LIFE IN THE SOLOMONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2557, 19 July 1909, Page 3

LIFE IN THE SOLOMONS.

— THE REPATRIATED NATIVES. HOW THEY WERE TREATED. Amongst .recent arrivals in New Zealand from Sydney was the Rev. W. G. Ivens, a missionary in the Solomon Islands. Interviewed by a Wellington pressman reference was made to the repatriated natives who had been sent from the Queensland sugar plantations, and Mr Ives was asked wnat had become of them. “They have been absorbed,” said Mr Ivens. , “In an alimentary sense?” “No, not exactly that. You * see many of them had committed murders, and the Queensland labor ships offered them a means of escape. But the murders were not forgotten. When they returned to the scenes of their crimes the friends of the survivors were waiting to give them a hearty reception. Yes, many were murdered—that is thovse who had committed murder, and were not landed at their own request at other islands. Of course all were not in fear of the vendetta. They had no-occasion to be.” “Did their residence in Queensland have any civilising effect upon the island natives?” •' “Not in the least. They were, as I said, absorbed. They went back to the old island 'ways. They had to. It was like this. When they landed their boxes and luggage on the beach —” “There was the Customs?” “Well, not Customs officers, but ancient customs. The chief gave orders that no man’s box was to be opened until he himself arrived. When he went down the beach the boxes and packages of the returned laborers were opened. The chief helped himself first, taking what he fancied most, and as much of the gear as lie pleased. Then the next people in authority helped themselves, and after that the, unfortunate mans .relatives. It was astonishing how many relatives he had. Cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, or others came in shoals. They all had .a. dip in the poor man’s boxes, and left them empty. They even took the man’s clothes off him. Beautiful sewing machines,' phonographs and things like that were left rotting on the beach. The man might secure a loin-cloth at the most. Thus the returned laborers have become absorbed. All is now quiet. The people are great trailers. It is chiefly in barter. - Eish is exchanged by the lowlander and beach people for the produce of the hill people. The women do the trading and • the men stand by with guns.” “To complete the bargain P” “Yes.” The commercial future of the Solomons is great. ' There will soon ho enough soap made' from, Solomon Island copra to wash the world.’ Mr Ivens thinks the copra and its finished prpduet, soap, will save the Solomons,, , in* a commercial . manner of speaking. Levers,' the) Sunlight soap .people, have secured vast interests m the group. They are- planting, coeoanuts extensively, all for copra , They bought one man out for £40,000, but this was

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only a single transaction. Th'e Solomons were to be jinked up with other islands in tho Pacific by the Marconi wireless telegraphy. So great had bocomo the Lever and other industries, that quick communication of this tort was absolutely necessary. There are no minerals in the. Solomons so far as Mr Ivons knows, at least an attempt to find them has',proved fruitless. As for the pearlshell industry, that was diminishing. ' . “Wo have great difficulties with the languages on Malaita,” said Mr Iveris, “and from them are derived many dialects. I have completed tho Now Testament in one of these languages. It will reach about 4000 out of tho i 000 to 40,000 people upon Malaita alone. I have already translated tho four and the Acts, in one. other language. Wo have prayer-books and hymnals in the vernacular, too. The British and Foreign Bible Society have helped -us much.” It came out that Mr Ivons’ work was not all preaching and teaching—he was his own builder, architect, riavvy, carpenter, plumber and glazier. He has built churches and his own house. The lime was burned locally. It was made from coral.