Why Rabaul's Neat Little Nickel

Pennies Were Never Issued To Natives.

THREE years ago, someone connected with the Administration of the Ter ritory of New Guinea was over taken by a bright idea.

He had noticed that, in the native market in Rabaul, and among natives generally, the only money used was to bacco, in thin, treacly sticks. Australian coins were not in favour, mostly because the pocketless natives had to carry them in their mouths. Many of the Territory’s shillings are stained red — the result of a sojourn in the mouth of a chewer of betel-nut.

The Administration thought it out. A light nickel coin, about the size of a shilling; value to be one penny; with a hole through it, so that it could be strung around the neck.. There was no flaw in the argument.

The Administration ordered £500 worth of little nickel coins, with holes through them.

Two years ago, the coins arrived. The officials purred with satisfaction. A cheery young gentleman called on the banks and trading firms to see how many they wanted. He was greeted surlily by Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. and Messrs. Carpenter and Co, The Bank of N.S.W. said it would take £5 worth, and the young gentleman ran away, wringing his hands.

The Administrator telephoned the bank. "This £5 worth of tokens," he said. "That is not many for issue to Rabaul."

"I'm not issuing them to Rabaul,” said the banker. “Those are for send ing away to numismatists and collec tors ”

The Administrator was indignant and angry. Why was his new currency being treated in this way?

The banker explained. He reminded his Honour that one of the principal pieces of money in New Guinea is the “£5 fusee” and that interference with the “fusee” would cause great confu sion. (A “£5 fusee,” it may be explained, is a roll of 100 shillings, in strong paper, and carrying the name of the firm which prepared the roll. Shillings— often called “marks” by the natives — are almost universal currency in the Territory; and the practice has de veloped of fastening 100 of them to gether, to make a handy £5. “Fusees” are largely employed by the big trading firms. A B.P. steamer, on her home ward run, may carry some scores of them.) “You have made your nickel penny exactly the same size as the shilling,” said the banker to the Administrator.

“The result will almost certainly be that, as they are of the same size and colour, they will find their way into the fusees.

Consequently we shall not be able to accept fusees; they will have to be broken open and counted, which will add enormously to the work of the trad ing firms. The firms, in consequence, won’t have the new coinage.”

The Administration argued about it, but could do nothing. The new pennies remained in their cases in Rabaul.

So far as is known, they are still there.

If the Administration had done the obvious thing, and consulted the com mercial firms and the banks before launching the new coinage, the difficulty need never have arisen. But that is the trouble: the Administration, in the past, has ignored the trading classes, where ever it could. It has regarded itself primarily as the protector of the na tives —and, therefore, it has been re luctant to seek the co-operation of the people who are trying to develop the rich resources of New Guinea in the nterests of the white race.