Last Of Chinese Pioneers

Two Old Men In Samoa

From Our Own Correspondent;

Apia, Mar. 8.

ONE of the last of a band of Chinese pioneer settlers, who arrived in Samoa some 50 years ago, died re cently, in the person of Mr. Paul Ah Kiau, at the advanced age of 84 years.

Ah Kiau, a native of Hong Kong, left his home at the age of 15 and, after wanderings in various parts of the world, enlisted as a cabin-boy on the ill-fated U.S. warship “Trenton”, which met her doom during the hurricane in Apia Har bour 50 years ago. As one of the few sur vivors of his ship. Ah Kiau decided to leave the Navy and settle in Samoa, where

he entered business as a trader, first in Apia and later, at Alamagoto.

There is now only one of the Chinese original settlers alive —Ah Yen, who is nearly 90, and who lost his eyesight some years ago.

Mr. E. R. Bevington, Administrative Officer at Bern, Gilbert Islands, who re cently proceeded to Australia on brief leave to be married returned to the Gil berts accompanied by his wife, in Febru ary, travelling via Ocean Island and Tarawa, on return to his station.

Rev. Athol J. Brooks, of N.S.W., is a new recruit for the Methodist Mission.

He probably will be stationed in the Bwaidoga circuit, Papua.

Monsieur Geslin left France by the March “Eridan’’ for Noumea, where the Ma S ls tenal Service of New Caledonia, replacing Monsieur Cochin, who now is in Tahiti.

Archdeacon H. Mayo Harris, Vicar of Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral, Suva, reached New Zealand in mid-March by the “Arawa” from Fiji. He recently was in Suva Hospital, but his health now is much improved.

Mr. Gavin Lawrie, who settled in New Zealand after he retired from the Fiji Civil Service at the end of 1935, having served for over 40 years in the Public Works Department, died in Auckland in March, aged 77. Join ing the Works Department as a car penter in 1895, he rose to be fore man of the Water Supply in Suva.

Altogether, Mr. Lawrie spent 70 years in the Colony.