Death of Bishop of New

Hebrides End of 50 Years of Mission Work

by Monseigneur Doucere

Monseiqneur Doucere, French

Roman Catholic Bishop of the New Hebrides, aged 82, quietly passed away at Vila on May 12. He came to the New Hebrides as a priest in 1889, and was made Bishop of the N.H. in 1904. Re cently, he published an interesting book describing his life as a missionary in the New Hebrides and the work of the Catholic Missions.

The Funeral Mass was held at the R.C. Church, Vila, on May 13. It was at

tended by the French and British Resi dent Commissioners, and the major part of the population, Catholic and Protest ant, of both nationalities. After the cere mony, sympathetic addresses were de livered by the French Resident Commis sioner (Monsieur Sautot) and the Act ing British Resident Commissioner (Mr.

Blandy).

The remains were interred at Mont matre, one of the principal Catholic Mission Stations in the N.H., some 5 miles from Vila. Despite the heavy rain, which fell all the morning, a large number of Vila residents followed the remains to their last resting place.

Mr. W. T. Martin has taken up his duties as Comptroller of Customs at Suva, Fiji.

Mr. R. H. Garvey, who has been acting as Resident Commissioner in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony during the ab sence on long leave of Mr. Barley, passed through Sydney in May, on his way taac-i to Suva to resume duty as assistant sec retary of the High Commission for the Western Pacific.