CHAPTER XVII 
A NOTE ON BRITISH TRADE PROSPECTS IN 
NEW GUINEA 
THE intelligent observer of New Guinea cannot fail to 
recognise that the country presents a vast unopened 
field for the development of British trade. Many 
sources of wealth are as yet absolutely untouched, 
but experiments that have recently been made in 
coffee, tobacco, cocoa, and rubber, yield the richest 
promise. The geographical configuration of the coast 
will greatly aid the enterprising trader, for many 
centres of industry can easily be approached by water 
at such inlets as Hall Sound, and the cost of trans- 
port from the interior would consequently be a mere 
bagatelle. 
One of the chief industries is sandal-wood cutting. 
The sandal-wood is found in arid, elevated regions, 
and the particular spots where the trees grow in any 
quantity are known to the trade as patches. These 
patches, however, do not signify that the trees grow 
closely together. One tree might be found here and 
another might not occur for a hundred yards or so; 
but still there is an area of sandal-wood growth 
sufficiently definite to justify the title “patch.” For 
any one who understands the intricacies of the situa- 
tion, and the proper method of going to work, there 
is something to be made; but at present the develop- 
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