Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-03-13 | Page 22 | Missionaries Tell of South Sea Isle

MISSIONARIES TELL OF SOUTO ISLE Say New Zealand Was a Big Help to Great Britain Brit-ain During War. Three Utahns, Wilmer J. Oow of Plain City, Walter T. Patrick of Salt Lake and Milton Ward Moody of Hinckley, after , an absence of more than four years, dur-j dur-j ing which time they traveled extensively in the South Sea islands, arrived yester-j yester-j day. These young men went to New j' Zealand in 1914 to do missionary work for the Mormon church. "The islands have a population of one million people, P5 per cent of whom are white and 5 per cent native Maori. The Maoris are a splendid race, much in advance ad-vance of other native races. During the j war they sent their best blood to Europe i to fight for their native country. At j Gallipoli the Maori contingent fought des- perately and was wiped out practically to the last man. I "The church has a school, the Maori Agricultural college, located at Hastings, Hawkcs P.a y, North Island. This institution, insti-tution, with its 2."'5 acres of land a nd fine, modern buildings, represents an investment in-vestment of over $100,000. John S. Welch, a graduate of the Utah Agricultural college col-lege and former experimentalist at Gooding, Good-ing, Idaho, is president of this school. It is here the natives are taught to farm along scientific lines, and most of them are making excellent progress. "New Zealand, from the very first, did more than her share in helping Great Britain fight the Germans. Out of a million population, 100,000 men went into the army. The joy at the cessation of hostilities was intense. . "The toll exacted by the influenza In the Sou tli ' Sea islands was frightful. Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, Zea-land, with, a population of 130,000, lost between 1300 and 2000. Figures coming from reputable sources state that in the I Samoa n islands the loss was at least 30 per cent. In these islands the people, as a rule, gather their provisions in the cool . of the day, and, while doing so, generally I store up enough food to last them at the most two or three days. ' As a result, many of them who were stricken with influenza,' in-fluenza,' and recovered, found themselves without a. supply of food and without the strength to get more. Without help and with their neighbors in the same condition, condi-tion, they were helpless, and in many instances in-stances Jled of starvation before their plight was discovered. "It is a peculiar fact that the only island in the Samoan group owned by the United States, by name Tutuila, had no influenza. During the epidemic the health authorities wired to all ships, forbidding for-bidding them to enter port. Not even the mail ship, with fumigated mail, was allowed to dock. The inhabitants of the Samoan islands formerly owned by the t Germans suffered severely. As a. result, . it is said, the natives living on the Gorman Gor-man possessions are in hopes that the United States will, as a result of deliberations delib-erations at the peace conference, take control of them, so that they will be prot.ee ted from the influenza in the future. fu-ture. "At no time during the wa r was food ' scarce. New Zealand is a land of plenty. The need ot' shipping facilities was felt I most keenly. Business seems to be ex- cellent." ! Elders Gov.-, Patrick and Moody intend ; to remain in Utah and resume their former for-mer business pursuits.