LAND OF VARIETY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 842, 10 December 1929, Page 16

LAND OF VARIETY

NEW GUINEA DESCRIBED BY ZOOLOGIST LECTURE TO ROTARIANS “A land of cannibals and headhunters, coconuts and cocktails; a land of riches and possibilities; a land of heat and cool sea breezes." That is how New Guinea was described yesterday when Mr. W. R. McGregor, lecturer in zoology at the Auckland University College, addressed the luncheon meeting of the Auckland Rotary Club on “The Territory of New Guinea.” Rotarian J. A. Gentles presided over one of the largest attendances of the year. It was necessary to modify pre-con-ceived ideas of New Guinea, Mr. McGregor said. Much of the published information about the country was not good. In visiting the country, he was mostly concerned -with Its natural history, but his work necessitated a study of the forests and of the native life he met with. A visitor’s first Impression was that of the vastness of the areas included in New Guinea. The territory was surprisingly big to one whose familiarity was limited to a perusal of little dots on a map of the world. The second and a lasting impression was one of diversity. New Guinea was a country of extremes and opposites—’ of the unexpected. It was a land of mountains and deep streams and rivers; of extremes of climate where a heap of blankets was as welcome in some parts as the lightest possible bed covering in others. Its vegetation was just as varied, and although there were not many great beasts, the dread python, growing sometimes to a length of 25ft, provided thrills. The languages spoken by the people were diverse, and the fact that there were so many native tongues resulted in pidgin English being the common language. The third impression of New* Guinea was that it was so little known. Geographically there was far less known than there was yet to discover. The interiors of the New Guinea islands were claimed to be under “partial control” as against the coastal regions under “full control.” “This,” said the speaker, “is the most extreme case of official optimism I have ever met with. For practical purposes the great bulk of New Guinea is as unknown and untouched by whites today as it was a thousand years ago. Its resources are barely scratched.” The roads, he continued, were few and far between except a Germanmade road built down the east coast of the island. It was said to be “cemented with the blood of natives,” and judging from the tales one heard, this was fairly near the truth. The only way to travel was to secure a train of carriers at each village. Interior natives were the better, because the civilised or semi-civilised ! natives were far harder to deal with ! and would desert readily. The “wild” i natives were more timid and did not ! venture far. The interior was wet and steamy. In the wet season it rained all day, and in the dry season it rained most of the day. The rain was followed by a terrific steamy heat in which nothing could be kept drj*. •Coconuts are discussed in New Guinea as cows are in New Zealand.” he said, adding that the majority of white settlers were young men, many inexperienced. It was said freely that the well-known “company” rule of New Guinea was bound to come to an end. “North of Australia is a great tropi-

cal empire, the possibilities and problems of which have got to be faced,” he concluded in claiming a wider use for the disputed term “Australasia.” “New Guinea wants our supreme intelligence and unselfish help. Her two great needs are suitable administrators and technical experts to develop her great natural resources.”