocloe Si Tjanang or “The Island of the Dead. Before the Army had taken on this work, it had been customary for the lepers to be drowned or driven out w the mercy of the wild beats of the j When he was sent to the Dutch East Indies, Commissioner Cunningham had been struck by the apparent desolation and disinterestedness .of the lepers at Poeloe Si Tjanang. ? They had nothing to do but fret over their ills, and he had instituted' vegetable growing competitions among them. After a very discouraging start, he had increased their interest in the scheme by offering prizes and after five years everyone able to work in the gardens took up gardening as a hobby. Whether it was the effect of the extra fresh vegetables or the new outlook on life the work gave the sufferers, at the end of that period the death-rate had dropped by 50 per cent. At present there was no - cure for leprosy. The oil used m the early stages finally becoming nausaatl “f the sufferers, who could not fuither assimilate it. Specialists the world over, however, were endeavouring to find a cure for the dreadful malady.