A German Medical Officer at Herbertshobe

Abstract

A German Medical Officer at Herbertshobe (about 18 miles from Rabaul and now known as Kokopo. To meet Europeans demands for coconut oil, German firms began trading for copra in the New Guinea islands in the 1870's. Ten days after Britain had established a protectorate over the south-east portion of the main island and the adjacent islands on 6th November, 1884 (the Dutch having already claimed the western half), Germany formally took possession of the "north coast and the Bismarck Archipelago". Boundaries were ratified in June, 1885. The Germans established missions, developed copra on a large scale, and established minor plantings of cotton and coffee. Australian troops landed at Rabaul on 11th September, 1914, and an Australian military administration over what had been German New Guinea was established soon afterwards. In 1921 Australia was given a mandate by the League of Nations over the former German possessions in the area. On 13th December, 1946, the former mandated Territory was voluntarily placed under the United Nations Trusteeship system, and combined in an administrative union with Papua.