The eighth biennial session of the Australasian Union Conference was held at Warburton, Victoria, October 13 to November 2. Warburton is located about fifty miles northeast of Melbourne. The Signs Publishing Company is ideally established here, among beautiful hills, in the valleys of which grow ferns of unusual size and beauty.
The first week of the meeting was devoted to a convention, where the various departments of our work were given careful study, especially the publishing and educational work. Most of the delegates were present at the convention, and the careful consideration given to the forming of plans for future work assisted very much in the regular work of the conference. The delegates were entertained by the Warburton church, who extended every hospitality, and did all they could to render our stay pleasant. The weather was quite cool during part of the meeting; the day before the delegates arrived, the hills were covered with snow.
There were eighty-six delegates present from the commonwealth and New Zealand.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
The island fields were represented by nine delegates: Sister P. Tunheim, from Java; S. W. Carr and wife, from New Guinea; Brethren Christian and McCoy, from Norfolk; and Brother and Sister A. G. Stewart and two native workers—Alipati Rainama and Ratu Ambrose—from Fiji. It would be very desirable to have all the workers present at these union meetings, but the tremendous stretch of territory included in this union conference makes this impossible. Only those who have been in this field can fully realize this. For instance, Pitcairn Island is in this union; but it is some five thousand miles distant from the union office, and is nearer to the coast of South America than Australia .
It takes as long for the president of the union to reach some of the missions in the East Indies as to make a journey from Australia to Washington. Then to cross over from Australia and attend a camp-meeting in New Zealand and return, requires about a month's time. The sea voyage to the West Australian Conference requires a longer time than to cross from New York to Liverpool. Besides this, the territory of Australia itself is about as large as the United States.
A good beginning has been made among the numerous islands of this measureless area; but there are hundreds of islands where the standard of truth has not yet been unfurled, and on some of these cannibalism is still practised; yet these must hear God's message for the last days. These islands all swarm with human beings, made in the image of God, but lost in the gloom of heathenism. This union has a population of about fifty million. Java alone has some thirty-two million pagan inhabitants.
On account of the time and expense involved in getting workers from so vast an area of land and water together, as well as for other reasons, it was decided not to call another session of the conference for four years, unless special circumstances seemed to demand it.
To superintend a field embracing so wide a range of territory is a task entirely beyond the capacity of one man. Much travel by sea as well as land is necessary, requiring months of absence from the office. Besides, these island fields need close supervision, in order to hold the ground that is gained. In view of this, and in order that the work already started might be properly supervised, and the plans for the extension and growth of the work might be carried out, provision was made for two vice-presidents to assist the president in his work. The executive committee was also enlarged to twenty-one members.
WARBURTON (VICTORIA) CHURCH BUILDING
I was continually impressed during the conference with the growth of the message in this field. Only a few years have passed since continual and urgent calls were coming to us for money to establish the work in this field. Some could not understand why this was, but it is all plain now. It is always wise to follow the counsel of the Lord. From this center the great island world of the Pacific11is being warned, and workers are being trained for the field. How this immense island field could be warned without a strong center in Australia, I have no idea.
All the reports from the various departments and institutions showed an encouraging growth. There has been an increase in the membership of about four hundred during the two years just closed. The total tithe received by the local conferences and mission fields in the union showed an increase of nearly $20,000. The Pacific Archipelago constitutes a great foreign mission field, which is managed by the Australasian Union as a part of its territory. In this island world are about ninety laborers at the present time; and aside from a small appropriation made by the General Conference, this entire staff of missionary workers is supported by the Australasian Union Conference.
The educational work showed progress. In the larger schools there was an enrolment of 359 pupils during the last year, and twenty-eight teachers were employed. The Avondale School for Christian Workers has had an excellent year, and showed a substantial financial gain. The outlook for the coming year is good. From this school, workers have gone to every state in the commonwealth and to New Zealand, and they are found also in Java, Singapore, the Philippines, and China. Three are now working in New Guinea, eight in Fiji, two in Sumatra, and three in Tonga who were Avondale students. The schools in West Australia and New Zealand have also done good work.
The sale of our literature has been greatly blessed during the year. The publishing-house showed a profit of about eighteen hundred dollars. An excellent spirit of unity and co-operation between the field and the office was manifested during the meeting, and the outlook for the book work for the coming year is encouraging, and promises good results in seed-sowing.
The need of a magazine in the field has been realized for some time. After careful and prayerful study, it was decided to increase the health magazine to sixty-four pages, publish it as a bi-monthly, and make it in every way an up-to-date publication, the price to be sixpence. This will enable agents to support themselves by its sale. The magazine will be printed at the Signs office instead of Avondale. The printing of the Sabbath-school lesson pamphlets was transferred to Avondale, that the work there might not be crippled in any way.
Brother A. G. Miller, of the circulating department at the Signs office, was chosen as field missionary secretary, and will give the magazine special attention. It is hoped that a circulation of at least twenty-five thousand will be speedily secured and maintained. If this can be done, it will be a financial help to the Signs office, besides being of great value to the medical department and the work in general.
