627,000 Counted Motives
pp. 45-46 · Read in the full issue
in N. Guinea Rapid Recent Growth of Chinese Community
LATEST official figures show that the N.G. population increased slightly in the year ended June 30, 1939.
Out of a total non-indigenous popu lation of 6,538, the British total 3,547, which is an increase of 75 over the pre vious year. Non-Europeans have in creased from 1838 in 1938 to 2004 in 1939.
The table shows that New Guinea has its quota of most nationalities: Ameri can 150, Austrian 23, Belgian 5, British 3,547, Czechoslovakian 15, Danish 1, Dutch 157, Finnish 11, French 34, Ger man 473, Greek 1, Hungarian 2, Italian 51, Norwegian 4, Polish 24, Portugese 2, Russian 8, Spanish 1, Swedish 13, Swiss 10, Danzig 2. Total Europeans 4,534. Chinese 1,890, Japanese 40, Javanese 2, other (Malays, etc.) 72; total Asiatics, 2,004. Grand total. 6,538.
The number of Germans, of course, is at June 30, 1939, before the outbreak of var. The figure remained stationary
from the previous year. Of the number, 412 were German missionaries.
The enumerated native population is 627,283. In 1930, the enumerated natives were 370,005, and the numbers estimated (in uncontrolled country, not counted) 121,250. By 1937, the enumerated total was 542,394, and now it is 627,283. And, still, there are large uncontrolled areas where it is not possible to estimate the population.
Years ago, the “PjI.M.” suggested that the native population of New Guinea was nearer to one million than to the then official estimate of half a million.
The growth of the Chinese population has been steady, and now is becoming rapid, as these figures show: — 1914 .. .. 1,377 1932 1,457 1921 1,424 1940 1,890 The Chinese have increased by 20 per cent, since the end of 1937.
Mr. C. H. Karius, R.M. of Kikori, Papua, who had been ill in Port Moresby for several weeks, has been in Australia on sick leave. Mr. Ivan Champion, who returned from Lake Kutubu early in 1940, has been acting as R.M. at Kikori, with Mr. B. W. Faithorn as A.R.M.
The Director of External Studies of the University of Queensland advises that Mr. S. J. Campbell, of Rabaul, New Guinea, was successful in the subjects for which he sat in the November Uni versity examinations; and that Rev. D.
F. Boorman, of Lau, Fiji, passed in Eng lish 111 at the same examinations, thus completing his course for the B.A. degree, which was conferred “in absentia” on May 6.
Falema’a, a Samoan missionary who spent 17 years in Papua with the L.M.S., returned to Apia, Samoa, recently with his wife and children.