How Australia Annexed Papua

IN 1888 New, First Air Mail Stamps Will Commemorate 50th Anniversary

Prom Our Own Correspondent.

Port Moresby. Aug. 2.

THE Papuan Postal Department will shortly issue a new set of stamps to commemorate the date (September 4, 1888) of the annexation of Papua. The occasion is of special importance in Aus tralian history, as it marked the close of her long struggle for control over the southern coastline of the great island of New Guinea.

It was in 1876 that the N.S.W. Govern ment first forwarded a memorandum to the Imperial Government, urging the im portance to the Australian colonies of the annexation of that part of New Guinea not occupied by the Dutch Govern ment. Australian statesmen persisted in the face of continuous opposition by Great Britain until 1883, when Sir Thomas Mcllwraith. (GoVemor of Queensland), commissioned the Police Magistrate at Thursday Island to hoist the British flag.

This was done at what is now Port Moresby.

The British Government, however, re pudiated the action: but its hand was forced by the Australian and New Zea land Governments. The following year Commodore Erskine was commissioned to declare a Protectorate over the south ern half of the unoccupied area, and this was done with simple ceremony in September. 1884. Protection was but a preliminary to annexation; and on

June 9, 1888, power was given by White hall to Dr. William McGregor to annex the territory and to act as its first Ad ministrator.

Dr. (afterwards Sir William) McGregor arrived at Port Moresby on September 4 in the same year, and Papua became a part of the British Empire, under the control of Australia. The present issue of stamps is primarily in commemora tion of that event; it is also coincident with the inauguration of the first direct air mail between Papua and England.

This is the first issue of air mail stamps in Papua. Until now provisional, or overprinted, stamps have served for air mail postage. A number of the old “Lakatoi” stamps of 3d., 6d.. and Ide nominations were over-printed with “Air Mail”; but of these the 6d. denomination has been out of issue for a, considerable time and the 3d. and 1/- values are now also exhausted.

The stamps are of an entirely new de sign. and they are notable in that they introduce for the first time the King : s head, which brings Papua into line with practically all other Empire colonies. There will be five—2d., 3d.. 5d., Bd.. and 1/-. All denominations will be of the same design, but in different colours—the 2d. stamp will be red. 3d. blue, sd. dark green, Bd. brown, and the 1/- heliotrope.

The design depicts a view of Port Moresby, with the entrance in the middle distance and Lolorua Island in the back ground. A mail steamer lies at the wharf, several small launches are afloat in the foreground, and a modern mail-carrying aeroplane is overhead. Inset at the left hand bottom comer is a small cutter under sail, recalling the manner in which both coastal and overseas mails were carried last century. Below the cutter appear the figures “1888” and at the bottom right hand corner is “1938” Be tween the two dates the legend “Jubilee of Declaration of British Possession” appears on a dark panel. Between the denomin ation figure (top left) and the King’s head (top right) are the words “Papua Air Mail Postage”.