New Guinea’s confusing history

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33448, 1 February 1974, Page 15

New Guinea’s confusing history

(By

KENNETH ANTHONY)

staJJ,’ ST ' RY

Few countries have had a more colourful philatelic history than Papua New Guinea, and this is well shown by a new set of stamps marking the 80th anniversary of the first issues there. Although the large island north of Australia is indicated as New Guinea on the maps, there has been more than one New Guinea, from the stamp point of view. The stamp illustrated here, for example, reproduced the design of a British New Guinea stamp of 1901—a drawing of a native canoe which was not replaced until 1932. But the erstwhile British New Guinea, occupying the south-eastern part of the island, was the present Papua, the name being changed in 1906 and duly reflected in the stamps. When British New Guinea’s first stamps came out, the Germans were already in occupation of the north-eastern part of the island. This was called German New Guinea—and here the first stamps (overprints on the current German issue) made thejr appearance in 1897. When World War I broke out, German New Guinea was occupied by allied forces—leading to a curious situation in which old Ger-

man registration labels were at one stage temporarily pressed into service as postage stamps. One of these curious items is depicted on another stamp of the new set. Australian mandate After the war the one-time German New Guinea was renamed the Territory of New Guinea and placed under Australian mandate, stamps with the new name being introduced in 1925. Stamps for both the Territory of New Guinea and Papua came to an abrupt halt in 1942 with the Japan-

ese invasion and the suspension of civilian government. But in 1945 the two regions were placed under a joint Australian administration, and stamps inscribed with both names were first issued in 1952.

Practically the only period not covered by the new set is that interval between 1945 and 1952, when ordinary Australian stamps were in use.

Just to complicate the matter still further, the western part of the island, now part of Indonesia, was formerly Netherlands New Guinea—and this too had its own stamps from 1950 until 1962.