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Evening Star, Issue 3833, 7 June 1875, Page 2

The attention of Australian journals has of late been directed to the question of the annexation of New Guinea to the British Empire. The Melbourne ‘Argus’ and other influential newspapers strongly favor the proposal to add this vast territory to the numerous possessions of the British Crown. There are two principal reasons why it is considered desirable that this, the largest island in the world, should be taken possession of by England. In the first place, it is in itself a desirable property, abounding in mineral and vegetable riches, and it only requires the fostering care of a civilise! country to make it available for increasing the wealth of the world in general. Situated in the tropics, but without the terrible continental climate of Africa or Southern India, it could be made to produce sugar, coffee, cotton, and other necessaries, without demanding the sacrifice of any large proportion of the lives of Europeans engaged in the work of supervision. It would undoubtedly

m future years be the at of an enormous trade, as it would probal/ be on e of the chief producers of the abovmentioned articles for the use of the peop of tin 3 Australian Colonies. But there is still . more important reason why Enpnd nhould take possession of New (linea. It is too valuable a prize to main long nobody’s land. Any nation an have it that chooses to be at the rouble of formally taking possession of it. Germany or Russia might send out a frigse to the island, and take possession of it tomorrow. It is plain that in the event of 1 European war, in which England was irolved, New Guinea would be just the placco serve as a basis of operations against theo Colonies. It was felt during the last Rssian war that even the possession by thi Russians of Petropaulowski was a source of danger to all our seaport towns. It is eelless to say that New Guinea would e in every respect more suited to be astrting point for attest of hostile cruisers tha that distant port of

Kamtschatka, or tha the Russian settlements at the mouth o the A moor. In fact,! the possession of Ner Guinea by a foreign power would be a starling menace in case of war to every port in .'few Zealand. Again, if England could be nduced to annex New Guinea, we could be ortain that it would not be made a convict settlement. If the Mother Country sboud ever, by any chance, wish to apply the island to this base use, the remonstrances of tie Colonies would, as they have been b(fo;e, be effectual in preventing the earring out of any such design; but if a forSgn country took possession of the island tbra would be nothing to prevent it from senftng its criminals there, as the French are nw doing in the case of New Caledonia, Tis would undoubtedly be a very great evil. We hare not yet suffered much from our poximity to the French p; nal set dement; but there can he no doubt that sooner or later ve shall have our full share of expirees, of nen who have served their t me, and who vdll seek “fresh fields and pastures new” fer the exercise of their talents. As far as wf can see there will be no remedy for this ev.l, when it comes upon us—we shall have to bear it as beat we

may—but it is clearly desirable that we should do all we can to prevent the inconveniencefrom being doubled. One penal settlement is quite enough for us to have within easy reach of our shores. There is one other reason why he possession of New Guinea by Great Britain would be advantageous to the Colonies, and especially .0 New _ Zealand. The eastern point of the island lies almost directly on the line between Auckland and the northern parts of China. It was announced some time ago that the Russians were pushing on with all speed the construetion of a line of railway between Moscow and Pekin. When this line is completed there will be another available route for communication between New Zealand and England, probably the quickest of all, as so large a proportion of the journey will be done by railway. It is obvious that the possession of New Guinea would make the formation of a suitable coaling station nearly midway between Auckland and the Peiho a matter

of no difficulty. Such a station would serve, too, as a depfit for the products of the Philippines, the Spice Islands, Borneo, Java, and Sumatra, without their having to reach us by the circuitous routes which are now followed. From the Australasian, and especially from the New Zealand point of view, the annexation of New Guinea, then, is extreme’y desirable. Whether it will seem so to the Home Government or not remains to be seen. At present the English Ministry seem to be tempted by the bait. Whether they will finally take it or not depends greatly on the amount of regard" to the matter. We see that the Yict rian Government is fully alive to the importance of the matter, and it is to be hoped that our own Government will not let the coming session pass without, at all events, bringing the question under the notice of Parliament. There is one thing that seems to favor the supposition that England will see her way to annex New Guinea : the present Ministry are not opposed to extending the limits of the Empire, if a clear case can be made out in favor of their doing so. The annexation of Fiji is a proof of this. When we consider farther that the Ministry can hardly fail to see that New Guinea will be sure to afford a fine field for commercial enterprise, we may conclude that they will not long bold out against the temptation to which they are now being subjected.