Federation Speech, Sydney 1 October 1896

The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday, 2 October 1896, p. 5

THE FEDERATION OF THE COLONIES: ADDRESS BY THE HON. J. DOUGLAS, C.M.G.

Last evening the Hon. John Douglas, C.M.G., of Queensland, who is the Government Resident at Thursday Island, delivered an address on “United Australia,” under the auspices of the Australasian Federation League, in the vestibule of the Town Hall. The chair was taken by Alderman I. E. Ives (Mayor of Sydney), who is ex officio president of the league, and there was a large audience, which included a number of ladies, present. The following gentlemen were accommodated with seats on the platform:—Sir W. P. Manning, the Hons. R. E. O’Connor and W. P. Cullen, Ms.L.C., Mr. J. M. Chanter, M.L.A., the Rev. Dr. Lawes (New Guinea), the Rev. Canon Matthews (Queensland), Messrs. E. Barton, Q.C., A. P. Canaway, Edward Dowling, B. B. Nicoll, J. T. Walker, J. Williamson, W. M. Burns, W. S. Buzzacott, H. Chapman, J. Nobbs, William Robson, J. S. Murray-White, J. W. Withers, R. Scott Ross, J. P. Burns, W. Ives, and G. H. Russell.

The Mayor, in introducing the Hon. J. Douglas, said that gentleman for the last 45 years had taken an active interest in matters connected with the welfare of the colonies generally, and in the many important official positions he had held he had been given opportunities of making himself fully conversant with the subject upon which he proposed to address the meeting.

Mr. Douglas, on rising, was given a hearty reception. He said he was reminded by the welcome that had been extended to him, and, indeed, by everything he saw around him, of the old days when Sydney and New South Wales were household words to him, and when he had the privilege of sitting in the Legislature of this colony. At that time Eastern Australia stretched undivided from Cape Howe to Cape York. Provision might at one time have been made by which the reunion of the subdivided colonies of Australia might have been secured, and, indeed, it was known from the early history of the Australian Constitution that this was provided for, although it was never persisted in. But they had to deal now not with what might have been, but with what existed. After conferences and conventions they were approaching a time when words must find expression in definite action, and when the whole of the colonies might become one people.

In some sense they were already one people, for they were all lovers of the country which they had made their own. This was a good sentiment, and there was nothing better than a good sentiment, for it belonged to the soul of things and to the essence of patriotism. (Cheers.) They were all firmly knit together by the hopes of making this country worthy of the race from which they had come, but they wanted something more than that, and that was a united government. That was what was now being aimed at, and the convention that would shortly meet would, it was hoped, go a long way to accomplish that object. It was encouraging to find that so far there had been so much unanimity. Victoria and New South Wales had passed bills for the purpose that were almost identical, and this fact seemed to presage a final victory. (Hear, hear.)

When those two colonies led the way he could not think the others would lag far behind. The late Sir Henry Parkes used to say that all he asked for in the first instance was that Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia should become united; but he used to add that the climate of Queensland and the character of her industrial avocations indicated a career distinct from that of her elder sisters. But he (Mr. Douglas) had always differed with Sir Henry Parkes on that point, and used to tell him that Queensland had no desire to give expression to a national existence distinct from that which might be imparted to the southern colonies—(cheers)—and what he said then he said now. (Renewed cheering.)

He was an old—almost pre-historic—Queenslander, and he knew the colony from Mount Lindsay to Bellenden Ker, and thence to the shores of New Guinea, and he could assure his hearers that the people of Queensland had no thought for any other national existence than that which, when the fateful hour arrived, would find expression for itself in a United Australia. (Applause.) They were just as loyal, too, as other colonists to the great country and continent they had made their own. (Hear, hear.)

They were Australians within the British Empire under the sovereignty of her Majesty the Queen. (Cheers.) When the convention had once met it might be asked, what would be the form of the constitution adopted, and whether Queensland would be represented. At present there was an unfortunate hitch, and the omens, so far as the representation of Queensland was concerned, were not very propitious; but a convention without Queensland would have to own to a big gap, and might, indeed, justify some adjournment.

The people of the Southern colonies were naturally anxious to lose as little time as possible in the elaboration of their constitutional campaign, but, on the other hand, it was to be remembered that the Constitution that was to be devised would have to be framed, not for to-day or to-morrow, but for some generations ahead. The foundations must be broad and deep if they were to bear the structure which it was hoped would rise to attest the skill of its artificers, and the very nature of the work was such as to indicate that they must hasten slowly.

The hesitation of Queenslanders to join in this convention was a reluctance to commit themselves to all the details of the Commonwealth Bill, which it was believed would be the basis of the Constitution to be drafted by the convention. Although he regarded the bill as a most admirable instrument of law, he believed it attempted and accomplished too much—more, indeed, than any one of the existing Parliaments would have accepted.

Time alone could tell whether the convention, commissioned as it would be by the people themselves, would succeed in educating present or future Parliaments into a perception of the advantages of the Commonwealth Bill. But it at any rate seemed probable that the convention would raise the question of federation to a much higher level than it had hitherto reached, and that it would make it a matter of life or death to every Ministry throughout the length and breadth of Australia. (Loud applause.)

For his own part, he had always regarded the self-governing colonies of Australia as great autonomous States, which exercised very nearly the largest amount of liberty that was consistent with their allegiance to the great mother of young nations. (Hear, hear.) They had made no demand to share by any potential or constitutional voice in the affairs of the empire; that would mean that they were anxious to share in an imperial federation, which he thought was never contemplated seriously.

Would it be possible, however, for the colonies without yielding any of their autonomous rights to so enlarge the bounds of their freedom so as to give them a larger life within the confines of the empire? Might not the reserved rights of the Crown which were at present administered through the Colonial Office be transferred in their plenitude to a local initiation exercised in the name of her Majesty by her Majesty’s representative as the executive head of a united government of Australia? Would it not be possible to create a senate or revising body to which might be committed these great powers represented in the exercise of the Prerogative, without the intervention of the Colonial Office?

He believed such a body might be created—a single chamber composed of members elected either by the people or the Parliaments of Australia which would secure uniformity of legislation without requiring any surrender of existing privileges by our Parliaments. This would give the force of concentration to our existing system without subtracting one iota from the existing powers of the Legislatures, and therein it seemed to him that he could see some space for the contemplation of a United Australia.

He knew his hearers had sounded the depths of this subject, and that the Commonwealth Bill of 1891 was the nearest approach they had made to the solution of the problem. It was most desirable that the people should be educated up to a thorough understanding of that bill. He submitted very deferentially what he had said as to the administration of the Royal Prerogative as the highest and most supreme authority that could be created in connection with a united Australia.

He did not think his proposal would, as might be suggested, amount practically to independence, but he took it to mean that her Majesty would in truth become the Queen of United Australia. The colonies owed their legislative existence to the beneficence of the British Parliament, and until they claimed the full rights of their adolescence, they would remain dependencies of the British Parliament. It would therefore appear that the first duty of a united Australia would be to assert its rights to a full measure of its ancestral patrimony. The more they loved their country the more they would desire it to become united for all the nobler purposes of nationality, and they would thus to the best purpose carry out the great cause of ordered freedom to which the British Empire of to-day and the sovereignty of her Majesty bore such triumphant testimony. (Cheers.)

