IN THE ISLANDS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19731, 28 December 1926, Page 2

IN THE ISLANDS

GREAT CHANGES SEEN A MISSIONARY’S EXPERIENCES. The mission yacht Southern Cross has returned to AucW.flid from a three months’ tour of the islands. Among the missionaries who came to Auckland on holiday is Dr. C. E. Fox, headmaster of All Hallows School, Pnwa, Ugi, Solomon Islands. Dr. Fox has been engaged in missionary work in the Solomons for 25 years, and it is four years since he was last on holiday in New Zealand.

“Yes, I have seen great changes in the Solomons since I first went there, although there has not been any great progress since the war,” said Dr. Fox, in the course of conversation with a reporter. “Not many new people have come to the Solomons since the war, and we are not going ahead now as we were. There is no encouragement to planters. The Government (we are under the Fijian Government, which is a disadvantage, as wo are not sufficiently in touch with Fiji) buys the land from the natives and leases it to planters, but on such terms that it cannot be profitably developed. There is no cannibalism in the Solomons now; there was plenty of it and plenty of head hunting whim I first went there, and indeed even up to twelve years ago. Then, it was not safe for a white man to walk the shore; now you can walk inland anywhere, on any of the islands, in perfect safety. Growing Reef Population. The ship made her usual round, as far north as Ysabel, in the Solomons, said Dr Fox. Bishop Steward was left at All Hallows School, Pawa, Ugi, where he will remain f'dr six months, and where a house has been built for him.

On the return journey of the Southern Cross all islands were visited, and the Rev. G. West and Mr Francis, both trained at St. John’s College, Tamaki, were put down on one of the reef islands, close to Santa Cruz, to make a fresh beginning there. Santa Cruz is greatly depopulated, but in the reefs the outlook is more promising. Taumako, an outlying Polynesian settlement, was also visited, and also Cherry Island and Tikopia. At the latter the population (pure Polynesian) is now all schooling and growing so fast that the island will soon be too small to support them. There are gre.at numbers of children—about equal numbers of each sex. Getting Kauri at Vauikolo. Vanikolo, where the Kauri Timber Company is working, was visited, Sunday being spent there. An evening service was held on board, to which about .30 of tht white population came. Mr Parr, a Hamilton carpenter, was put down here. The white men here are New Zealanders and Australian. The Burns, Philip steamer Makambo calls regularly from Sydney, and there is a Government representative and a doctor. The houses of the white people have now been built out on the coral reef, where the mosquitoes are less troublesome, but hurricanes may be dangerous. There is said to be enough kauri to keep the mills employed on Vanikolo for 60 years, and kauri has also been discovered on the reef islands nearby and on San Cristoval. Vanikolo is quite a growing white settlement. Murderers Go Free. At the. Torres, the first part of the Condominium touched at, the population does not now seem to be decreasing, in spite of the promiscuous recruiting by small cutters with native captains for French plantations. The Condominium Government scarcely pretends to govern the natives. For example, a man on Vanualava, in the Banks group, lately killed his wife, but cannot be punished for it. If one native murdered another in front of Vila Courthouse, nothing could be done. Only offences against white men are punishable. There is talk of the Condominium being ended by division, England taking the southern islands, including Vila, the capital; and France the northern group, including the Banks aand Torres and Segond Channel in Sasito, which is the best harbour in the whole group. The Presbyterian missionaries work in the southern, the Melanesian Mission in the. northern portion. New Teachers’ College. Bishop Molyneux was set down at Lolowai, Opa, where a college for native teachers is being opened. The Bishop’s house is not completed, but he is living temporarily in that of the Bev. and Mrs Godfrey, who have come up on leave. The ship touched at Noumea, in New Caledonia, to coal. During the voyage good weather was experienced throughout. Of the missionaries who have come up, it is a coincidenct that all are from New Zealand, and the three priests on board. Dr. Fox (in charge of All Hallows School in the Solomons), Rev. R. Godfrey (to be in charge of the new college in the New Hebrides), and Rev. C. Mountford (Guadalcanar, Solonion Islands), are all old students of St: John’s, Tamaki. Miss Hurse, headmistress of Torgil Girls’ School, who has done nearly 30 years of teaching in Melanesia; Mrs Godfrey and Miss Satchcll, of Christchurch, are also all New Zealanders.