Solomons Methodist

Missions No Return of Personnel

A STRENUOUS campaign to restore the Solomon Islands organisation of the Methodist Missionarv Society of New Zealand is being carried on by the society’s chairman, the well-known Rev.

J. F. Goldie, who at present is in Aus tralia.

By the sheer bad luck of war, the Japanese who invaded the Solomons established one of their most important bases at Munda. in New Georgia, in the cultivated country beside Roviana Lagoon,, occupied by the Methodist Society as their headquarters, and by Mr.

Leslie F. Gill’s Lambeti Plantation. By the time the Americans had thrown the Japs out of Munda, there was nothing left of Mr Goldie’s well-eouipped mission station- Other Methddist mission sta tions in the Group also were destroyed.

Mr. Goldie appealed for funds to his church in New Zealand: and he has had what he calls a “remarkable response,”

There is no “War Damage Insurance” plan in the British Solomons, so pre sumably the Mission Society must depend for rehabilitation upon its own resources.

But its mission stations in Bougainville and Buka Coart of the Mandated Ter ritory) are under the Australian insur ance plan, and some re-establishment funds should come from that quarter.

Having made provision for finance, Mr.

Goldie has been trying to persuade the nowers-that-be to allow the Methodist missionaries to return to the Solomons; but, so far, without success.

The civil authority—who is the British High Commissioner for the Western Pacific—appears to be eaeer to send to the Solomons all men who may assist the native neoples there to recover from the nsvchological shock of war, and mis sionaries clearly are in that category.

Moreover, large meetings of mission educated natives have been appealing for the return of their teachers. But. up to the present, no decision appears to have been reached by the military authorities in relation to the return of civilians— whether they are missionaries, traders or planters.

The society’s medical superintendent, Dr. Rutter, has returned; but as a tem porary Government doctor, and not as a missionary doctor.