The hon. gentleman then proceeded to deal with the question of New Guinea in relation to a united Australia. He said that at one time it was desired that Great Britain should annex all the islands of the Western Pacific, but he thought it wise that such comprehensive annexation was not gone in for. In these days no nation could remain entirely isolated, and he was not at all sorry to see that their friends the Germans had got a portion of the island, for he was satisfied that Great Britain had all that he needed and all that was essential.

There was no doubt the great experiment of administering a savage nation had been wonderfully well carried out in New Guinea—it was really the experiment of bringing a people who were living in the “stone age” into contact with our nineteenth century civilisation; and now no one recognised the advantages of the British suzerainty so fully as the natives themselves, for there was a security for life and property there never was before. He held that they must carefully guard against any attempt to bring natives from New Guinea to Queensland, for that would be destructive of the whole social conditions that had been built up within the last few years. (Hear, hear.)

Speaking of Thursday Island, Mr. Douglas explained at some length the condition of the fortifications there, and expressed the opinion that even before federation was obtained there should be a federal force of at least 3000 men established of all arms—engineers, artillery, and infantry—which should be under the command of one officer, and should be capable of being moved about to any part of the colonies. After the naval agreement expired it should be allowed to drop, for the money would be far better expended in the maintenance of a force such as he suggested—a federal force worthy of the name. (Applause.)

A cordial vote of thanks, moved by Mr. E. Barton Q.C., seconded by the Hon. R. E. O’Connor, and supported by the Rev. Dr. Lawes and Canon Matthews (Queensland), was passed to Mr. Douglas, and the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman.

Visit by Premier Hugh Nelson to Thursday Island April 1894

The Queenslander (Brisbane), Saturday, 5 May 1894, pp. 850–851

Ministers in the North. TOWNSVILLE TO THURSDAY ISLAND AND BACK. THE PEARLSHELL INDUSTRY.

COOKTOWN REQUIREMENTS. SUGAR WORKS GUARANTEE ACT. QUEENSLAND COAST SCENERY.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) COOKTOWN, April 19.

Eta certainly made herself sufficiently objectionable on Tuesday and Wednesday to justify the very worst remarks of Mr. Wragge in his special advices. While we lay in Cleveland Bay on Tuesday, the rain fell continuously, and stiff squalls from the south-east drove the clouds up in apparently unending procession. It was a relief to find ourselves comfortably ensconced in our new quarters on board the R.M.S. India, having transhipped from the Wodonga in the Customs launch, and to know that even if the very objectionable weather continued we need not suffer much from its unpleasantness whilst travelling in so large and well-equipped a vessel.

By daylight on Wednesday morning the India was under way, and so was Eta. The wind had changed, but it brought as much rain as ever, and the barometer falling gave for some time no hope of better things. But on a large vessel inside the Barrier the seas, if not the winds, are tempered to the most inexperienced of sailors, and though the ship was decidedly unsteady, one's chief regret was that if the thick and hazy weather should continue the glorious scenery of the North Queensland coast would be non-existent, so far as the India's passengers were concerned. But there are compensations in all things, and though quite unlikely to attract the notice of a sailor the green waves, with their white crests driven into steam-like spray by the fierce gusts, were to the adventurous landsman a picture which more than made up for the modified discomforts of wind and rain and sea.

But as the India approached Hinchinbrook Island, the clouds began to lift, and glints of sunshine were now and then visible. Indeed matters steadily improved, and the afternoon and evening were fine, though the great banks of mist rolled themselves but slowly up the mountain sides, and Hinchinbrook appeared like a great tableland, the tops of its peaks being cut off by a line of cloud. The night proved fine and calm, and moonlight on the now lake-like waters was so attractive that most of the passengers remained up until the ship, passing inside Fitzroy Island, had rounded the great headland named after the duke of Grafton and had entered Trinity Bay.

At midnight the anchor was dropped off Cairns, and a few visitors, including Mr. W. C. Little and Mr. M. Walsh, came off for a chat with their member (Mr. Byrnes) and the other Ministers; but there was no formal deputation. The mails and cargo from Cairns did not long delay us, and early this morning we were again under way, so that as the breakfast bell rang at 9 o'clock the steamer brought up off Port Douglas for the mails and a few cases of oranges and bananas for Thursday Island.

The scenery from this point northward is never forgotten by those who have once the pleasure of making the trip. Its fame has spread to the other colonies, and there are Victorians and New South Wales residents who make a practice of spending their winter holiday in a round trip to Cooktown and back, assured of a comfortable vessel, smooth seas, and views of mountain, ocean, and island, ever changing and ever lovely in the varying moods of weather and in the alternation of sunshine and clear tropical moonlight. The course even for big ships lies chiefly within four miles of the shore, as the water is deep and there are few outlying dangers. The passage along the shores of Trinity Bay in the bright morning sunshine that succeeded yesterday's storm will live long in the memories of those who travelled by the India on this voyage. The mountains rising steeply from the water's edge reach to a height of from 2000ft. to 5000ft., and the effects of the recent exceptional wet season were seen in the numerous waterfalls that rushed down the cliffs at frequent intervals, forming silvery streaks against the dark and rugged face of the mountain slope. Sometimes the course of a wild torrent could be traced for hundreds of feet down some mountain gorge, before it disappeared in the tropical jungle at the base. Further on a broad patch of snowy whiteness shone out amongst the trees and was lost almost immediately as the waters of some swollen creek hid themselves in the forest, and beneath the shadow of the great trees and giant boulders sought their way to the arms of mother ocean. So still was the surface of the sea that the waterfalls in many cases distinctly mirrored themselves in its bosom. The shining green waters, dark gray mountains scarred with many a landslip and lit up here and there with the falling waters, and over all the soft blue sky, in which floated almost motionless the fleecy clouds which alone remained of the storm of yesterday, formed a picture of majesty and loveliness which one would fain linger upon and vainly wish to perpetuate. Yet such in ever varying detail of mountain and island, sandy beaches and towering rocks, scrub-covered valleys and gaunt, weather-beaten peaks is the picture which slowly unrolls itself as the vessels steam up and down the Queensland coast between Townsville and Cooktown. And in a sense, too, we are in classic waters. For here little more than a century ago Captain Cook wrestled with the tides of fate and conquered. At Cape Tribulation and Weary Bay and the Endeavour River Australians of to-day must think with gratitude and admiration of the work he so bravely did working his small sailing ship through the then all unknown waters of our eastern coast, in perils of shipwreck, and disease, and famine, and attack from the natives, yet doing his work so thoroughly that it goes unchallenged even in these days of steam and electricity.

Through the kindness of Captain Johnston and Pilot Binstead, who did all in their power to make the trip a pleasant one, the ship was taken between Schnapper Island and the mainland, so that a fine view was afforded not only of the picturesque island itself, but of the scenery at the mouth of the Daintree. The plantations on the river were, of course, hidden; but a snug orangery a few miles south of the opening was in itself an interesting object. Peter Botte with its giant crag rearing itself over 3300ft. above the sea is a remarkable feature of this part of the coast, and when seen from the right position is very similar in outline to its namesake in the old world. All the way up to Cooktown the varying outlines of the mountain range, now covered to the top with a dense scrub, and anon bare of all save the coarse grasses of the coast presented an ever interesting spectacle, and looking either ahead or astern the long broken line faded into a deep hazy blue ere the sky line was reached.

April 27.

