LITTLE AID FROM GOVERNMENTS FOR ISLANDS WELFARE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 70, 30 November 1949, Page 5

LITTLE AID FROM GOVERNMENTS FOR ISLANDS WELFARE

All the education and most of the local governing in the New Hebrides islands is done by the different church missionaries, who receive assistance from either the French or British Governments under whom the area is now ruled jointly, said the Rev K. C. Crump, Presbyterian missionary in the islands, during a visit to Whakatane this week. Accompanied by Teacher Jack Tavimasoe, a native teacher, he is making a brief tour of New ..Zealand before returning to the New Hebrides early next year. Discussing the education offered by the Church Mr Crump said that all the teaching was done by trained natives such as Teacher Jack. A variety of subjects, Bible study, English, arithmetic, geography, hy/giene, music, were taught the natives, but only in a very elementary form when compared with New iZealand. All the teaching was done in the only written language of Ngunese, but the natives were taught enough English to make them understandable.

Printed At Whakatane .Mr Crump produced a copy of the first Ngunese book, which was Printed at the Presbyterian Mission <*t Whakatane. Plans for a second book on modern educational lines have been prepared and this is expected to be printed some time next year, also at Whakatane.' “All of the natives can read and write in their own language,” Mr Crump added. This was without exception. “It is something when you •consider that many coloured American servicemen could not do that,” he pointed out. / Asked how the natives had fared ■during the war when they came in contact with the white man and modern machinery, the Rev Crump :said the whole life of all the natives on the islands had been violently disrupted. With plenty of pioneyVand nowhere to spend it the .Americans through their natural generosity had been demoralising to the people. They had given much for nothing and instead of respecting the Americans for their gifts the natives had been quite the opposite.

This was against the teachings of the missionaries, who were trying to develop a self-supporting Church in the islands. s All the churches and schools, which are usually in the same building, are built and maintained by the natives. Each village has a church and an endeavour is made to build the village life around the church. Infectious Smile It was from one of these such villages that Teacher ' Jack ’"•first started his teaching career. He was a village teacher for 12 years and assistant at the central- boarding school for four years at Munga, the capital of the central Hebrides. With his infectious smile, typical of the Pacific Islanders, Teacher Jack told-the Beacon in fluent English that he yras touring New Zealand to see the work here and take

his impressions home to his people,

.• He was also investigating the posf sibility of bringing an all-male p choir to tour New Zealand. He had met many people and all had been very kind to him, Teacher Jack said. New Zealand was totally different from his own country. It was like coming from another world.

On Monday night the Rev Crump and Teacher Jack conducted a meeting at Whakatane when they lecfured and showed movie pictures and slides of" the New -Hebrides.