Names of Rooks-An
pp. 29-30 · Read in the full issue
Answer to Inquiries
A N indication of the interest in New Guinea aroused by the war in that area, is the number of letters from servicemen received in this office during the last 18 months, asking for informa tion about one or another of New Guinea’s industries, past or potential, Typical of these inquiries is one from a young New Zealand serviceman, serv ing in the Middle East. He expresses a desire to settle in Papua after the war and to know the names of any books or publications dealing with the following subjects: growing and care of rubber, coffee, cocoa, kapok, cotton, ivory nuts, tea; how to find and work gold; the timber resources of Papua; books and pamphlets dealing with the peoples of Western and Central Papua, Fly and Strickland areas—notably any by the late Dr. F. E. Williams; and books and pam
phlets on tropical diseases. In addition, he asked if the “Government Year Book of Papua” were still available.
To answer this inquiry was to answer many. Therefore, his letter was for warded to the Mitchell Library, Sydney (which specialises in all aspects of life in, and the history of, the Pacific). The following answer—an example of the courteous service always supplied by this famous institution has now been received: most of his inquiries the best sources are 4- the following:—Official Handbook of the Territory of New Guinea, from the Government Printer, Canberra. Handbook of the Territory of Papua, Government Printer, Port Moresby.
These deal with the natural resources of the two Territories and cover agriculture, flora, lands and land titles, cultivable crops, forestry.
fauna, livestock and mineral resources. They should answer most of your serviceman’s ques tions under the heads of rubber, coffee, cocoa kapok, cotton, timber, gold, tea and plantation care. The following publications (showing place of issue and publishers) might also be useful- COTTON: Harding, Richard.—Cotton in Aus tralia. Brisbane. Government Printer, 1923. (Queensland Dept, of Agriculture.) COFFEE; Jackson, H. V.—The Cultivation of Coffee. Sydney. Government Printer, 1909. (NSW Dept, of Agriculture, Farmers’ Bulletin No. 4.) CACAO: Green, E. C. D.—The Possibility of Developing an Economic Cacao Industry in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea Canberra Government Printer, 1934. (Territory of New Guinea, Dept, of Agriculture, Bulletin No. 2 ) TROPICAL AGRICULTURE: New Guinea Agri cultural Gazette, 1935.—Territory of New Guinea Dept, of Agriculture, leaflets.
TIMBER: Poole, C. E. Lane.—Forest Resources
of the Territories of Papua and New Guinea.
Melbourne. Government Printer, 1925.
GENERAL: Books and Pamphlets, by Dr. F.
E. Williams, on the People of Western and Central Papua—Anthropological Reports, Nos. 4-10, 12-14, 16-17; and Population and Education in Papua. Issued in Port Moresby by the Government Printer, 1933. Archbold, R., and Rand, A. L.—“ New Guinea Expedition—Fly River Area, igse-m?.” NY. Mcßride, 1940. Cham pion, Ivan F.—“ Across New Guinea from the Fly to the Sepik.” London. Constable, 1932 Macdonell, S. G.—“ Quest of the Golden Fly.’’
Quality Press, 1938. (There are many books of course dealing with the land and peoples of Papua in general— these are only a selection.) HEALTH, DISEASE: Cilento, R. W.—“ Tropical Diseases in Australasia.” A Handbook. Bris bane. Smith & Paterson, 1940. Strong, W. M.
Handbook on the Treatment and Prevention of Disease in Papua when medical advice is un obtainable. Port Moresby. Government Printer. 1917.
The latest edition of the Official Handbook of Papua (the sth) was published in 1938. I doubt if it is obtainable now. The Official Handbook of the Territory of New Guinea may be obtain able from the Government Printer at Canberra.
The pamphlets by F. E. Williams may or may not be procurable from Canberra, and. it is un likely that copies of the New Guinea Agricultural Gazette or its Department of Agriculture leaflets will be available. The pamphlet on cacao by Green should be procurable from Canberra, as it was issued by the Government Printer there, and the Queensland Department of Agriculture may be able to supply Wells’s publication on cotton cultivation. Dr. Cilento’s work on tropical disease should be available.
It is hoped that this list will be of assistance to other readers; but it should be pointed out that it is one * thing to have a list of these publications—quite another, these days, to be able to pur chase them. However, it is perhaps of interest to know that such information
does exist—somewhere.