Leaving the anchorage at Cooktown on Thursday evening after a couple of hours' detention loading pearlshell and a small quantity of other cargo, the R.M.S. India pursued her voyage northward. The extent of Queensland territory forces itself upon the traveller as he steams day after day along the coastline girt with the Great Barrier Reef, between which and the mainland lie innumerable islands, banks, and reefs, some of which are bare and uninhabitable, whilst others but for their distance from civilisation, might become the home of busy and prosperous men. With the exception of a few hours' delay at Keppel Bay and Flat-top, and some eighteen hours at Townsville we had been steaming along the coast for very nearly a week when the India arrived alongside the hulk at Thursday Island—both the Wodonga, in which the first part of the trip was performed, and the India being remarkably fine and powerful vessels. From Townsville northward the whole trip is made in sheltered waters, and the surface of the ocean was calm as a river, even under the influence of the steady south-east monsoon which had just set in.

Here and there along the barrier were to be seen evidences that even in these calm waters danger lurks. Many of the India's passengers recognised an old friend in the Corea, which now lies on a reef with only one mast and her stern half above water, the recent gales on the coast having left their mark on the torn bulwarks and top sides which now expose the inside of the vessel to view. Quite close to the Claremont Island lightship, hard and fast on the bank, lay the schooner Clara Ethel, which had been seriously injured in the recent gale and run ashore near the lightship to keep her from sinking. For a distance of forty or fifty miles the reef showed signs of a heavy gale having but recently passed over them—every beacon had been blown down, and the effects of wind and sea were apparent in the complete destruction of all growth on the smaller islands.

On Saturday morning all the passengers were on deck before sunrise watching the beauties of the Albany Pass; and as the vessel steamed between the bold headlands, alternated with sandy coves whose shores were fringed with rich-looking grass and here and there a cluster of cocoanut palms, the scene was one to command admiration. Not more than 1200 yards wide at the narrowest portion, the pass is formed by the mainland of the Cape York Peninsula and Albany Island. The only settlement on the southern side is Somerset, which consists entirely of the residence of Mr. F. Jardine, whilst Albany Island, though at one time carrying a number of cattle, appears now to be entirely deserted. The pass lit up by the early morning sun, with the innumerable islands of Torres Straits beyond, amply rewarded the early risers, and certainly forms one of the most remarkable bits of scenery on the Australian coast. Amongst the noticeable features of the spot are a curious group of anthills on the mainland which rise to a height of 4ft. or 5ft., and being built of red earth, are very conspicuous. To the northward, outside of Albany Island, rose Mount Adolphus Island, the scene of the wreck of the ill-fated Quetta; and before this had been lost to view the masts of the Volga, a full-rigged ship, wrecked on one of the reefs in the vicinity about two years ago, came into view. She lies at a steep angle, with even her royal yards standing as on the day of the wreck, nothing having been removed but the cargo and sails. Approaching Thursday Island the India threaded her way amongst the islands—Wednesday, Hammond, Friday, Prince of Wales, and Horn Island coming successively into view as the ship made her way up the channel. Most of these islands rise steeply from the water, reaching a height of 200ft. to 300ft. At length we make fast alongside the hulk Star of Peace just beyond the Government jetty. The town of Port Kennedy on Thursday Island faces southward. The main streets run parallel to the clean hard beach. On the heights above are the fortifications (which command the principal channels in the vicinity) and the barracks, where the garrison supplied by our Permanent Artillery are quartered under command of Lieutenant Hamilton.

THURSDAY ISLAND.

The island is not more than two square miles in extent, and contains but little ground that is not comprised in the beach and the slopes of the two or three hills which form its most conspicuous features. The Cingalese boatmen are soon alongside the big mail boat, and one or two pearl-shellers of the same race, though better dressed, tempt the ladies with rings and other jewellery in which precious stones of various kinds are set in addition to pearls. Eighteen pence is the recognised fare for rowing a passenger and his luggage ashore. Though the distance is but a few hundred yards, it is not always one can have the privilege of travelling in a four-oared boat; the Malays keep their boat in good order and they row well. Once ashore, the visitor soon recognises that he is in no ordinary town. Japanese, Manillamen, Kanakas, New Guinea boys, and Malays squat about chatting and smoking, or busy themselves on board the trim luggers, some twenty or thirty of which lie at anchor just off the beach. Outlandish names may be read on most of the shopkeepers' signboards. On the verandas of dwellings, as one passes, the mahogany-coloured Manilla diver sits with his wife, who may be a native of his own island home or perhaps a Kanaka woman, and their children play around them, interesting though all unconscious examples of the fusion of races. The Manilla men almost always marry and settle in the Straits when they are able to do so, and it is stated that a man will send a post office order to the village priest of his native home and confidently expect by an early boat some blushing maiden, probably a half-caste Portuguese, who is prepared to share his home and fortune, and who usually makes an excellent wife and mother. The Manilla man is in much higher favour than the Japanese immigrant, no doubt largely owing to the fact that the latter is more sparing in his expenditure, and that he does not as a rule settle down to home life on the island. But of this, more anon.

In addition to the Cingalese and Japanese there are also many nationalities represented, including those of the Western as well as the Eastern hemisphere. It may be noted here that the total population is somewhere about 3000. A characteristic group was a party of four or five New Guinea natives who were to be seen strolling home about lunch time on Sunday, two carrying on a stick between them a bunch of cocoanuts apparently just obtained from one of the trees on the island.

Port Kennedy, as the town is called, includes several streets fairly well built in, though, of course, the buildings vary greatly. The hotels are by far the best business places; but several of the merchants, including Burns, Philp, and Co., Aplin, Brown, and Co., and Brown, Campbell, and Co., have large stores, chiefly of galvanised iron. The Anglican Church was built, it will be remembered, as a memorial of the Quetta wreck, and one of the lifebuoys of the vessel, together with her flag, is hung on the wall inside the church, whilst the ship's bell summons the congregation to morning and evening prayer. Two handsome stained-glass windows recently presented to the church were unveiled on Saturday last. One of these is the gift of Mrs. E. L. Brown as a memorial of her late husband, and the other the gift of Captain George Pearson. Port Kennedy has also a Roman Catholic Church, but none of the smaller denominations are represented. The School of Arts is a commodious building, though unfortunately at one end of the town, and requiring to be removed nearer to the centre. A well-built though not sufficiently large State school overlooks the town and harbour; and tenders have been let for the erection of a hospital building, though the site is still a matter in dispute, and it is quite unlikely that the position at first chosen, on the northern side of the island and about a mile from the jetty, will be finally adopted. Indeed, it was understood that the Hon. J. Douglas, the Government Resident, has been asked to report upon another site. A better supply of water for domestic purposes is also much needed. The fine barracks built for the troops quartered on the island are at the back of the town and in an elevated position not far from the batteries. They are wooden buildings of two stories, lofty and cool, and everything calculated to promote the comfort and health of the men is carefully attended to. From the profits of the canteen a recreation-room has been fitted up and supplied with periodicals, and there is also a billiard-room with the necessary table. An excellent supply of water is provided by underground tanks, in which the rain-water from the roofs are stored, and the grounds are neatly kept, a great deal of trouble having evidently been taken to beautify them with gardens. Between thirty and forty men are now quartered here; but there is ample accommodation for double the number in case of need.

The following table, for which I am indebted to Mr. Hennessey, Sub-collector of Customs, presents the trade of Thursday Island for the past five years at a glance:—

Trade of Thursday Island, 1889–1893

	1889	1890	1891	1892	1893
Customs revenue	£10,946	£11,281	£12,362	£14,385	£16,623
Imports	£44,429	£55,529	£41,886	£50,816	£41,723
Exports	£76,574	£79,863	£118,222	*£116,592	£125,573
Pearl luggers and schooners employed	101	92	126	190	210
Tons of shell†	681	638	769	931	1214
Bêche-de-mer and tortoiseshell boats	48	65	57	42	43
Bêche-de-mer, tons	110	104	71	62	51
Tortoiseshell, tons	7	3	2	7 cwt.	18 cwt.

