EXPLORING NEW GUINEA

Otago Witness, Issue 3594, 30 January 1923, Page 25

EXPLORING NEW GUINEA

PRELIMINARY PARTY STARTING. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, December 7. Although New Guinea has been open to visiting traders for 300 years, the mysteries of the interior are still unsolved. To those who have now taken upon themselves the task of carrying out exploration work, scientific and economic research in every part of the hinterland should have a very full complement of such adventure as marked earlier African exploration. Preparations for the .British Pacific Science Expedition have been going on for some time, and on the 14th of this month a pany of five young men will set out from London with the object of making preliminary investigations and arrangements in New Guinea for a much larger expedition whose work in the country is expected to cover a period of three years. Air R. APNeiil, F.R.G.S., M.&P.Y the director of the expedition, is an Australian who lived iii New Guinea before the war. He will not be leaving for Australia until January. Mr L. B. C'onolly, F.R.G.S., is also an Australian, and served with the Australian forces. He was in what was German New Guinea before the war. In recent years he has travelled in India, and riiade some useful treks, for which he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Other members of this preliminary party are Mr A. E. Church (ornithologist), Air R. A. Prescott, F.RG.S. (mammals), Air H. M. Treweu (entomologist), who was in political service in West Africa, and Air V. A. O. Findlay (topography), who was a captain in the Royal Field Artillery. Air Findlay is a nephew of General Sir A. H. Russell'. PRELIMINARY WORK. A great amount of preliminary detail will be arranged by this advanee party, and the necessary negotiations will be carried out with the Commonwealth Government, the Papuan Government, and the Administration of the late German area. Movement policy, carrier recruiting, supplies, are some of the matters to be arranged before hand, in order that the main party may proceed with its programme immediately upon arrival. Carriers cannot be readily obtained in British New Guinea, and the large number required will occupy some considerable time, especially for three years’ service. It is not proposed that the preliminary expedition will penetrate far into the interior. It will confine itself chiefly to coastal and river movement, and wherever possible colections of botanical, entomological, and mammalian specimens will be made. At Alelbourne it is intended to procure an auxiliary vessel which the party will use for transportation along the Australian coast to New Guinea, and for the return to Melbourne. J t is anticipated that the work of this party will occupy a year, when the • members will return to England and place their reports before a committee which has already been formed under the chairmanship of the Earl of Plymouth. THE SUPPLY DIFFICULTY. The first part of this scheme has been financed by the party themselves, but the support of the main expedition will depend on public contributions. Thirty-two Europeans will take part in it, and some 400 police and carriers. The organisation relating to l he maintenance of supplies has always been a difficulty in New Guinea. The coastal country, even in densely populated areas, cannot provide food for a large number of carriers. The inhabitants do not cultivate a large margin over their own requirements. It is, therefore, necessary to stock the depots with food transported from bases on the coast, in order that parties passing through or working in the vicinity may obtain supplies as required. A vessel is to be acquired in England, and the expedition will proceed to the north coast of New’ Guinea, from where operations will commence. The idea is to work outwards from base camps established across the country. As the interior is as yet unmapped the explorers will have to find their locations in the same way as is done at sea. Each member will carry as his personal kit a small instrument for working out his longitude and latitude. These will give, a reckoning to within half a minute, or threequarters of a mile. ; A considerable amount of time ■ wLU be given to the exploration of that area through ,which the Fly and the, .Strickland i, Rivers run. These two great waterways will un-

doubtedly provide economio transport if the adjacent country is found to contain resources that can be developed. Access through the mouth of the Fly is believed to be free from obstacles to navigation. Members of the preliminary expedition will leave Melbourne in February, 1923. SCIENTIFIC EXPEDIT'D >N: (P’rom our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, January 17. lhe advance, party of scientists of the British Pacific Science Expedition is now on its way to Australia, and is expected to reach here in a couple of weeks. the work of exploring the various sections of New Guinea will Occupy over three years. The committee of the expedition has been established by the Earl of Plymouth, and the Committee of Control, which has headquarters in London, has appointed a director of field work and a second in command to control all administration. The appointments of chief of the scientific staff and navigator had not been made when the mail left. The advance expedition is charged with the arrangement of preliminary, detail and me carrying out of some experimental work. The main expedition will sail from England for the north coast, of New Guinea, and there establish its principal base. The character of the work to be done may be gathered front the fact that the scientific staff will include a natural, art entomologist, a botanist, two geologists, a mining engineer and meteorologist, medical and research and chemistry staff of ’ three, a tropical agriculturist, and two topographical surveyors. I he distance between the first and second bases will be about 170 miles. To maintain food supplies over two-thirds of this section at depots, which will generally be about 10 miles apart, it is estimated that approximately 400 carriers will be required. From the second to the third base camp will be about 160 miles. Food depots over this section need not be so numerous, as river transport, can lie used. From the third to the fourth base camp is about 200 miles. Supplies through this section can be very conveniently distributed by the use of rafts and canoes. Work between the fourth and fifth base camps will lie chiefly confined to the coastline, and food supplies to jvari.es there do not present any difficulty. A I“i pit a n carrier consumes his regulation ]<vd in approximately 22 days, and should the advance expedition find that it is not possible to cultivate sufficient native food at the main bases, and if the inhabitants cannot be encouraged to increase production sufficiently, rice rations will have to be imported. The recruitment of carriers will be one duty of I tie preliminary expedition, whose work is inspected to occupy about a year.