NEW GUINEA. Resources and Adaptability for Settlement. From Our Own Correspondent. "Melbourne Age."]

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 80, 13 December 1884, Page 4

NEW GUINEA. Resources and Adaptability for Settlement. From Our Own Correspondent. "Melbourne Age."]

The first feeling the stranger has on reaching New Guinea is one of disppointment. We are accustomed to hear so much of its wonderful fertility, its rich harvests of natural fruits and foods, its splended harbours, its magnificent rivers, flowing brooks and creeks arresting the progress of the traveller at every few miles, the warlike qualities of the natives, their populous swarming along the coast, and a hundred other wonders, the recital of which has given the genral public, not only in the mother country but even in the colonies, the idea that New Guinea is a kind of grand natural paradise, peopled by millions of copper coloured devils, that the reality produces disappointment. Now, so far as I have been able to see in the course of the trip of the war ships; along the coast, and from all I have been able t© gather from those who have lived longest on the island and know the most about it, New Guinea is no more wonderful and no more remarkable than any of Australian colonies were in their unsettled conditions. It is well watered, it possesses good harbours, it is heavily timbered, its scenery is in places magnificent, it abounds in tropical vegetation and it possesses millions of acres of soil of great richness ; but pricisely the same can be said of nearly every Australian country, very much more might be said of some of our colonies than of New Guinea. Absolutely nothing is known as yet as to its mineral resources, and in that respect no comparison can be attempted ; but, limiting the comparison to what is really known, I believe I am justified in saying that nowhere in New Guinea has there been found soil equal to that of Clarence and Richmond River districts, in New South Wales, ro the Gippsland district, in Victoria, or a dozen other places that might be mentioned in Australia. There has been much rhapsody indulged in, but none of the New 1 Guinea rivers — that is, none of the known rivers in the island — are equal in volume to the Derwent, or equal to the Murray in navigable length. Then, as to scenery, the known parts of New Guinea are hardly to be mentioned in the same breath with New Zealand ; while in wealth of tropical fruits and flowers New Guinea is no better than a j score of unknown islands in the Pacific. At present it would be absurd to say either that New Guinea is unfit for settlement or | that ifc possesses extraordinary attractions Ito settlers. Until the great mountain ranges have been crossed, the inland portion of New Guinea must remain just as much a tarra incognita as was the western districts of New South Wales before Lawson and Blaxland and Wentworth forced their way over the Blue Mountains. Now that English protection is assured there can be no doubt as to the speedy exploration of New Guinea, but in the meantime the general public should not pitch their expectations too high as to the value of New Guinea as a field for settlement.

Mineral Resources of the Island. First, let me say a word with regard to minerals. I have taken a good deal of trouble to find any reliable authority who could supply evidence of the existence of gold or other minerals in New Guinea, but I hare been wholly unsuccessful. I know that what among gold miners is called " the colour" has been found, but very little more. Some years ago, it may be remembered, there was a mild kind of gold rush to New Guinea, and many prospecting parties from Queensland went a considerable distance inland, but all of them were unsuccessful The geological formation of the country is said to be such as to favour the presumption of the existence of gold and other mineral deposits j and an old Palmer miner, whom I met at Cooktown, and who had formed one of a prospecting party in New Guinea, expressed his confident belief that gold would yet be found in the island. The work of prospecting, however, is attended with such dangers and difficulties, and involves the maintenance of such a large party, if safety of life is to be secured, that I believe it will be years before the mineral resources of New Guinea are even superficially tested. None of the native tribes which have yet been seen wear gold or silver ornaments, nor do they even display the possession of gems ov other valuables of that kind ; so I imagine that if there is any mineral wealth in New Guinea it will have to be sought for by trained prospectors When the rush took place to Nev* Guinea a few years ago, none of the prospecting yielded satisfactory results, while the difficulties of travelling through unknown country, procuring the necessaries of life, providing against attacks from hostile tribes, and the sufferings of those who had the misfortune to be fever stricken, were quite sufficient to damp the ardour of intending gold-seekers ever since. I think every man without exception was stricken with the fever, some of them having repeated attacks, and the inevitable result was that many of the diggers succumbed to the hardships and sickness they had to undergo. Numbers of them were \ buried in the Port Moresby district, and no party has ever since attempted to find out the mineral wealth of the island. The net result of all their gold seeking is summed up in few words by Mr Hanran, who was among the prospectors in the country behind Port Moresby in 1878, in a document published not long ago by the Queensland Government. Mr Hanran is quoted as having stated that he found the colour everywhere in the bed of the river, but never in the gullies. I believe that Mr G oldie, one of the most experienced whitemen in New Guinea, and now a storekeeper at Port Moresby, has some £old specks in his possession, which were found in the back country, but nothing more substantial has ever been discovered. There is no doubt that there is gold in New Guinea, but whether in payable quantities has yet to be ascertained. I know that on more than one occasion returned travellers have rehearsed glowing stories of rich gold deposits, but, as in no case have they been able to furnish specimens, their statements must be accepted with caution.