The notes read:

* The decline in exports for 1892 was due to the fall in the quantity of guano shipped from Raine Island.

† These figures were obtained from a source from which we learn also that the price at Thursday Island in 1888 was £95; in 1887 it was £90; in 1886, £95; and in 1885, £100.

Tortoiseshell is worth about £1500 per ton, and the fall in exports is believed to be due to the fact that only the female is caught when she comes ashore to lay her eggs.

Beche-de-mer is worth £70 per ton.

In addition to the above, the vessels bring in a considerable number of pearls each year, but the total value is not easy to determine, and is variously estimated. An estimate by a good authority puts the quantity for last year at £8000, but others, who should know, place it much higher.

ARRIVAL OF MINISTERS.

At about 11 o'clock on Saturday morning, when the R.M.S. India arrived alongside the coal hulk at Thursday Island, the Hon. John Douglas, Government Resident, with Mr. Hennessey, Sub-collector of Customs, was very soon on board to welcome the Ministers. The delays incidental to getting ashore made it impossible to do anything until after lunch; but great disappointment was felt by the residents when it became known that the stay of the Ministerial party was to be much shorter than had been expected. A stay of three days had been arranged for, and a return to Cooktown by the steamer Victoria; but this vessel had been delayed on her voyage to Normanton by bad weather, and could not possibly return in time to fit in with the other engagements of the party. It was therefore decided to leave by the E. and A. Company's steamer Airlie, which was due at Port Kennedy on Sunday.

Mr. Nelson and his colleagues lunched with Mr. Douglas, and afterwards put up at the Grand Hotel. The afternoon and evening were very fully occupied. After visiting the barracks and fort, over which they were conducted by Lieutenant Hamilton and Lieutenant White, the Ministers returned to the Court-house, where two deputations awaited them.

On the afternoon of Saturday, 21st April, the Ministers received two deputations. The first of these represented the

PEARL DIVERS.

Mr. Douglas introduced the deputation as experienced divers, and presented a letter addressed by them to the Premier, and signed by the representatives of seventy-five boats. These were John Tolman, Julius Oiru, Hans Rasmussen, Andersen Bros., Denis Byrne, Andrew Sinclair, O. Eide, David Brodie, W. Howard, and John Anderson. The principal portion of the letter read as follows:—

“Experience has taught us that the present wholesale withdrawal of small shell for so-called cultivation purposes must at a very early date completely denude the beds, to their ruin, to our ruin, and to the creation of a huge monopoly which will mean the ruin of all the smaller shellers. We respectfully suggest—1. That the minimum size fixed by law for marketable pearlshell be reduced from 6in. to 5in. 2. That this law prohibit the raising of all shell below 5in. for cultivation or other purposes. 3. That the cultivation of pearlshell be encouraged by small leases at low rentals of suitable passages which can be gradually but successfully stocked with shell over the 5in. limit. With the protection asked for and encouragement suggested, we are fully prepared to enter upon shell cultivation by the transference of shell over 5in. into suitable leases, by bringing in ourselves and by instructing our divers to bring in a few pairs each time we and they return to the lease. By this means true cultivation will be established without interfering with the rights of those unable to take up leases.”

Mr. Douglas explained that other divers would have been present, including Mr. Frank Summers, the owner of a number of boats, but as it had been supposed that the meeting would take place on Monday, they were now absent at their pearling stations. He added that he could say from his personal knowledge that all these men were thoroughly conversant with the details of the industry.

The members of the deputation, and particularly Mr. Tolman and Mr. Andersen, then gave the Ministers a fuller explanation of their views. They stated that what was known as the old ground which lay to the east of Proudfoot Shoal and had an area of about twenty miles by forty was not all pearlshell ground, but that the shell existed in patches more or less scattered. Mr. Tolman said he had carefully prospected the ground and had been quite unable to find shell in a single place ten miles west of the shoal; indeed there was nothing for it to feed upon. All the shellers got patches close to the reefs, as there was nothing at a distance for them to live upon. The deputation complained that the Pilot Pearlshelling Company were denuding the beds in such a way that if they continued the supply would be completely exhausted in from eighteen months to two years. He (Mr. Tolman) had already taken some steps in the matter of cultivation. When the boats were coming in, they could bring a bag or so of shell alive by placing them in a wire cage and hanging them overboard. It was asserted by members of the deputation that already there are 100,000 shell on the company's lease at Friday Island; but whilst some asserted that a large proportion of these were dead, Mr. Tolman expressed strong conviction of the success of the experiment, though he thought it would be a great help to them if the company would allow them to go down and see it for themselves. It was asserted that the largest quantity of shell ever got out of the passage from natural sources was 40 tons, and some appeared to think that the large quantity now being placed there could not possibly thrive. It was urged by the Premier that if the ordinary diving were persisted in the beds would be exhausted in any case; but the reply was that it could never be exhausted if nothing but 5in. shell were taken, as the smaller shell would continue to throw off spat. On the company's ground, once their shell had attained its proper size, they would be able to work the whole lease with one boat, and all the men now employed would be thrown out. Mr. Kelly introduced the subject of the heavy expenses under which the shellers now have to struggle, and handed the Premier a list showing that in licenses alone he paid £122 10s. for sixteen boats; but this topic was not pursued. He added, in reply to questions, that during the last twelve months these boats had produced about 60 tons of shell; but the members of the deputation agreed that the average yield had not been more than 6 tons per boat, perhaps less. The best divers had now acquired boats, and were working for themselves. It was strongly urged that the great object of the deputation was to secure the preservation of the old ground; for once that was denuded there was nothing beyond. Dozens of other grounds had been worked out, and had been unworkable for four or five years. It was also asserted that the Pilot Company were buying undersized shell from the other boats at 10s. per hundred, and that was in addition to the shell collected by their own thirty boats, which, working in connection with a schooner, were able to gather large quantities.

The object of No. 1 suggestion was explained by members of the deputation to be that at present there is a great temptation for divers finding shells between 5in. and 6in. in diameter to send them up to be opened in the prospect of finding valuable pearls in them. Such a shell had recently been found to contain a pearl worth £400, and the deputation showed an undersized pearlshell, to which were attached, as they grew, two large pearls. Shells less than 5in. had very rarely developed pearls, and would not be worth opening on the chance. It was also shown that the upper and lower shell of the same pair were of different shape and size, and, as they were cleaned and separated on the ground, it was impossible to show that a shell which only gave, perhaps, 5in. of nacre was the fellow to one which went 6in. or 6½in. Thus, many tons of shell had to be thrown overboard every year, and this was worth about two-thirds of the amount the larger-sized shell would bring.

In regard to this matter, Mr. Nelson said that if the Act was being worked in such a way as to lead to the opening of these small-sized shell, it was doing more harm than good. He did not think there could be any objection to the smaller cultivation areas being granted as desired, but he suggested that the divers might compass their object by co-operation. Indeed, in this way they might combine to charter a steamer and carry on the business as advantageously as the company were doing. He also pointed out that no minimum was fixed by the Act, so that there was no obstacle in the way.

