Removing Sickness From Misima

Misima

AVAILABLE statistics show a marked decrease in the incidence of sick ness among the native labourers em ployed on the gold mines in Misima, Eastern Papua.

In 1938 and 1939, there was an alarm ing amount of sickness of all kinds—so much so that the efficiency of mining operations was seriously reduced. Then the Government sent Dr. G. H. Vernon to Misima and he, in his quiet and un ostentatious way, set to work to remove not only the sickness but the actual causes thereof. He made relentless war upon flies and the breeding places of other pests, and during the past twelve months conditions have begun to return to normal. It mav be that there were extraordinary conditions in 1938 and 1939 to cause the sicknesses; or it may be that the doctor is a genius in clean ing out tropical complaints—probably a bit of both. At any rate, Misima is more or less itself again.

Mr. Robert Jones, of the Australian Board of Missions’ lay staff in Papua, arrived in Australia from Samarai in February, with Mrs. Jones. He super vised the building of the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, which was car ried out by natives, and which recently was consecrated after several years’ work. Mr. Jones will shortly go into residence in St. Francis’ Theological Col lege, Brisbane, to train for the Anglican ministry, after which he intends to re turn to Papua for missionary work.