Defence Of Lutheran Mission
p. 43 · Read in the full issue
Trading In New Guinea.
Letter to the Editor,
For various reasons we were not taken by surprise when Mr. Clement Hendry, of Sangan, wrote about Mission trading in the P.I.M., February, 1933.
Permit me to answer in short. It is always our sincere intention not to im press any hardships upon anyone if that can readily be avoided; but we like to help to establish a friendly feeling be tween planters, traders and mission. I am sure, after consideration of all cir cumstances, that not the competition of the mission is the reason why Mr.
Hendry has been compelled to close his Antiragin store. For 13,000 people, as the Azerans are, among whom Mr.
Hendry has two stores, should give a man his sustenance, and more, in spite of the occasional trading on the mission station at Kajabit. We would like to point out that Mr. Hendry does not re ceive his sustenance from trading only, but acts in the capacity of recruiting agent. The mission station Gabsonki has nothing to do with Mr. Hendry’s store at Azera, for it is 35 miles south from Sangan.
Mr. Hendry contradicted himself when he said that “their prices are dearer than his.” If that is the case, all and everyone would never buy at the mission station but only at Mr. Henry’s store.
Besides, we follow the principle: “The native is at liberty to buy and to sell where he desires.” If Mr. Hendry really knows the natives, he would never have written “that in spite of higher prices” the natives would buy at the mission.
Perhaps a few words in regard to the difficulties that confront us when fixing prices for our goods would not come amiss. Mr. Hendry has testified that we sell at high prices that are profiteering.
Others charge the mission that it sells goods at prices which brings in only a nominal profit and that therefore the single planter or trader cannot compete with us. If we sell at low price, we are charged with competing unfairly. If we sell at regular prices, we are charged with commercialism and profiteering. It is obvious that we cannot please every body, hence we fix the prices in accord with the dictates of our own consciences.
The last part of the sentence, “the mission does hesitate to use its influence to foster trade” is an unjust reproach and gives the impression that we hypo critically use religious teaching as a cloak to enrich ourselves at the expense of natives and others.
Another statement of Mr. Hendry is that “Missions receive a great quantity of their goods in donations from Ger many and America, etc.” Once in a year, at Christmas time, some mission friends in the old country send donations, for which we have to pay duties and freight as on other goods. These donations are mostly subsidies to our nearly 700 helpers, teachers and their families scat tered over the whole Morobe district, in the rugged mountains, the valleys and along the coast. Our natives are scarcely able to raise funds enough to pay their own helpers, which they send out and do excellent work in befriending the dif ferent hostile tribes and in fostering re spect for law, a work which even non mission people value highly. Very often, these gifts are not sufficient, when dis tributed, that every helper may benefit to any great extent. It is seldom that these donations realise a little gain.
It may not be fully realised why we, as missions, do engage in trade. One reason is that it is often our duty to do so, in that only through our mission stores are the natives enabled to secure useful supplies. There are no stores within 30 or more miles of some of our stations. Another and not unimportant reason in newly-opened areas is that it enables us to widen the scope of our activity and bring spiritual and material benefits to still greater number of na tives. And, finally, every store which we can legitimately operate helps us to re duce the cost of our numerous stations, and enables us to extend our work with the funds thus gained.
The mission, as a whole, being an im portant factor for uplifting the na tives, needs the money. Much of the work, especially the medical work in the new hospital, and in the many dispen saries, and also the schoolwork with the different training schools and over 200 elementary schools, would be impossible were it not for the help of our planta tions and stores. Our home churches are contributing more than £8,000 annually towards the support of the field.
Neither do we depend upon our native converts for financial aid. In all our
trading activity, not one penny of profit goes to the individual mission members.
The missionary has no private gain by operating a store —in fact, it merely causes him more work than he already has. The regulation of our mission so ciety forbids a mission worker to engage in any profit-making private enterprise, including even writing articles for pub lication, etc.
The last statement of Mr. Hendry: “The mission should be compelled by law to confine themselves to the spiritual welfare of the natives, etc.” We, as a mission, have no reason to argue, for we fully trust our Government, which knows this is a powerful factor in uplifting the natives, and giving assistance to the Administration in ministering to the spiritual and mental requirements of the natives.
I am, etc.,
ST. LEHNER, Superintendent.
Finschhafen,