On the subject of their second request, he expressed considerable doubt. He urged the importance of cultivation as a means of prolonging the industry and of enabling the Queensland producer to combat the recent heavy fall in prices. It seemed to him a waste of labour that a man finding undersized shell should be compelled to throw it away on the chance of picking it up some other day, when he might as easily transfer it to leased ground, where it could attain full size and be easily recovered when needed. The prices of pearlshell, like that of every other product, had fallen heavily, and it was absolutely necessary to reduce the cost of production. If other countries entered upon a system of cultivation and we did not we should be quite unable to compete with them. He was very doubtful if the adoption of their second suggestion would be to the interest of the colony as a whole.

Mr. Douglas said that in addition to the company's fleet, there were a large number of new boats, especially amongst the Japanese, working over the ground the Thursday Island men had been accustomed to work. They had in all double the number of boats that were in use three years ago. That was a much more potent source of competition than the Pilot Company. Last year the Japanese numbered only ten boats; now they had altogether eighty-seven.

Mr. Nelson, in concluding, said the suggestions made by the deputation should have the fullest consideration of the Government, and anything they could do in the way of preserving this or any other industry, they would be very happy to do. At the same time, he was not quite clear on some of the points regarding cultivation.

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.

A deputation representing the magistrates of Thursday Island was next introduced by Mr. Douglas. These included Messrs. E. J. Hennessey, H. Bowden, A. H. Mountain, and F. de L. Hudson. Mr. Douglas also read a letter from Mr. Savage, who is at present sub-inspector of police and acting clerk of petty sessions. This letter urged the impossibility of discharging satisfactorily the duties of the dual position, and this was supported by the magistrates present. It was also pointed out that a part of the duties usually performed by the clerk of petty sessions are now discharged by Mr. Hennessey, the Sub-collector of Customs.

Mr. Nelson, while pointing out that the matter belonged properly to the Colonial Secretary's department, stated that although the Government had been compelled to go in for heavy retrenchment there was no desire and no intention to diminish the efficiency of the staff required to carry on the administration of the country. If the efficiency of the service was seriously impaired, no motives of economy would justify them in depriving the district of an officer absolutely needed. He promised to favourably recommend the matter to the consideration of the Colonial Secretary.

Mr. Byrnes said it seemed to him that the deputation had made out a good case, and he knew from departmental experience that the appointment of a clerk of petty sessions would mean a decided increase in the efficiency of the staff. He would recommend the matter to Mr. Tozer.

Mr. Douglas spoke of the hearty assistance he had always received from the unpaid magistracy, who he said most effectively filled his place during his absence, though when he was on the island most of them were so fully occupied with their own business that they could not give a whole day to the work of the bench.

Mr. Bowden introduced the subject of the holding of sittings of the Supreme Court in Thursday Island, a matter on which he had previously addressed the Minister while chairman of the Divisional Board. He pointed out that at present there were no less than twenty-seven persons from Thursday Island attending the sittings of the court at Cooktown as witnesses. The delay to the Judge would not be very extreme, and the inconvenience to residents would be great. The nature of the population was such as to render crime, particularly that of murder, much more likely here than at Cooktown, for instance. He also spoke in support of the appointment of conciliation justices as likely to be of great service in dealing with difficulties between the coloured men and their employees, and mentioned the case of a recent dispute between two Chinamen, which on the recommendation of the District Court Judge was referred to arbitration. The award was £8, and the costs amounted to £74.

Mr. Byrnes explained that so far as a conciliation justice was concerned, all they had to do was to secure some suitable man and let the Divisional Board submit his name to the Government for appointment. With regard to the Supreme Court sittings, he admitted the force of Mr. Bowden's remarks, but pointed out that many larger towns were unable to gain this convenience, enumerating Gympie, Hughenden, and Croydon as instances. There was also a serious difficulty here in the limited number of men qualified to serve on the jury, and the almost impossibility in so small a community of securing a jury whose members should be perfectly free from personal bias in the matter to be tried. There was also the hardship of men being recalled from their business on the islands, perhaps many miles off, to serve on the jury. He would, however, consider the matter, and if the business of the court really justified it, and if it could be carried out without seriously inconveniencing the business of the rest of the country, it would be done. At present he did not think the time had quite arrived for such an alteration.

The deputation then withdrew.

DIVISIONAL BOARD DEPUTATION.

In the evening the Ministers attended at the School of Arts to receive a deputation from the local Divisional Board. The meeting was open to the public, but the attendance was very small, as there had been no means of notifying the general public. The Hon. J. Douglas introduced the deputation. After formally welcoming the Ministers, Mr. Gummer, chairman of the board, introduced the subject of water supply, explaining its extreme importance both on account of the public health and for the benefit of vessels calling at the port. He pointed out that from a naval point of view it was almost as important as the coal, to protect which the Australian Governments had erected fortifications on the island. Apart from the Auxiliary Squadron, no fewer than twenty-one British warships had coaled at the port in the past four years, and 105 steamers exclusive of the local vessels. The present inadequate supply gave a revenue of £50 per annum, and with an improved supply the returns, together with a halfpenny special loan rate, would, it was estimated, yield 5 per cent on the necessary outlay.

Mr. Nelson quite agreed as to the importance of the water supply, and stated that he had already received a report from Mr. Henderson on the subject. He promised to supply the deputation with the information contained in the report. The only satisfactory system would be to construct reservoirs and collect water from the surface of the ground. The matter, he could assure them, would receive the attention of the Government, and where the supply was so imperative both for the inhabitants and for ships visiting the port there would be little difficulty in the way of enabling the board to raise a loan on the usual terms to carry out the work.

Mr. Bowden introduced the subject of the financial position of the board, whose revenue was barely sufficient to enable it to carry on with the low rate of endowment at present paid. They had obtained a loan of £1000, which was being repaid at the rate of £90 to £100 per annum, and if the Government could let them have that loan as a grant it would be a considerable relief. Personally he felt they were entitled to a higher rate of endowment as, being formed at a late period, they had not enjoyed the same advantages as others. At present they could barely carry on, and there were many things requiring attention, such as the lighting, which was most essential with a population like that of Thursday Island.

Mr. Nelson expressed regret at hearing what Mr. Bowden had said. Indeed, it rather staggered him, seeing that they wanted so big a loan for waterworks. How were they to pay the interest on it? There was no hope of their getting an increased endowment; the probability was that it would be wiped out altogether, and the sooner they learned to stand on their own feet the better. However, he did not think the case was so bad as they wanted to make out. He thought the resources of the island were immense, and they only required some pluck and some staying power on the part of the residents and owners of property to show that the island was able to push ahead on its own account. He did not see that the Government could do anything to help them.

It was further pointed out that the board had levied the highest rate payable under the Act—namely, 1¼d. in the pound, which yielded only £417 per annum; but Mr. Nelson replied that there were still special rates which could be levied.

At the invitation of the president (Mr. Gummer), who asked if anyone wished to speak, Mr. Fleming addressed the Ministers at some length. He complained chiefly of the employment of coloured labour in the stores, and of the Japanese influx. He said they would like to see the future issue of boat licenses to coloured men prohibited, so that these men would be employed simply as paid divers instead of becoming boat-owners. Mr. D. Miles also spoke, dealing principally with the question of the removal of the small shell from the old bed. This concluded the business, and the meeting closed.

VISITS OF INSPECTION.

On Sunday morning the Ministers drove round the island inspecting the proposed sites for the waterworks and the hospital. They also saw the State schoolroom. After looking at the hospital site they drove along the Military-road to the south-eastern end of the island, and looked at several suggested sites. During the afternoon and evening Ministers received visits from many of the residents, and the subject of pearlshell cultivation, which appears to be the burning question of the day, was very fully discussed from all points of view. This, however, must be left for another letter.

