PRESBYTERIAN FOREIGN MISSIONS

Evening Star, Issue 19799, 24 February 1928, Page 2

PRESBYTERIAN FOREIGN MISSIONS

COMMITTEE MEETING The monthly meeting of the Presbyterian Foreign Dlissions Committee was held on Tuesday evening, tho Rev. G. IT. Jupp (convenor) presiding over a largo attendance. Sympathy was expressed by silent standing vote in connection with the death of Mrs R. S. Allan (a member of the committee), Mrs A. H. Gnuling, and Dliss G. Cameron. • The Convener welcomed the Rev. W. V. Milne, of Ngnna, New Hebrides, and Dir J. Russell, a new member of the committee. The thanks of the committee were expressed to Dfr H. R. Balfour, of Melbourne, who recently visited the Now Hebrides, for his gift of a sot of lantern slides reproduced from photographs taken by him in the group. It was reported that the Young Women’s Bible Class Union was producing a booklet dealing with the various spheres of service offered by the church, etc., and that a section was to be devoted to foreign missions; and that the P.W.M.U. was preparing a missionary atlas, with informative letterpress. The report on missionary deputations was to the effect that Dfr J. W. Mansfield had visited Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerston North, and Auckland, and had now left for Sydney, whence, after his launch is completed, ho sails in April for the New Hebrides. The student deputation has visited Bay ol Plenty and Hawke’s Bay, the latter presbytery in conjunction with the Rev. A. L. Dlillcr, of China. Dfr Miller has also visited North Auckland Presbytery. Tho Rev. W. Mawson plans to visit Taranaki, and the presbytery has agreed to his proposals. Tho Rev. W. M. Byburn, of India, is expected to begin deputation work, principally among the Bible classes, about Easter. Owing to difficulties in the way of carrying out the proposals this year, it was decided, in accordance with the recommendation of tho moderator, to abandon the missionary campaign in Otago and Southland. Tho Candidates’ Snb-eommitl.ec reported that some excellent candidates had volunteered for service, and arrangements were made lor their medical examinations.

Accounts were passed for payment totalling £l3O 19s Ud, and donations were acknowledged with thanks totalling £133 3s 7d Tho Secretary of the Young Women’s B.C. Union wrote that the annual meeting of tho union had agreed to guarantee the payment of the nurse’s salary, plus exchange, as heioro, notwithstanding Miss Arnold’s resignation, so that tho money might be available for assistance to Nurse Elliott (should tho committee so desire). They had also voted the sum of £3OO from the B.C. nurse fund towards the child welfare work in India. ’The special thanks of the committee were accorded to the union. Other donors who were specially thanked for contributions were the editor and readers of the ‘ Break of Day ’ for their Christmas gift of £2BO for the education of Christian children in the Indian mission field; Mrs Young, of Hawea, for £SO for tho foreign mission deficit; the Southland P.A. for £125 to be funded so as to provide a memorial for the late Mrs Band; and Knox Church, Dunedin, for an additional gift of £7O in connection with Dr A. H. Harvie’s motor car. INDIAN MISSION. It was reported that Mr C. J. R* Price, M.A., the relieving principal of Kharar Mission High School, had been ordained to the eldership in Gore on December 11, and farewellod on December 12, sailing for India from Wellington on December 16. Owing to the illness of a. member of bor family, Miss H. M. Arnold tendered .her resignation ns a. member of the mission staff. The committee accepted the resignation with regret, expressed sympathy, and the hope that such an improvement in her sister s condition might occur ax to render Miss Arnold’s return to India possible. Miss N. Raon also sent in resignation for reasons of health. The committee regretfully accepted the resignation and directed that in both these cases minutes expressive of their appreciation of the services ol the missionaries concerned should be prepared. 'The Mission Council reported that tho repairs necessary owing k flood damage to the property at Kharar would cost rupees 6,250, pointed out that if tho work were delayed until the next rains the damage would be still more serious, and asked for £4OO towards the cost. It was agreed that Hie work should be undertaken without delay and the amount authorised. The council requested that the Alliance Bank refund of rupees 2,600 be earmarked towards purchasing a site for a non-Christian girls’ school at Jagadhri, and that the Educational Committee be empowered to proceed with the purchase. It was explained that at present the two schools Mohammedan and Hindu —met in hired quarters, of which tho tenure was very uncertain. It was agreed to grant the request. The council advised that the Rev. W. M. Ryburn would leave on furlough for New Zealand in February. They asked, that he be given permission to appeal for £3OO to start technical classes in English and Urdu printing. It was agreed to hold over consideration of this matter until Mr Ryburn’s arrival. NEW HEBRIDES. The special committee authorised for the purpose reported that Mr C. R. Stringer had been appointed as lay assistant to Mr J. W. Mansfield, Arabrim, for a period of two years. Tho clerk of the Oamaru Presbytery wrote with reference to the < holding of a special religious'service in Oamaru with reference to his departure for the Islands, and it was agreed to co-oper-ate with the Presbytery in tho matter. In addressing the committee the Rev. W. V. Milne stated that his chief work since his return on furlough at the end of last year had been the revision of the Nguna New Testament. So far, with the assistance of the Rev. O. Michelsen, ho had done Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Ho felt that this revision should be his chief work while on furlough, as he would like to have it finished before returning to tho New Hebrides.

Since the meeting of Synod in the end of July he had baptised fifty-one infants and two adults, and examined GO young men and women, and admitted them to full church membership. He had now been long enough in the mission to admit some of those whom he had baptised as infants. The total number of church members in his district was 601. The communion collections, amounting to £l7 17s Bd, were devoted towards the salaries of the Nguna teachers who went to Ambrim. One of these teachers, unfortunately, had died.

In the Nguna district a teacher is stationed at each village, and these will, carry on the work of preaching and teaching the children during the missionary’s absence, Mr Jones, the missionary of Vila, would dispense the sacraments and perform the marriages. At the present time there are eleven Nguna students at the training institute in Tangoa. The year 1927 was a year of loss to the New Hebrides mission. In one year two workers died, and eight others left for health and other reasons. Mr Patton had said that the depopulation of missionaries was worse than the depopulation of natives. With regard to the political situation, it was not safe to be dogmatic. The sudden death of Mr Smith-Rawse, the British Resident Commissioner, was a great blow to the British cause. For several years past the French had been getting Tonguinese labor, with the result that French plantations

were going ahead, whilo for want of labor British planations were reverting to bush. . . . Whatever happened in the New Hebrides, they should not give up their mission work. They wore there for the benefit of the natives. British missionaries went to the New Hebrides before there were any other white people there, British or French. It would be time enough to retire when they were forcibly deported. Until then they should hold on with all their might.