THE MISSIONARY and the Pot

Recently, when Captain Brett Hilder,of the "Muliama," and the Venerable Archdeacon A. E.

Teall, of the Melanesian Mission, were walking on the shores of Aneityum. New Hebrides, they came upon an old iron pot. "Wouldn’t it look good with a missionary in it,” observed Captain Hilder, whereupon the Archdeacon obligingly climbed inside, with this result. This huge pot is one of the relics of the whaling station that flourished on Aneityum under a Mr. Underwood in 1873.

Photo by Capt. B. Hilder.

years of Australian administration, the native population is “still in a savage state, which prevented it taking a direct part in Government.”

That’s exactly what the practical and experienced P-NG white resident has been trying to emphasise for the last two decades, but unfortunately without much success. The natives, as a whole, are still amongst the most primitive race in the world.

Much of the Ed-Wardian policy, no doubt, was launched with a view to nip such criticism as the Filipino’s in the bud, just the same as the Wisdom admin istration tried to impress the old League of Nations with high-falutin’ ideas of native progress as far back as 1921. I remember one of the illustrations in TNG’s first annual report to the League of Nations where a native, seated at a typewriter, was stated to be “learning architecture.”

If, says the ignorant critic in New York, the NG native was learning archi tecture in 1921, then surely he should be capable of taking part in self-govern ment now. * ♦ * ONCE again we hear reports of unrest amongst Chinese workers in the Islands. Following the disturbance a few months ago, of Chinese workers in Manus, comes the news that four Chinese have been killed in a “clash” with Ad ministration officials on Nauru. The in cident is said to have occurred on June 7. Australian papers published the story on July 18, and on that date no official report had been received by External Territories Department, according to a statement by the Minister, who would not comment until reports had been received.

Some 1,500 Chinese workers with the ate Commission refused to board a vessel taking them home for repatriation.

Assuming this story to be correct it would seem they preferred the primitiveness of Nauru to their war-torn, Commo-invaded homes in China. Can you blame them?

An interesting point—not mentioned in the newspaper reports—is that China, be ing a member of UNO, enjoys equal rights with other UNO members in Trusteeship countries, of which Nauru is one, having been admitted last October.

This equality of rights will, naturally, apply to the old TNG, where China is ask ing for a Consular representative—and not before time, either. * * *

Mrs. Alice Allen Innes Of Sydney

writes: “When we were in New Zealand earlier this year we met Mr. and Mrs. Tom Heath, who were our neighbours in Sam?rai, Papua, away back in 1920. Mr. Heath has now retired from the Bank of New South Wales, and he and his wife have bought a home at Lower Hutt, Wellington.”

Two Methodist native ministers from Tonga, John Taufa and Daniel Palavi arrived in the BSI at the end of 1947 to augment the staff of the Methodist Mis sion. The mission is finding difficulty in securing recruits from white ministers in New Zealand and its leaders may have to consider turning for staff to Tonga and Fiji which have alreadv provided many native mission workers for the BSI. m Prom an old subscriber in New Zea land: “Each issue of your paper that I read makes me feel that it is written for, and by, people who keep their heads in the air, and their feet firmly on the ground—in contrast with the so-called Planners, who get along—or think they do—with their feet in the air and their heads on the ground.”