The Premier and his colleagues left Thursday Island by the steamer Airlie, as arranged, at about 7 o'clock on Monday morning, and reached Cooktown early on Wednesday.

Aborigines and the pearl shelling industry, 1894 letter

The Telegraph (Brisbane), Wednesday, 3 January 1894, p. 5

Beche-de-Mer Fishery. Uninviting Business.

CONDITIONS OF BOATS’ CREWS. “Unspeakably Squalid and Dirty.”

LETTER FROM HON. JOHN DOUGLAS.

The Colonial Secretary has received a communication from the Hon. John Douglas, Government Resident at Thursday Island, in regard to recent outrages by gulf natives, and the conditions under which the bêche-de-mer fishing industry is carried on. The statements and proposals made in the letter are receiving the consideration of the Government. The letter is as follows:—

Government Residency,
Thursday Island, Torres Straits,
December 16, 1893.

Sir,—It has doubtless not escaped your attention that there have lately been an unusual number of outrages perpetrated in connection with the bêche-de-mer industry.

I do not propose in this communication to refer to the details of those outrages. It is desirable, however, that I should make some general observations in connection with them for your information.

They have occurred almost invariably in boats or on stations wholly manned or carried on by native labourers.

There have been and there still are employers who treat these natives fairly on the whole, though they are completely at the mercy of their masters, and it is quite impossible to exercise any such supervision as is found necessary in the employment of gangs of South Sea Islanders or other coloured labourers on sugar plantations. There are doubtless exceptional cases of gross ill-treatment, though it would be very difficult to prove these. The cases I refer to are generally those in which there is a starvation allowance of food. I have, however, known cases where murder has been committed by the natives in pure revenge for personal injuries and insults. But in the majority of cases the moving cause in the perpetration of outrage is the desire to return home.

They are recruited often willingly enough. They have heard strange tales of the sea from their friends, and they willing to go on a cruise for a time. They are shipped with the vaguest possible idea of their duties or their obligations. They perhaps work willingly enough for a time, especially if they are well fed. But whether they are fed well or ill, whether they are treated badly or not, there comes over them, long before the expiry of their legal agreement, an irrepressible desire to return to their own country and to their tribal usages. They talk of this among themselves. There are always some of them who know enough about the navigation of a lugger to enable them to reach the mainland. Then they agree to seize the first favourable opportunity, and they make a dash for freedom.

If they get a chance they run away with the boat, making straight for the mainland, landing anywhere they can, and abandoning the boat. If they find they cannot do this without killing their master, they avail themselves of the first opportunity, and knock him on the head or pitch him overboard. It is easily done, and if there is plenty of flour and tobacco on board so much the better. Such is the history of most of these outrages.

Then as to the industry. It is conducted almost invariably by men who have only small capital, and who have not the means to go into the pearlshelling industry.

There are a few exceptions to this, but for the most part a man who can afford to work a diving boat will have nothing to do with the bêche-de-mer industry.

It will not pay to employ labour at it on a lugger on a higher scale than 10s. a month, which is the usual covenanted scale for the natives. It is not a nice business. Life on board one of these boats, or at the station on the islands which are resorted to, is unspeakably squalid and dirty. For some men, however, it has an attraction, and there is often associated with it a good deal of illicit intercourse with native women. It is altogether a nasty, stinking business, and at the present time it yields very small profits to anyone connected with it. A few small commissions may be made by the agents who consign the bêche-de-mer to China; but I think that most of these agents would be only too glad to realise the advances made to the trade.

It may be asserted, indeed it has been broadly asserted by the local Press, which is of an exceptionally unprincipled and inexperienced type, that the present outbreak of atrocities is due to the presence of the Moravian missionaries under the auspices of the Presbyterian Federal Church at the Batavia River. It is further stated that the hands of the police are tied by the fact that the missionaries have impeded their action, and checked their efficiency. The statements thus made are most untrue, and most preposterous. The missionaries have done all they could to facilitate the arrest of offenders. The arrest of Harry Nichols’ would-be murderers was made by them, and could not have been made without them. The police, moreover, are just as zealous as ever, though they have been nearly worked off their feet. Their area of influence has been from Somerset to the Seadon, about 10 miles to the north of the Batavia. They have never attempted anything beyond this, along the western shores of the peninsula, including the Jardine River and Seven Rivers. Within that area they command, and have commanded, the willing co-operation of the natives. Beyond it they have never attempted any permanent influence, and have not the means at present to command it. The police have always acted most willingly and zealously, and, on their behalf, I most indignantly deny that they have on any occasion hesitated to do their duty when called upon to do so.

Indeed, both Mr. Subinspector Savage and Senior-constable Conroy have suffered seriously in health from the hardships they have sometimes had to undergo while camping out.

It is both cruel and ridiculous to attribute either to the police or to the missionaries crimes which have their foundation in different causes altogether.

It is said, no doubt, that the mission station at the Batavia River is an asylum for some of those runaway murderers. It may be so. This, however, I will say, that the fact that they have resorted to Mapoon has enabled us to make some arrests, which we certainly could not otherwise have made.

It is very evident to me that it will be necessary to adopt some means to stop these outrages. It can be best done, I believe, by checking the present system of recruiting; by making a strict scrutiny into the character of those by whom they are recruited; and by not allowing the mainland natives to be worked except in combination with other nationalities. In the meantime I propose not to allow natives from the mainland to be shipped except in boats where there is a sufficient proportion of South Sea Islanders, Malays, and Japanese to render their presence harmless.

I shall be glad to know if this proposal meets with your approval. If it is adopted I feel confident that the outrages will cease.—I am, &c.,

JOHN DOUGLAS.

Interview with John Douglas, Brisbane, 15 June 1893

The Telegraph (Brisbane), Thursday, 15 June 1893, p. 5

AUSTRALIA’S GIBRALTAR. Thursday Island.

HON. JOHN DOUGLAS (GOVERNMENT RESIDENT) INTERVIEWED.

Torres Straits a Cosmopolitan Community. BRITISH NEW GUINEA.

Pearlshell Fisheries and Coloured Labour.

The Hon. John Douglas, C.M.G., Government Resident at Thursday Island, an outpost which has—not without reason—been called the Gibraltar of Australia, is now in Brisbane on official business. He very courteously granted an interview to a Telegraph representative at the Belle Vue Hotel yesterday, when in the course of conversation matters of interest connected with Thursday Island, the islands of Torres Straits, British New Guinea, and the extremity of York’s Peninsula were touched upon. The recent outrages committed by aborigines from the mainland, employed on beche-de-mer and pearl-shelling boats, were first referred to.

“For the past two years,” said Mr. Douglas, “the relations between Europeans and the aborigines have been of a most friendly character, and I greatly regret the outrages which have recently taken place. We have become acquainted with the natives for nearly 200 miles on the western side of Yorke’s Peninsula, and anyone can now go amongst the aborigines on that line of coast with safety. The Moravian missionaries at Cullen Point, near the Batavia river, deserve a good deal of credit for this change, for their work has already been productive of very great results. As much progress has not been made with the natives on the eastern side of the peninsula, however.”

“What is the present condition of the natives on the islands in Torres Straits, Mr. Douglas?”

