AROUND PAPUA

Evening Star, Issue 21254, 8 November 1932, Page 5

AROUND PAPUA

IK THE HAUNTS OF THE EMEU A DUNEDIN MAN'S JOURNEY Mr T. T\. Thomson, a resident of Amlerson’s Bay, lias returned to Dunedin niter spending several months in New Guinea, Papua, and the outlying islands. After completing his business on the island of Misima, Mr Thomson discovered that he would have to wait m Samarai until the ship returned from the northern islands, so ho elected to go the round trip with the vessel. New Guinea was the name given to

the whole island, said Mr Thomson to a ‘ Star ’ representative, while the British portion was known as Papua. Helore the war Germany had large interests there, hut that portion is now mandated territory, administered by Australia. Port Moresby, a day and a-lmll s sail from Townsville, the last port in Australia, was the first port of cal) m New Guinea. This is the administrative centre of the island and its outlyinn- islets, and is situated in a dry belt,

some ten miles in width, which runs across the island,’ and on either side of which there is the usual stretch of country subject to the usual tropical downpours. So dry is this port of the .island that some distance Iroin the town has boon erected a huge framework covered with galvanised iron, closely resembling a tremendous roof, so that the little rain that docs fall can be led to containers and conserved. A short trip of eighteen hours brought the traveller to Samarai, which

is tlio distributive centre lor a large number of islands up to a radius of •>,50 miles. The only boat to call there is a Burns, Philp vessel every three weeks, and on the day she is due a lingo licet, comprised of all kinds <>l boats from the native dug-out canoes to sixty-ton ketches, gathers irom the outlying islands to collect stores and mails. This island, which lies about two miles off the const ol Papua, is a small one, the total area being sixty acres, and one can walk completely

round it in twenty-five minutes. Jlie tropical plant life on the island was amazing to the newcomer, the vn id colours ol the leaves surpassing hy lar any ■uitiiimi tints obtainable iu I' lo more tempeiat.e climate.-. Here .Mr Thomson Icl't -.be 'mer and a sisty-ton bet. It lor the island ol .Mi s.nui, MUiie lb> miles I here is no lime-table for tins run, winch t a!:,-, anything 1 roin two days to a week, dc I am'ding on the weatlier, while one pnition of tbo voyage must bo made in daylight, owing to the number of un-

charted rocks and shoals in the vicinity. The chief town on the island is Bwagaoia, which was at one time a stronghold of the headhunters which roamed the seas on that part of the Pacific. The natives arc now quite peaceable. The soil is very fertile, and tropical fruit grows prolific-ally, so that the natives do not want to work, hut arc quite content to let Nature take her course and live on the bounlihil supply she provides. The island is nine miles in width, by twenty-tour in length, and the greater part of it is covered with thick tropical vegetation, which includes some very lino hardwoods. Prom Hwagaoia to'the Mount Sisa Gold Mine a rough road has been formed, but it is a hairraising drive through ravines and along precipices for most of the seven miles. In fact, the travelling is so

rough that it takes an hour and a-half to do the trip, the car crawling in low gear for most of the way, while some of the corners are so sharp that they must be taken on a double lock. Though not very good physical specimens while in their villages, the natives develop into fine types when they work at the mines, where they are fed regularly on good food. For “ kaikai ” each man received a pound and a-half of rice and a pound of native “ kaikai ” (taro, sweet potato, etc.) per day,

while the pay ranges from 15s to £1 per month. In addition to this, each man also receives three sticks of tobacco, a box of matches, and a cake of soap per week. The hoys arc very Inmost, and will toll if they have not boon charged for anything they have bought. It may bo explained that when the boys arc paid they do not receive their wages with their purchases for the month deducted, hut are given the whole amount, and then they repay the various articles they have bought.

A feature of the plant life is the large, variety of orchids which grow wild. These flowers would command a large price if they could be placed on any city market, hut they are too distant for transport. The work of the sexes mi this island is reversed, and the women do all the gardening while their husbands rule in the kitchens. The native hoys make good cooks, and the variety of fends they turn out from the very limited means at their disposal is nothing short of marvellous.

