In Papua

Methodist Missions and Work In Papua

MISSION activities in the Pacific Islands were described at the annual demonstration of the Foreign Mission section of the Australian Methodist Con ference, held in Sydney on February 28.

The new President of the Conference, by the way, is the Rev. M. K. Gilmour, who, for 33 years, was a missionary in Papua, and retired last year. His many Papuan friends will be glad that his notable career has been marked by this signal honour.

Rev. John W. Dixon, of Papua, in an address recalled that it was 44 years ago that the ship Lord of the Isles took from Sydney the first party of missionaries to Papua. This pioneer party included Ton gans, Samoans, and Fijians, as well as European missionaries. That was an effective answer to those who asked what could be made of the natives. Amongst the 38,000 people for whom the Church was working there were many victims of the purveyors of magic. The work of evan gelism included education, trade tech nique, medical service, printing work, and agriculture.

Mr. Dixon told how he secured a print ing press for his work in Papua. By means of friends, he made a search of Sydney for what he wanted, without suc cess. Then Mr. E. C. Sommerlad, M.L.C., told him of a press that was held by the police—the property of men in gaol, who had used it for illegally printing postage stamps and Irish lottery tickets.

Having purchased this, he taught three of the natives in Papua to operate it, and by its means produced in six languages magazines and school primers. He be lieved “that the sound of the printing presses is dealing a death-blow to heathen darkness.”

The Rev. Usaia Sotutu, a Fijian min ister, stationed in the Solomon Islands, also spoke by the aid of an interpreter.