“They are well behaved and exceedingly tractable. On Murray Island there is a school which has an average attendance of 80 children. The pupils are very intelligent, and their parents are quite willing that their children should attend regularly and submit to discipline. A schoolmaster has lately been appointed, and the Government have supplied the children with a stock of school material, that has proved useful. The children take a particular interest in arithmetic, but they are a little backward in learning the English language.”

“At Thursday Island you have a very cosmopolitan population?”

“A census was taken on May 18, which showed that very clearly. Here is a complete return of the population on that day:—

	Male	Female	Total
Europeans	165	197	362
South Sea Islanders	154	2	156
Chinese	61	0	61
Japanese	151	28	179
East Indians	10	1	11
Malays	150	21	171
Phillipine Islanders	192	15	207
West Indians	11	0	11
Javanese	16	2	18
Mexicans	2	0	2
Cingalese	32	0	32
Other nations	22	6	28
Aborigines	135	68	203
Totals	1,101	340	1,441

“The Japanese make a very respectable total. Yes; but they are an intelligent and enterprising people, learning the English language and adapting themselves to our habits very quickly. I have known Japanese to work with an English dictionary for hours in the evening for the purpose of acquiring our language. Some time ago, you may remember, one Tommy Japan and a party of his fellow-countrymen gained the first prize in a large sweep on the Melbourne Cup. These men returned to Japan, and there is no doubt that their wealth made them effective advertisements for Australia. Many of the Japanese who have recently arrived, and who, by the way, paid their own passages, came because of the sensation caused in a portion of Japan by Tommy’s fortunate win.”

“The Japanese are reported to be getting an undesirably prominent position in the pearl-shelling trade as owners of boats. Is that the case?”

“By reason of their intelligence and perseverance the Japanese quickly rise from the position of employees to that of owners of boats and employers of labour. I do not think that so far they have an unduly large hold on the fishing industry, but it is quite possible that if they come to the Straits in too great numbers the effect may be to reduce the scale of wages to an objectionable degree. On the other hand Europeans are at present engaged in the pearl-shelling industry in larger numbers than formerly. The Japanese, I may add, carry on operations in a fair manner, though they not unfrequently quarrel amongst themselves.”

“Do Papuans work in the fisheries?”

“Natives of British New Guinea are employed only to a limited extent at present. They have to be shipped at ports in the possession, and they are subject to the regulations of the British New Guinea Government, which so far are not over-liberal. Sir William MacGregor, however, seems inclined to encourage the employment of Papuans provided he has control over them. This race will in the future certainly be a most important element in the development of the maritime resources of Torres Straits as well as of the possession.”

“How are the fisheries rewarding those engaged in them?”

“The state of the market for pearlshell is at present discouraging. Shell that in June, 1892, was worth £120 per ton at Thursday Island will not now fetch more than £90; the agents will not give more. Of course there is a wide difference in the quality of shell, which is classed in London. I do not think there can be any great extension of the beche-de-mer fishery. Prices, however, keep up well, though the market is limited.”

“The pearling fleet is on the increase, is it not?”

“A considerable increase in the number of boats employed has taken place, but the quantity of shell obtained has not been proportionately increased. There is a tendency to adopt the floating station system, which is carried out on the north-west coast of Australia. In this system a fleet of small sailing boats is attended by a schooner, and the boats are thus enabled to go further afield than is possible when the station is established on an island.”

“The deaths of divers from paralysis came under your notice, I presume?”

“Some rich patches of shell have been discovered in the neighbourhood of Darnley Island, which lies about midway between Thursday Island and New Guinea. The shell is in deep water, and its richness has tempted divers accustomed to work in from 10 to 15 fathoms to go down 20 and 30 fathoms. In operating at this increased depth some divers work in too great a hurry. They descend and ascend quickly, attempt to get as much shell as possible when down, and do not rest sufficiently between each descent. I am informed that there is no danger in diving in deep water, provided the men work leisurely and observe certain precautions. The recent fatalities, however, have drawn attention to the necessity for improvements in diving dresses, so as to lessen the bad effects of the pressure of the water.”

“What is the general position of the divers?”

“They are in most cases paid a percentage on the quantity of shell obtained. Those who died at Darnley Island were nearly all working on their own account. Divers as a rule both sail the boats and decide where they shall work. A patch of good shell of course means a large profit to divers, just as a rich patch of gold handsomely rewards miners; and the hope of getting rich quickly causes many of the divers to take risks that are by no means small, as the numerous deaths from paralysis prove.”

“What is the effect of your observations of British New Guinea matters?”

“The native inhabitants of the Possession now enjoy peace by reason of confidence in the Government, and in a few years, I believe, the change for the good will be even more marked than at present. Already natives are travelling along the coast in a way that would have been attended with great danger a few years ago. At the time that Great Britain took possession tobacco was used as currency in dealings with the natives, but now at many places English coin is in circulation. As to products, a good deal of sandalwood is being exported from British New Guinea, and some india-rubber of good quality has been sent to London.”

“Do you think that the increased confidence among the natives which you speak of will tend to an increase in industry on their part?”

“Undoubtedly; the natives along the coast of British New Guinea, with the exception of the north-east coast, as well as the natives of the islands to the eastward, now look to the Government of the possession for protection against the inroads of hostile tribes. In the past the natives were to a large extent employed in killing each other. Not that they are a warlike race, for their method of warfare was to sneak upon each other’s villages, and so long as a man, or even a woman or child was killed, they were satisfied. The death of an enemy was so much to the good of the attacking party and a corresponding loss to the tribe attacked. A common saying heard among the natives is ‘We can sleep at night now.’

“It was formerly the custom for the men in a village to keep watch at night in order to prevent, or at least be prepared, for any attack that might be made. Now, however, all in the villages sleep in comfort, and as a result of this and the cessation of internecine strife the men have to look for more peaceable employment. They are planting more cocoanuts than they did in the past, for the purpose of selling the fruit in the form of copra. Indeed, there is a very marked improvement in the industry of the natives, consequent on the peace secured by British administration. Picked natives make excellent policemen, and the opinion once held that they could not be intrusted with such duties has been removed. There is now no necessity for men to be brought from Fiji or the Solomon Islands to carry out the work of constables.

“A remarkable incident, tending to show the change in the condition of the country that I have referred to, occurred during May, when some canoes from Cloudy Bay visited Port Moresby. This would have been impossible a few years ago, as the Cloudy Bay natives were then dangerous and warlike people. The object of their visit to the settlement was to get work, and I believe they were successful in securing it. The natives of Eastern New Guinea are very fine sailors, and in that respect they differ from the natives in the west. It follows that with the Possession in a state of peace the native population will increase. The Papuans are not a prolific people, having but few children in a family, but now that tribal massacres are practically at an end we may look for an increase in the population.”

“Has anything new transpired in connection with mission work in the possession?”

“I hear that the missionaries of all the churches in the field, at a conference recently held at the eastern portion of the possession, determined to adopt the English language in teaching the natives. The missionaries—and I think they are right—have come to the conclusion that it is necessary that there should be agreement on this point in order to achieve success. Hitherto the Motu language has been the lingua Franca of New Guinea, though it is really spoken only in a limited area. The variety of dialects in the country is very great, and it has evidently been concluded that if the natives are to mix with Europeans and to be educated the sooner they are familiarised with the English language the better. Of course it will to the natives be almost like learning Latin, but in view of the many conflicting dialects in the country the decision of the missionaries to make English the standard language is a wise one.”

