W R Carpenter & Company Limited was registered in Sydney in 1914. The company was founded by Walter Randolf Carpenter. He was subsequently joined by his brothers, J A and W H Carpenter and, still later, by his two sons, R B and C H Carpenter. The company was initially involved in shipping and trading island produce in Papua, including copra, cocoa, trochus, beche-de-mer and green snail shell. After 1920 it became involved in copra plantations in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea and extended its interests to the Solomon islands, and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. In 1938 it pioneered an air link between Sydney and Lae. After the War, in which Carpenters suffered heavy losses, the company was restructed as a holding company. In 1956, when R B Carpenter was Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Carpenter Group purchased the retail operations of Morris Hedstrom & Co in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

This is a poor quality photocopy of the original, Ts., 97pp., given to the Bureau by Pepita Carpenter. Ch.1, Pioneering the Pacific, pp.1-3; Ch.2, The Costa Rica Packet, pp.4-7; Ch.3, Treasure in Trochus, pp.8-9; Ch.4, A Small Beginning and a Stumble, pp.10-13; Ch.5, The Company Regained, pp.14-16; Ch.6, Between the Wars – an Era of Expansion, pp.17-21; Ch.7, The Creative Years – Shipping, pp.22-25; Ch.8, The Creative Years – Aviation, pp.26-31; Ch.9, The Creative Years – Merchandising, pp.31-38; Ch.10, The Creative Years – The Plantation Industries, pp.34-38; Ch.11, Sir Walter – Thoughts and Theories, pp.39-45; Ch.12, Stranded in Canada, pp.46-50; Ch.13, The Ravages of War, pp.50-53; Ch.14, Gains and Some Losses, pp.54-59; Ch.15, A New Chairman – Growth Continues, pp.60-65; Ch.16, The Tradition Maintained, pp.66-70; Ch.17, The Pattern Changes, pp.71-79; Ch.18, Some Turbulent Years, pp.80-84. Appendix 1, Profit and Dividend History, pp.85-86; Appendix 2, A Brief History of the Major Elements of the W R Carpenter Group in Australia…, pp.87-91; Appendix 3, Extracts from correspondence between J M Hedstrom and W R Carpenter, 1920-1922, following takeover of W R Carpenter & Co Ltd by Morris Hedstrom Ltd, pp.92-97.

The New Guinea Society was set up at a meeting in Canberra on 31 Jul 1957, following a call for expressions of interest from Ralph Bulmer, Margaret McArthur, Murray Groves and others. It was based in Canberra and drew most of its membership from the Australian National University, the Commonwealth Dept. of Territories and the CSIRO. The meetings were usually held in the Meetings Room, Eastern Annexe, University House under strict Chatham House rules. Professor J.W. Davidson, when Dean of the Research School of Pacific Studies, ANU, required all PhD students in the School to belong to the Society.

There were regular meetings of the Society, at which papers were presented; the texts of some of these are in included in PMB1379/1. Some important policy decisions were aired and discussed by the Minister and others before they were made public.

The Papua and New Guinea Society (not to be confused with the New Guinea Society) was established in Port Moresby, following an initiative by Nigel Oram, on 22 Nov 1962. Some documents relating to this society, including its constitution, are included in PMB1379/6.
Below is a list of Presidents and Secretaries of The New Guinea Society from 1957-1965.

C.S. Christian, President, 1957
Ralph Bulmer, Secretary, 1957
Dudley McCarthy, President, 1958-9
H.C. Brookfield, Secretary, 1958-9
R.D. Hoogland, President, 1960-1
Paula Brown, Secretary in 1960, 1961
J. E. Willoughby, President, 1961-2
J.N. Jennings, Secretary, 1961-2
Francis West, President, 1962-3
D. T. Lattin, President 1962-3, 1963-4
J. A. Mabbutt, in Chair in 1965
Colin A. Hughes, Secretary, 1963, 1964, 1965

New Guinea Society papers presented at meetings in Canberra, Australia (1959-1964)
New Guinea Society: membership and activities (1957-1965)
New Guinea Society correspondence (1962-1965)
New Guinea Society: Notices of meetings (1957-1964)
New Guinea Society: Committee meetings and notes (1957-1962)

New Guinea Society: Constitution (1957-1959)
See Finding aids for details.

Manuscripts catalogued at MS in Father Amerigo Cools' Repertoire des archives de l'archidiocese de Papeete, 1970, including: Pierre-Felix Ribourt (comp.), Dictionnaire Maori-Francais, n.d. [1847-49?]<BR>Abbe<BR>Abbe Tryphon Mama Taira Putairi, <I>E atoga Mangareva mei te ao eteni roa</I>story of Mangareva since the pagan era], n.d., Mangarevian text, Ms. Parts 1-16, 18-21<BR><I>Atoga no Magareva mei te ao eteni kite ao Kiritiano nei</I> [History of Mangareva from pagan to Christian times], n.d. Managrevan text with some pages of French translation by P. Honore Laval<BR><I>Na Takao Turega Mangareva - Dictionnaire Paumotu</I>[French-Tuamotu], 4,800 words<BR>Mgr. Jaussen, <I>Vocabulaire Pomotu-Francais. c. 350 words<BR> Paraua mui</I>[list of words in Tuamotu]<BR>Tuamotu vocabulary [list of Tuamotu words without translation]<BR>Arorai-French vocabulairies, grammars and conversations<BR> P. Latuin Leveque, <I>Catehisme Arorai</I> [Arorai text with French translation]<BR> P. Latuin Leveque, <I>Examen de conscience pour les Arorai</I> [Arorai text]<BR><I>Un petit abrege de la grammaire kanac</I> [in the Hawaiian language]<BR> Fr, Alexandre Andre <I>Cahier a l'usage du f. Alexandre</I> n.d. [1872?]<BR><I>Aritemetika</I>[in Tahitian]<BR><I>Plan de la 'Maris-Stella', Takume</I>

<b>See reel list for further details.</b>

Dr. Ian Heath submitted this thesis as a requirement for the Master of Arts qualifying course in the Department of History, School of General Studies, at the Australian National University, October 1974. He later completed a PhD at La Trobe University in 1979 titled Land policy in the Solomon Islands.

Acknowledgements, p.1

Introduction, p.1

Chapter One: Early Life, 1852-1884, p.7

Chapter Two: Explorer and Scientist, 1885-1894, p.17

Chapter Three: Samoan Interlude, 1895, p.36

Chapter Four: The Appointment, 1896-1897, p.49

Chapter Five: Pacification of the Solomons, p.58

Chapter Six: Land and Labour Administration, p.71

Chapter Seven: Woodford and the High Commission, p.94