MISSIONARY WORK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11828, 13 October 1916, Page 5

MISSIONARY WORK.

The Rev G. J. Williams, organising secretary of the London Missionary Society, who as visiting C'Jiristcliurcli with Miss J. W. Inglis, M.A., ot Erode, South India, when interviewed by H reporter to-day said that a special deputation consisting of the Itevs F. Wood, A. J. Viner, Miss Inglis, Mrs Williams and himself, recently returned from a lengthy visit to the society's missionary work in the South Seas. The places visited consisted of the Cook, Niue, Ellis and Gilbert Islands, the Samoan Group, and Papua. When asked whether he had anything to say about the German colonies which have been taken during the war, lie replied that ho could say nothing about German New Guinea as they had only visited British New Guinea, from Daru on the west to Milne Bay, representing a coast line of about lOOfl miles. Chie was struck, he stated, with tho rapid progress of Christianity among these peoples. One reason far this was that, there were so few competing interests and the missionary was able to do his work without, at least, some of the hindrance which were familiar in the lauds represented by Western, civilisation. It was more than likely that in many respects these peoples would remain backward, but perhaps that was one reason why thev might have, a- special kind of spiritual development. In many cases the Bible was almost their sole literature. Some of the communities visited had already gone a long way towards self-support, and it was au important part of the policy of the society to follow self-support hy seligovernment as far as practicable. In conclusion, Mr Williams said that an important proposal was before the Australasian auxiliaries of the society in the. direction of transferring tho administration ot the work in Papua horn London to Australasia, by means of _a representative committee set up in some convenient centre in Australia.