Agricultural Settlement, For agricultural purposes, .1 think New Guinea will be found an excellent field for investment. In the first place, the soil generally is very good, as evidenced by the rich vegetation all the year round, and also by the facility with which the natives carry on their rude system of cultivation. In the next place the whole of the coast country may be said to be splondidly watered ; thus the probability is that the same state of things would occur inland. As in New Zealand, there are large stretches of country liable to floods in the rainy season, but not nearly to the same extent as New Zealand. Nearly all the known tribes carry on cultivation to some degree, producing sago, cocoanuts, yams, and in some cases sugar cane. The fact that they are able to do this by means of the rudest appliances would seem to show that, under a proper agricultural system, very rich harvests could be obtained over, a very

large extent of country. Gentlemen upon whose authority I have reason to depend, and who have made inquiries in the matter for their own information, assure mo that New Guinea is capable of growing much richer sugar cane than any part of Queens* land or New South Wales. A man who had worked some years on sugar plantations in Queensland averred that he had seen cane growing as an experiment in New Guinea far superior to anything they had in Queensland. With a tropical climate, rich soil, long stretches of valley land and good water snpply, New Guinea should produce sugar, maize, sago, and other crops of that kind in abundance. As the natives have a rough knowledge of that kind of work, they would enable the planters to get over the labour difficulty. This question of coloured labour is the greatest trouble which besets the planters of Northern Queensland, where not only is the climate too hot for white men in fields, but I the cost of production is so great that work cannot be profitably carried on. In New Guinea this difficulty would probably bore; moved from the outset by the presence on the island of an extensive native population somewhat accustomed to field labour, and capable of being more extensively and successfully employed in that direction. Within a radius of 100 miles of Point Moresby there are scores of thousands of acres of goed sugar and maize and sago lands, and thousands of natives are resident in villages scattered over this area ; nothing more is required to successfully start a plantation than the selection of suitable land, and the organisation of a proper scheme for utilisiug the labour. As the purchase of land is forbidden, or, at all events, not recognised by the British Government, there will be no opportunity of taking up large areas of freehold at a paltry price, as has occurred in Australia; and, with regard to leasing the land and working it, I am afraid that, until the natives are accustomed to the legal significance of leasehold right, there will be great difficulties it that respect. What would be the less risky, and probably the more profitable course, would be to erect a fiitrar mill and purchase the sugar cane from the natives, who would not be long in devoting more attention to its cultivation when they found it to be to their interests. Most of the coast tribes are used to field labour, and if they were trained in the method of producing crops extensively and cheaply, they would not be long in adapting themselves to the new custom of things, and would eagerly avail themselves of a good market for the sale of their produce. They would appreciate being their own masters, for, like all savages, they prefer to work when they choose, sleep when they choose, trade when they choose, and go on the war path when they choose. Many of them choose to do all these things except work ; that they leave to their wives. Their method of agriculture is simple and tedious, and the fact that they are able to produce even the limited results that they do indicates suitable soil and suitable climatic conditions for agricultural purposes. Their style of ploughing in some districts is very slow and primitive. During a visit paid to a village near Hula, on the southern coast, two gangs of men were seen engaged in ploughing; there were about a dozen men in each gang, and each 'man had two pointed sticks; they stood in a line and forced the sticks into die ground to a depth of about 12 or 18 inches, the line of men then suddenly fell baok together, and thus the sod was then turned over, and the men stepped back a pace and repeated the operation. How if these men were taught the use of a horse and plough, the labour that it would save them, and the large amount of work they could perform, they would not be long, I believe, before they would adapt themselves to the new notions. They could never be expected, of coarse, to work the land as well and as profitably as Europeans, for they are lazy, dirty, ana obstinate ; will work only in the way that suits their indolent natures or satisfies their daily desires. A very low rate of remuneration would satisfy them, and probably enable the purchasers of their produce to make a handsome profit.

Other Forms of Investment. So far as is at present known, the other forms of investing capital in New Guinea are not numerous. Storekeepers and traders of that class have no show, because the natives purchase nothing but tomahawks, pottery, tobacco, and a few other articles j and, as they have no knowledge of money, the only payment they can make is in the shape of such food as eggs, yams, and cocoanuts. They wear no clothing, and do not want to wear any ; they use no furniture in their huts, and are never likely to do so. They cannot even supply traders with curiosities to any large extent, because they have so few worth carrying away. They have far fewer curiosities than the South Sea Islander or the New Zealander, and those they have are inartistic and commonplace; They have stone hatchets, wooden spears 'pearl shell ornaments, boars' tusks, bone armlets and anklets, and a few articles of that kind, but none of them have any special beauty or interest, and if seen in a snop window in Sydney or Melbourne would not be thought worth purchasing. Wish regard to trade in spirits and firearms, which has frequently been carried on by white men white men with savage races, a veto has been pronounced by the British Government. From the very outset no person will be allowed to sell firearms, ammunition, or intoxicating liquors to any of the natives, nor indeed will these articles be allowed to be .sold to anybody in New Guinea, except under very stringent regU' lations. At present none of the natives know anything about firearms, except the fear of them, and by occasionally witnessing their use in the hands of Europeans ; and, as far as intoxicating liquors are conceraed, they are absolutely ignorant of their use. The rum and rifle trade is, therefore, not likely to be a flourishing one in New Guinea. The beche de mer traffic is still ex tensively carried on in Torres Straits and off the coast of New Guinea, and is not likely to be affected in any way by the action of great Britain in regard to this new territory. A small trade may be done in rare birds, such as the bird of Paradise, but there are no known indigenous animals likely to be in demand in other countries. Cattle and sheep breeding could be carried on most successfully, but owiner to the wide gap between the Australian coast and New Guinea it is a question if it would ever pay to ship cattle from there to the South colonies of Australia. In timber, there is every probability of a profitable trade springing up in cedar, very rich patches of which have beec discovered but very little is known of she other timbers of theislands. Speaking generally there is little doubt that in a few years, when the regulations and conditions of settlement are clearly defined men of enterprise, energy and aptitude will find ample opporbunities for making fortunes in New Guinea that will rival these that have been made in Australia ; but it is too soon in the day to say what enterprise those fortunes will be amassed.

Robert Hall, when once asked how many sermons a preacher could prepare in a week, replied : "If he is a man of pre-eminent ability, one ; if he is a man of ordinary ability, two j if ho is an ass, six."