Hospitality !

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Nov. 21.

DOUND for all points of the Cook ** Group, 15 native L.M.S. pastors have left for their respective homes, some to return to their former islands, others to a change of parish. Their departure closes a two-months’ combined holiday and “refresher” course at the London Missionary Society’s Rarotonga head quarters.

To Rarotongans, long familiar with visits on a grand scale from the Sports Clubs of neighbouring islands, this cleri cal invasion came as something of a novelty. The visitors enjoyed great hos pitality. Foodstuffs presented by the several districts included 927 pigs, 1,712 fowls, and 1 518 tins of meat, and vast quantities of taro and kumara, worth just under £7OO.

In fairness to the European missionar ies concerned, it should be mentioned that this prodigality was entirely con trary to their advice and recommendation.

On the credit side, however, the Society reports an increase of over 200 Church members in the past couple of months.

Archdeacon Alfred E. Teall, of the Melanesian Mission, who has been in the New Hebrides since 1921, arrived in Australia from his station at Lolowai, Aoba Island, by the Morinda on Novem ber 30. He will spend furlough in Sydney and Tasmania.

Judge David Wanliss, Chief Judge of the Supreme Court in New Guinea, arrived in Sydney early in December by the Neptuna from Rabaul. He went on to Melbourne where he has entered on long furlough before his retirement.