CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVIII, Issue 11446, 8 December 1897, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

Colonisation within tha r British sphere in New Guinea proceeds slowly, yet , in a manner that, is fall o£ interest and full of promise. The Administrator, Sir William Maegregor, appears to possess that happy combination of strength and wisdom which is so vain* able everywhere, but especially :in the work of colonisation in a country inhabited by wild and warlike tribes. Altogether, apart from British interests, it is to be regretted that the authority of such a man cannot be extended over the whole island, for the progress of civilisation would then be steadier and surer than it is likely to be under divergent systems of colonisation However, it has just been stated that Germany refuses tocede her protectorate in New Guinea to England, and a cable message this morning states that a company is being formed at Amsterdam for the purpose of establishing colonies in the Dutch portion of the island. The idea of one paramount authority must, therefore, be given up for the present. In his last annual report. Sir William Macgregoi shows how things are going in British New Guinea. Part of the work of colonisation consists in making expeditions into the interior, and one of these may be referred to as an illustration of whitfc pioneering is in the island. In an.expedi-. tion up the Musa River it was found that about eighty miles from the sea the boat could be taken no higher on account of tha rapids, and the river was followed up on foot for six days, extreme difficulty being occasioned by the numerous impassable cliffs. Farther on many villages could be seen, and the camp was visited by natives from several parts of a great valley which they came upon, extending some twelve or twenty miles towards the west. One morning at dawn, after descending the river a little way, whilst camped on the hank, a force of about three hundred men, in twenty-eight large war canoes, all painted and feathered as if for war, went up the river past the party. A pursuit * took place, and the canoes ware all passed by the steam launch, and drived down the stream. The raider s had already caught at least ten or twelve unfortunate natives, the bodies of many being cut up, divided out and partly cooked. ; That was an incident' 1 characteristic of the wilder : districts, but things are different in the moresottled parts of the colony. In connection with the western division of the Protectorate, a steady improvement in the behaviour and general con-, dition of the native population is re*

coeonisatioi IN NEW GUINEA

SETTLED PARTS OP TH] COLONY.

corded in Sir William Macgregor’s report. In the eastern division the natives have been moving from the high lands • towards the coast. There has been an extension of gold-mining, and the introduction of the rubber industry promises to conduce to the enlargement of trade. In the north-east the Government station was only established in October, 1895, and progress in opening up communication with the natives has been slow, as the latter are naturally suspicious, and have been hostile. In the Mekeo district settlement is progressing, and friendly relations are being instituted with the natives. A few traders are engaged in making copra, and collecting sandal wood, rubber and gum. Many tribes in the Rigo district have

not yet been brought into contact with Europeans, but towards the coast the natives are manifesting a strong desire for European clothes. All this indicates progress, in connection with which the missionaries appear to be doing good work. In the case of the Wesleyan mission and in that of the London Missionary Society the advance has been decided. Sir William Macgregor says that the weak point, especially with regard to the former, is that English does not receive so much attention as is desirable. If New Guinea is ever to become an English-speaking country, now is the time to encourage the use of that language. The serious difficulty confronting all the missions is the irregular attendance or the non-attendance of scholars at the different schools. In some districts the expansion of the missions is. very slow. The report goes on to say that, even constituted as they are at present, the missions contribute powerful aid towards the settlement of the country. Missions, to whatever church they belong, must do great good so long as they are not led into the temptation of proselytising. That would assuredly do much serious harm among the natives, and the total absence of missions would be preferable. Next to gold, the principal export from New Guinea is sandalwood, of ■which 524 tons, valued at £4035, were exported last year. Sir William Macgregor’s report states that indiarubber is taking a more prominent position. During the financial year nearly three tons were reported, valued at £6OO. This industry, it is stated, should increase, as indiarubber collecting can be carried-on by natives without European supervision. Sponges, which are being cultivated in the lagoons of the Conflict group, are exported for the first time. A small quantity of ginger, of which there is plenty in a wild state, was also exported. The copra export was about the same as the previous year, being 381 tons, valued at £2748. As to gold, the export for the period dealt with ig set down at 13730 z, valued at £4735, but the' report goes on to say that the amount actually exported and not reported at the Customs must greatly exceed that, the gold from Woodlark Island alone for the twelve months probably amounting to some thousands of pounds sterling in value. In his account of the ascent of the Musa Eiver, Sir William Macgregor states that far inland, in the very heart of the country and at the foot of the greatest mountains in the colony, a fine field should exist for the prospector. Traces of fine gold were found by the miners in the gravel of the Musa at Gewaduru, and at places above that, the . metal, in all probability, coming from the interior. On the island of Sudest, in the Louisiades Group, there were only about ten Europeans, the majority of them having gone to Murua, Mambare and other places, but a considerable industry in gold washing was being carried on by the natives. At Murua, in June of last year, there were about one hundred miners, some of whom were doing very well, and most of them fairly well. Gold had been got on the Mambare Eiver which had been prospected for some sixty miles. Nearly the whole of the country was found to be auriferous, though gold was in small quantities. In March eight miners, with provisions for six months, had cut a track for sixty-five miles from their camp to the creek, where good gold had been obtained. They reached the goldfield in the third week in April, and up to June 30 had . obtained nearly gOOoz of gold, chiefly from I bars in the creek. Altogether, though New I Guinea is not a place to rush to, it is, as a scene of British colonisation, full of promise in itself and full of interest to residents in other British colonies.

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