In conclusion, Mr. Douglas referred to two improvements at Thursday Island, one the Quetta memorial church and the other the federal fortifications. The church will be a very beautiful concrete building when completed, but at present only the chancel and nave are being built. As to the fortifications they have been thoroughly well constructed, and the garrison should be most comfortable in the barracks. Mr. Douglas thinks that a difficulty will be experienced in finding work for the soldiers, unless they are partly employed in road making and in improving the cantonments.

Speech by John Douglas at a Defence Commission Banquet, Thursday Island April 1891

The Brisbane Courier, Tuesday, 21 April 1891, p. 5

THE DEFENCE COMMISSION BANQUET AT THURSDAY ISLAND

OUR COMMONWEALTH SPEECH BY THE HON. JOHN DOUGLAS

THURSDAY ISLAND, April 20.

The members of the Defence Commission were banqueted at the Grand Hotel on Saturday evening, about fifty gentlemen being present. The Hon. John Douglas presided, and proposed the health of “The Queen,” and afterwards the toast of “The Commonwealth.” He said:—

“The toast that I have to propose to you is a new one, and has certainly never been proposed here before. Yet, coming so immediately as it does after the health of her Majesty, it may be said to claim royal honours. In the times that are to come I hope it may stimulate our patriotism, and rouse within us a love for our country and our homes. If rightly interpreted and understood, what nobler sentiment could there be than the Commonwealth. It means, as I interpret it, stability and united effort for the benefit of the people as a whole. What, after all, is the best possession, as fellow-citizens, which we can have, and the most valuable? It is the honour of our country and the acquired interest we each have in what has been won by our united efforts as a people. Whether our possessions be great or small, we are rich, indeed, if we have the right to enjoy the benefits of our Commonwealth.

“Well, we know that during the last few weeks an assemblage of Australian representative men has been sitting in convention in Sydney to devise a plan, or charter, or constitution, or treaty of union, by which the several States of Australia may be knit together in one indissoluble whole. If by God’s blessing and by the will of the people of Australia these efforts are crowned with success, the combination thus effected will henceforth be known as the Commonwealth of Australia. Whoever suggested this designation deserves, I think, to be recognised as a public benefactor. Some may say—it has often been said—what is in a name; it is a name and nothing more. But if a name rouses our sense of patriotism, and if it bids our pulse beat with quickened hope, then I say there is much in a name, and to me the very name of Commonwealth is inspiring.

“To me it means stability. To me it means a recognition of that spirit of sacrifice and surrender for the attainment of high aims, without which nothing great or permanently good can be accomplished. It means that those who advisedly adopt it are prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder to support one another, bound together to resist the danger of destruction, from whatever quarter those menaces may come, whether from external attack or from internal disorganisation. It is in this spirit that I ask you to drink the toast of ‘The Commonwealth,’—

“There is a sense in which we may say that we belong to a still greater Commonwealth, and that Commonwealth is nothing less than the British Empire. Go to what part of the world we may, we find that great Commonwealth extending its influence and watching over the interests of those who owe to it a common allegiance. For myself, I believe that the Commonwealth I now speak of is the most beneficent and the most splendid which has ever existed, and that it still figures as the most conspicuous monument of greatness in the pages of history.

“We of the English speaking race are proud, I hope, of that history, and we rejoice, I say, from the bottom of our hearts that the Commonwealth of the British Empire is extending its influence in every quarter of the globe. Gentlemen, when we speak of the Commonwealth our minds involuntarily revert to that period of English history when the Commonwealth was a reality. There never was a time when England held a prouder position in the councils of Europe. We do not wish to reproduce those times, and we could not do so if we wished. The Stuarts are gone, and Oliver Cromwell has gone. We shall never see, and we should never wish to see another Oliver Cromwell. We shall never see again, though we might wish to see, another John Milton, who was one of Oliver Cromwell’s principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. But we trust that under our Commonwealth, if it comes into existence, we shall have men as great as Oliver Cromwell and as grand as John Milton.

“After all, what high aims those men had and how jealous they were for the honour of their country. But as I have said, those times are passed—passed, as we hope, never to return. We hope for happier times than those unhappy times of old. The Commonwealth is this Australia of ours, and we know that outside it there is a great Commonwealth indeed, even though the members of it do not all own allegiance to the same Sovereign—a Commonwealth which includes all who speak our English tongue, and who are united in this respect, and who hold laws founded upon the principles of common right and common justice. Gentlemen, I ask you to drink a bumper to ‘The Commonwealth.’”

The speaker was vociferously cheered at various times throughout his speech.

The toast of “The Guests” was proposed by Mr. V. R. Bowen, and responded to by Major-General Downes, who spoke in very kind terms of the exceedingly warm reception which the commission had met. He stated that telegrams had been already sent from them, setting forth their recommendations, and he predicted that the fortifications would be completed within twelve months. He considered Thursday Island to be the Singapore of Australia. He concluded his speech by proposing the toast of the new military and naval station at Thursday Island.

Dr. Salter proposed “Our Parliament,” stating that at no time since separation had the toast deserved to be drunk more fervently than at present, when a body of misguided men had shown disloyalty and threatened to overthrow the Parliament.

Mr. W. Campbell proposed “The Army and Navy, and the Defence Forces,” which was responded to by Captain Moore, R.N., and Major Druitt.

Mr. Perry, during a long and able speech, referred to the telegrams which had been received with reference to the unfitness of the cruisers intended for the Australian Auxiliary Squadron. He asserted that they were misleading, and should not be accepted as showing any indifference by the home authorities, who had proved their determination to give the cruisers a thoroughly severe test before sending them out. The faults were trivial, and would be rectified immediately. He was struck with the work carried out towards defence in the colonies, and could not imagine a more perfect system of defence than that of the partially paid Volunteers in the colonies.

Major Druitt expressed the intention of staying some time on the island, and also hoped to see a garrison of thirty or forty men stationed here shortly.

The toast of the maritime industries of Torres Straits was proposed by Mr. E. J. Hennessy in a long and forcible speech, showing that the district was self-supporting and improving in trade prospects, and predicting that there would be a time when fishing and agriculture would be worked hand-in-hand upon the islands in the Straits.

Mr. Frank Summers, vice-chairman, responded in a long and jocular speech, reviewing the various primitive efforts made towards defending this place by the Government. He also spoke of the unjust tariff which forced the pearlshellers to purchase their goods in Queensland when no gain could possibly result to them.

Mr. Bowen also responded, dwelling upon the apathy of the Government in passing a law for the protection of the shelling industry from ruination by the capture of young shell, and also the absurdity of the New Guinea natives being debarred from working in the fisheries outside their own area, as it imprisoned the labourers to their disadvantage, while hampering local industries.

Mr. George Smith proposed the “Commercial interests of Thursday Island,” remarking upon the wonderful improvements he had perceived after an absence of several years in the North-west.

Messrs. John Tetley and P. J. Doyle responded for the mining industry, and expressed the conviction that mining would yet be of paramount importance in this district. Although all the workings had been abandoned, one reef had since been taken up, and paid the men good wages. Mr. Doyle dwelt on the trade possibilities with New Guinea being opened up.

Sub-inspector Savage proposed the toast of “The Press,” remarking upon the success achieved by the local paper in such a small community. Mr. Fred. C. Hodel responded, and the gathering then dispersed, the time being nearly midnight.

It is understood that the commission will place an observatory on the top of Rosehill, with a battery on the top of Vaccination Hill, but no posts on Goode Island at present.

The steamer Taiyuan sailed for Port Darwin yesterday at 3 p.m. Captain Moore, R.N., and Major Druitt remained here, while the other officers of the commission went on to Port Darwin.