Three New Islands

Bishops

IN mid-February, the most Rev.

John H. Rogers was con secrated, at Wellington, NZ, Catholic Vicar Apostolic of Tonga in succession to Bishop Blanc.

At Honiara, in the Solomons, on May, 30, the Rev. A. T. Hill will be consecrated Anglican Bishop of Melanesia. The ceremony will be carried out by the Most Rev. R. H.

Owen, Primate of New Zealand, assisted by the Rt. Rev. A. H. John son, Bishop of Dunedin, NZ, the Rt.

Rev. P. N. W. Strong, Bishop of New Guinea, and the Rt. Rev. G. D.

Hand, Coadjutor Bishop of New Guinea.

On May 19, the Most Rev. John Dieter, SM, will be consecrated Catholic Vicar Apostolic of Samoa, in a ceremony at Apia, by the Apostolic Delegate, His Excellency Archbishop Carboni, who will journey from Sydney.

All these consecrations are events of considerable importance to the adherents of the churches concerned.

Bishop-elect Dieter was born in Germany in 1903 and ordained in 1933. He has been in Samoa since 1937. Since 1949 he has been Director of the Seminary at Moamoa, He has a perfect know »l

ledge of the Samoan language and customs.

The retiring Bishop is the Most Rev. Joseph Darnand, who is now 75 years old. His many friends are pleased that he will spend his re tirement in the Territory and will live at Moamoa.

Fiji regulations governing control of imports from non-Sterling countries have been considerably re laxed, licenses now being required only for certain luxury items from European countries outside the Iron Curtain. Regular importers will be given reasonable allocations even for the listed luxury items—alco hol i c beverages, confectionery, jewellery, passenger vehicles, per fumery, photographic equipment, radio sets, musical instruments, toys, games, sporting equipment, watches and clocks. Imports from dollar sources remain, as before, under strict control.