New Guinea Gold How Wilderness Became Modern Airport

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 10, 27 January 1937, Page 12

New Guinea Gold How Wilderness Became Modern Airport

world is dlscovering New Gulnea —one of the few remaining parts of the world that is not yet fully explored. Some of the fascinating phases of New Gulnea history are related in "New Guinea Gold," written by M. Edmond Demaitre, French scientist and ! travejler. About the civilised natives M. Demaitre gives the varying views of the whites*" that they are "thieves, liars, cowards and rogues," and "honest, intelligent, hardworking, truthful, and willing to sacrifloe thelr life for their masters." For his own part, he says he thinks "both views are exaggerated." "It is true," he adds, "that the boys will often steal small objects, but it must be remembered that their notions about private property are very vague. They work fairly well when one keeps an eye on them, but on the other hand they are veiy lazy when left to themselves." Most of the whites livxng in New Guinea have a high opinion of them,.he says, adding: "The boys with few exceptions are good fellows, likeable and childish in their naive ideas and language, pldgin English, which contains phrases and expressions not without a certain primitive charm. ^7HEN once they have recognised that 1 * the white man is not an enemy, they are proud of being employed by him, of sharing his life, and, above all, of wearing the uniform given them by their masters. They become faithful servants, blindly carrying out orders given them and sometimes, to speak frankly, they even exaggerate respect and confidence. . . They almost always srubmit with a certain philosophy to punishtaent, although rarely understanding why what they have done is a crime or offence; above all, when it is a case of vendetta or theft." So the natives, in the vlew of M. Demaitre. But what of the gold? He writes admiringly of the amity existing amongst the various white races on the island. "Politics are never talked at Rabaul," he says, "and this makes collaboration of old and new easy. The white man, being in the minority, a generous spirit of conciliation replaces racial and religious prejudices, everyone being convinced of the need for mutual co-operation. TONELINESS, the distance separating them from the rest of the world, the struggle with Nature, with disease and with races who are much more numerous than themselves create some sort of solidarity ampng whites living under the Southern Cross, a solidarity as unshakable as it is courageous and sincere. But alas! This good feeling can easily be turned into jealousy and fierce hate when it is a question of gold. Then, belief in the solidarity of the white man is quickly forgotten. Lles, deceit, treachery and quarrels prevail. Brotherly love, faith and friendship exist no more. The gold fever is like the madness which makes the native Malay 'run amok.' And the alr of Rabayl ls charged with the miasma of a fever, the victims of which are fatally drawn, one day, to leave palm trees, club, bufigalow, wife, children, spphisticated natives and sancly shore to rpsh to thcs? rargic n;cj»>i?hv?.

where dark caverns, swift streams and dark forests conceal the only precious treasure in a land of cannibals— gold." Summing up on this great enterprise, M, Demaitre says the biggest aerodromes in the world are at Wau, at Lae and at Salamaua "on the extremity of an island two-thirds of which are inhabitated by cannibals and head hunters." He adds that it is "dangerous to walk two miles outside these aerodromes without an armed platoon as escort. Ten minutes after leaving the ground one is flylng over unexplored country, and at times a machine rests by day In a place where natives come down a/b night from the neighbouring hills, light log fires and dance round them until dawn to the maddening rhythm of drums. Yet at Wau, Lae and Salamaua aeroplanes arrive or leave every four minutes." rFHE author found many interesting characters amongst the men on the gold flelds. "In going *rom tent to tent," he writes, "I used to inquire from whence, how and why men had come to this country to spend their youth in an unfriendly jungle, where boredom and loneliness were even more unbearable than Insects and the arrows of the natives. Among them I found exsmugglers, and slave dealers, who had once sold blacks to the Queensland planters. A Russian had landed here after countless adventures. He had been impllcated in the Father Gapon affair at St. Petersburg. There was a Frenchman, a certain Mangin, whose companion, another Frenehman named Logier, overcome by hardships, fatigue and despair, committed suicide. I also made the acquaintance of a Swiss named Jpubert, who used to sail about the Archipelago in a small boat; of a German, Siebenburg, one of Dammakoehler's companions, who had returned to New Guinea after an absence of 25 years; of an Italian, Pletro 'Pianto, who ls one of the ricfrest men on the gold flelds', and of thp Austrian, Isenberth, who while living at Surprise Creek had for a long time been compelled to hang thick rugs on the walls of his bamboo bungalow to proteet Jhimself against arrows whilst in bed. TN the hut of "a prospector named Abbie I was surprised to see fashion drawings showing exqeptional talent, worthy of any Parisian artist, and on his table, books on medicine by Dr. Abbie, professor of Sydney University. My host, a man of 50, spoke French fluently. T am a retired naval commander,' he said, 'and at present I am working a small vein just outside my house. My daughter is a piipil at the Sydney School of Art, My son is engaged on scientific research. They must complete their studies, and that is why I am washing for gold.' There was also "Tiger Blll," so called because in a fight with a cannibal he had killed the man by fixing his tefcth in his throat. "Tiger Bill" had been a strong man in a clrcus in Australia, then a pearl fisher in Ceylqn; he had been a gun runner in Mexicp, and shot elephants in Uganda. In New Guinea he became a gold miner —and sentimental."