THE ANNEXATION OF NEW GUINEA.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3671, 20 April 1883, Page 4

THE ANNEXATION OF NEW GUINEA.

• J Writing prior to the annexation of the above country by the Queensland Government on behalf of the British Crown, the Queenslander observes :—" It may be hoped that local questions will not so absorb the attention of our legislature this year as to leave no time fur consideration of the momentous importance of .some steps being taken to anticipate the occupation of New Guinea by one of the great European powers. It is evident that Prance is seekiu<" to direct the ambition of its people to the acquisition of foreign territory, and that Russia is traditionally and constantly an aggressive power. , An article from the Jiii'i/iHcbic ZvUii»n, an influential German paper, proves also that a section at least of the German people are looking upon New Guinea with longing eyes. The cool manner in which the /i-itiint/ proposes to set at nought the British and Dutch claims—the former being unnoticed, and the latter pooh-poohed'"--is quite refreshing in these times of Bismarckian ascendency in Europe. The Germans appear to conclude that Mr. Gladstone's detestation of further extensions of British territory would lead the governing classes in England to look upon the annexation of New Guinea by a foreign power with approval rather than with distrust. Possibly this is a, tolerably correct .estimate also as to the current of opinion in England ; were no colonial interest involved, ■it is obvious that Germany would be encouraged to extend her dominion to the Eastern Archipelago and to the Pacific Isles. among which latter, no doubt, a number of Germans have settled for the purposes of trade. But there are colonial interests involved in this question, for the ■territory of Queensland exists to within three or four hours' steam of New Guinea, and our colony has a great stake in the future of that 'island. Already there is , a considerable trade between its various settlements and Cooktown, and communication between them is becoming increasingly regular and frequent. Within the last week or two reports have reached us of several New Guinea natives coining over to Cooktown to extend their acquaintance with our people, and there can be no maaner of doubt that the beginning has been made of what must soon deTclope into a largo and profitable trade. "When we recollect also that our Royal Mail steamers pass twice a mouth almost within sight of New Guinea, that it has extensive and salubrious uplands which might be profitably occupied by Europeans with their flocks and. herds, and that those upland* might bo approached with comparative ease by river, wo cannot but ti.ink that for our Parliament to remain longer inactive would involve almost criminal neglect, which might bring down upon us speedily penalties". Admitting that the settlements on the co:is of New Guinea have been hitherto unhealthy for Euro2»ea7is, the same had at first to be said of our own coast, indeed of our inland country also. All new country in Queensland has been fever haunted when first settled, and there is no reason to believe that the New Guinea, coast would compare unfavorably with any other tropical country in the world. Our pioneers have gone there under manifold disadvantages, and yet many of them have managed to survive. Messrs Chalmers andM'Farliinc, the well known missionaries, have roughed it a good deal in New Guinea, and they do not appear to have suffered more severely than many Queensland pioneers have on our Northern coast or in the Onlf country. Properly housed, clad and fed, the European constitution can accommodate itself to the tropics, and if easily accessible settlements were once found on the mountain lauds they would always form a convenient sanatorium for the people in the cuast settlements. Moreover, by connecting New Guinea with Thursday Island by steam, regular fortnightly communication would be opened between the former and all the ports on our coast line by the British-India's and the coastwise services. In fact, by such means New Guinea would practically be brought nearer Brisbane than Normanton and Port Parker are ; while Thursday Island and Cooktown, by reason of their proximity, would soon become the centres of thriving maritime trade. All that is wanted to open New Guinea to prosperous settlement is the security to life and property which would follow its annexation to the British Empire. Although the Imperial authorities may not care to undertake the annexation of this great island of their own motion, the case would present itself to them in an entirely different aspect were the Queensland legislature to address her Majesty in favor of that course, and undertake to bear the responsibilities of such an extension of territory. We should tints enter irpuu a far less onerous undertaking than South Australia ventured upon when she accepted the responsibility of her Northern Territory, from which she was cut off by 1300 miles of a. wilderness by land, and a much greater distance by sea. In regard to New Guinea, we have a police magistrate stationed much nearer to the coast settlements there than police magistrates are to many settlements in the interior of our own colony. It would, indeed, scarcely be a greater undertaking now for our Northern Supremo Court Judge to hold a half-yearly sitting at New Guinea, than it was a dozen years ago for a metropolitan judge to hold a court at Cooktown, or even Townsville. The cost of maintaining an official establishment at New Guinea need not be great, and it might soon be made almost, if not quite, self-supporting. For there is no doubt that by good management land might be purchased from the natives at a fair price, and sold or leased to European settlers on terms which would yield a sufficient revenue. To all this it may be argued that, as a more dependency, Queensland has already quite as much territory as .she can turn to good account, which we admit would be a conclusive answer were it certain that affairs in New Guinea could be maintained in their present statx* quo. That, however, it is clear they cannot be, and the evils to be anticipated for the island becoming- a despotically governed—perhaps an exile —settlement of some European power are so serious that we cannot afford to risk so much to be dreaded a contingency.