NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15917, 2 June 1917, Page 7

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

"THE NEW PACIFIC."

Under the titlo 'The New Pacific: British Policy and German Aims," Mr C. Brunsdon Fletcher has written a book which appears at a very opportune time, and should prove of material assistance in educating both statesmen and the public in regard to the activity of Germany in the Pacific in the past, and the importance, in arranging terms of peace, of seeing that possessions taken from Germany go not pass again into hands so vile and -unscrupulous. Viscount Bryce contributes a preface, and the Right Hon. W. M. Hughes a "Foreword." Mr Hughes tells us that the author is a representative Australian journalist. He is English born, but his most impressionable years were spent in New Zealand, and as a boy he was brought into contact with those who were intimately concerned in the Islands, and who knew the Pacific in some of its reaches like an open book. He comes of missionary 6tock, and family relationships with Br. Brown, himself a resident in New Zealand in earlier years, have given him special access to stores of information not open to the public. The author also spent twenty years in Queensland, part of tho timo ns editor of its principal daily paper, and there, as Mr Hughes adds, he learned more of Germany's methods and ways than anywhere else. A typical instance of Teutonic dimness is tho manner in which the Germans tried to secure the mineral wealth of North Queensland, where all tho well-known ores abound, and other little&nown ores that were not suspected until tho German operations were found out:— "One ore, for instance, was eagerly bought up by German buyers, and the minors supposed that in this purchase of the product of the Queenslend deposits, they were concerned with scheelite. Fortunately for them a Church of England clergyman, Archdeacon Campbell, of Cairns, was able to make investigation as an expert geologist with a laboratory at his disposal. Ho had been the minors' friend and the prospectors' guardian, in thsit the laboratory, founded by subscription and maintained by tho miners and prospectors, was his idea. The Archdeacon had been able to give them tho benefit of his knowledge, and to instruct them in the way they should go as searchers after the precious ana industrial metals. In . this matter of Germ in buyers for a rare oro he did some valuable rej search work, and discovered that the so-called scheelite was really "monozite," a radio-activo mineral, worth . . £1200 per ton. Proposals wer© made by the German syndicates to tho Queensland Government to ocquiro vast mineral concessions in the country back of Cairns, which included not only mining and smelting opera- . turn's'on'a large scale, but a regular steamship service from Hamburg to Cairns and Brisbane. The Queensland Government turned the proposition down, but. as the author points out, tho episode is interesting as showing "how far-reaching were German designs, and how truly related were their aims, first to explore Queensland, then to perenade the Queensland Government to spend much money, and finally to acquire by conquest the whole of Australia.

Not the least interesting part of the book is the account given of the work of Sir William Macgregor," a true Empire builder, and Dr. George Brown, the distinguished missionary who died only two or tlrree weeks ago. It now transpires that it was I>r. George Brown, who, in a series of letters signed "Carpo Diem," in the "Sydney Morning Herald," first exposed tho designs of Germany on Now Guinea. Ip tho light of this circumstance, it is somewhat amusing to read that on one occasion Dr. George Brown was saluted by a German man-of-war, and ft letter was actually 6ent by the German Embassy in London to Lord Salisbury in which the most cordial thanks were expressed for Dr. Brown's "estimable and courageous condiict in protecting tho interests of the Germans in New Britain," and urging that this acknowledgment on the part of Germany might "guard this spirited mail, so highly deserving in regard to the interests of all foreigners in that group of islands, from the troubles into which, he is reported to have fallen with the Royal British authorities, in consequences of the cxpeoitmn mentioned in tho beginning." The reason was that when some of his native teachers had been killed in New Britain, Dr. George Brown, instead of waiting and reporting, and so giving the New Britain murderers an interval in which to swoop down, as they threatened, to massacre the rest of the white people, organised an. expedition and prevented tho guilty natives from carrying out their threats. As a matter of fact, a criminal charge was actually preferred against the intrepid missionary in the High Commissioner's Court-at "Fiji, but the Attorney-General finally refused to prosecute, and tho business was settled by a general shaking of hands. Germany, as 3lr Fletchcr remarks, interfered to some purpose, j A full and interesting account of Germany's trade strategy in the Pacific is given by JJr Fletchcr, and this portion of the book deserves the most careful consideration at "tho present time. The author has been very fortunate in having access toDr George Brown's unrivalled stores of information, and he jUso had the use or the Bpv. Lorimor Fison's letter-books and diary. Incidentally. he throws a very interesting light on missionary enterprise in the Pacific. ■ . " (London: Macmillan and Co.. Ltd. 7s 6d net.)

'•RIPPLING RHYMES." Doubtless there.aro some purists who are shocked at "Walt Mason, who has been christened the American '""Poet of Horse Sense," because his humorous philosophy, although it bears the outward appearance of prose, is found on examination to be disguised poetry, or should -we say verse? They -will look upon such work as taking liberties with a sacred thing. The ordinary man so far from, being shocked .will enjoy tile writer's humour with added zest, on account of its quaint jingling metre. It is with no "arriere pensee," but merely as an example of this quaint

and genial person's stylo that wo select the following:—

When a man lias got a eyicvarM that is keeping kirn awake, some old mouldy, tire some trouble that ha« made bu innards a<jae> then he comes a-callyhooting to the prin - ing-offico door, for bo wants to share trouble with tie humble editors. . When a man has got a hobby tha. P him on the bum, then the people »* shrieking when they chance to see him ' but he knows one weary mortal who must, suffer and endure, so he comes to share m theories with the lowly edituro. When a man haa got a story that yitn age was stiff asd 6tark when old * a V lcr Noah told it to the people in the ark, then he comes c-bubbling over, to the . e , y Bugle's lair, for he wants to share his gladness with the soulful editaire. . . 0, he's always freely giving of the tilings that make "us tirsd, and he's often pretty stingy with the things that arc desired; he might bring a ray of sunlight to the Ufa that's ead «.nd drear, if he'd give the absent treatment to the heart-sick editecr. (London: Duckworth and Co., 3 Henrietta street, Corent Garden. Christchurch: Whiteombe and Tombs. 35.)

BRIEF NOTICES. "The Navy's Way."' by John S. Margerison, gives in a series of entertaining sketches, an account of the making of a sailor, and his daily life the battle fleet. The chapters on Tin Fish" and "Submarines" give as full and clear an account of these terrible instruments of modern warfare as the censor may reasonably bo expected to pass for publication. (London: I>uckworth and Co.; Christchurch: W hitcombo and Tombs, Ltd. Is 4d.) "The Terror; a Fantasy," by Arthur Masher, is a "shocker" apropos of the war ■which should be kept out _ of the reach of nervous people. can imagine such a "work doing a good deal of harm in England, -where women hayo already to bear the terrible nerve-strain of the German air-raids. _ (London: Iktckworth and Co.; Christchurch: "Whiteombe and Tombs, Ltd. Is 4d.) Dr. A. Conan Doyle's stirring story of Nelson's dav, entitled "Rodney Stone," has made its appearance in a cheap edition at a very opportune time. It is in this book that occurs tho classic description of a prize fight with Grab Wilson. (London: Thomas Nelson ana Sons, Ltd. Is net.) One of the latest additions to Nelson's 9(1 novels is E. F. Bensons The Image in the Sand."