Mr Thomson spent some time on this island, and on the completion of his business there returned to Samarai, where ho took ship for a round trip. The first stop was at Woodlark Island, and then on to llabaul. which claims fame as being the headouarters ol t,;o Herman Kmdeii during her raids in J;)M. There is a '' family " of active voic.inn:, in Hose proximity to the town, known as Kather, .Mother, and Brothers, from which comes a smell of sulphur which permeates the atmosphere and

can bo detected several miles away. There is a large number of Chinese in Rabanl, who still keep up their native customs. These are not of the coolie class, as is usual with a large number of towns, but belong to the high castes. Shortly before Mr Thomson arrived there one sold his daughter to another for marriage in consideration tor £4OO. Hot springs are also to bo found, and in one place where they occur near the sea the salt water is quite warm tor several yards around where the stream enters the sea.

A run of ten hours brought the traveller to Rondo, after which Kavicng. the centre of the northern portion of the territory, was touched; then the route lay south to Vitu Island, 'the harbour on tins island is a wide, submerged volcano crater not half a mile in diameter, but so deep that it has not yet been sounded. There is barely sufficient room for a big boat to manoeuvre, while all round the dense jungle reaches to the water’s edge. The run to Admiralty Island took one day, and then the farthest north point of the trip, Mai, some eighty miles south of the Equator, was reached. The Ninigo group, of which Mai is a part, is subject to thermal activity, and shortly before Mr Thomson’s arrival there a tidal wave had approached one of the islands, but when within 200yds of the shore turned aside, and instead of sweeping over the whole island as it had threatened to do, caught only an end of it, and removed every vestige of plant life and habitations. Tumlio and Solio were nest visited. On the latter is a large German mission, which is not viewed with very much favour by the copra growers of the district, as" it competes with them for the trade, and yet does not have the same expenditure for labour, owing to the claim that the work is for the church, and therefore to be given gratuitously. Boram is a large active volcano on the island of Vulcan, which was later touched at, rising to a height of 4,2G5ft. Though not in violent upheaval, Boram fills the sky with a ruddy glare, and occasional flames may be seen flickering over the rim of the crater, while at night time it is possible to read a book on the boat four miles away.

Awa is a very unhealthy island, being very swampy and abounding in crocodiles. Madang, situated on the mainland of New Guinea, is quite a large town and one of the prettiest places called at. Originally in German territory, it has been laid out with that thoroughness which always characterises the Teuton. The streets arc lined with widely spreading trees to give shelter from the strong sun, while the flamboyant colouring of the leaves is almost unbelievable.

Also on the mainland is Saiamoa, the port for'tile now famous Bulolo and Edie Creek goldfields. Everything for these goldfields is landed at Saiamoa and then transported by air over the mountains and jungle to Bnlolo and Edie Creek. Air is the only practicable method of taking goods and passengers in from the coast owing to the mountainous nature of the country and the almost impenetrable jungle, while the native tribes are liable to give trouble. When the goldfields were first opened up it was suggested that a road be built from the coast, hut this was found to he impracticable, and aircraft were obtained to do the transporting. The machines used for cargo-carrying are huge Junkers all-metal planes, and in these the dredges have been carried over in parts, some weighing up to three tons. When it is remembered that three large dredges are working it will be realised what work was entailed in transporting the parts, men, bouses, and necessities from the coast. Though the trip takes only forty minutes by air. on foot it would take weeks on account of the country to be traversed. There is a small aerodrome at Saiamoa for the passenger traffic, but the freight must lie taken to Lae, an hour and a-halfs run across the Huon Gulf, where there is a very much larger aerodrome. Here the rainfall is very heavy, 280iu falling in nine months. Within the last four years Saiamoa has grown from a few native huts built around the edges of a swamp to be a comparatively large port of several hundred inhabitants, chiefly on account of tlie gold mining. Because of the liability of Saiamoa to earthquakes and the subsequent, tidal waves there is some talk of making Lae the town. As a matter of fact, only a short time ago an earthquake occurred there, and the wharf, complete with cranes, disappeared from view. Linden Harbour, which was sometimes used as a base by the Emden during her raids, was the next port, and then the route lay back to Australia via Rnhnul, Samarai, and Port Moresby.

Though in many places the scenery is beautiful, and there is much to be seen, Mr Thomson is of the opinion that one is better off in the more temperate climates owing to the enervating influence of the tropic? and the liability to malaria and fever.