There is always an element of truth in every rumour.
Since Queensland then and into the future was all about the sugar industry, a high labour industry, a reliable supply of cheap labour was always a crying need.

Calling this slave labour Is the point where reality morphs into phantasy.
But since at that time in history, sugar cane was grown on plantations, plantation owners sure had the runs on the board for recruiting free labour. IE slaves.

I think no side is completely honest here.

Dan

I have spent time in the State Library looking at Blackbirders & found that yes, there were some in the very early days but the greater bulk of cane workers came via approved Visa & by request from themselves.
When I tried to return for more reading some years later, the papers were not available anymore.

Interesting bit of history.
Also interesting is the military significance of Eastern Papua.
The Japaneses a long time after had the same assessment.
In view of China's Belt and Roads interest in PNG perhaps we should act.

Individual.

As the rain tumbled down this morning, the boat remains at anchor since the crew don’t want to get wet, I read this intriguing history of the Australian sugar industry from a most unlikely source, * light railway research society of Australia Inc.,*

This article brims full of facts and figures astounding.
It’s an incredible story with references to the perceived need at the time, for a *White Australia Policy”.
Yes, Queensland features large in that history, and all because of the Queensland sugar industry, none less. Along with the influence of Unionised labour force.

I find it interesting that the Labour Party were the initiators of the White Australia Policy then, and how succinct it’s the Labor party now attempting to wash away their past repugnance with a designed activism of “equality”.
Doesn’t fool me!

Link:

http://www.lrrsa.org.au/LRR_SGRa.htm

Dan

diver dan,
Prof. Steve Mullins wrote an interesting book called
'Torres Strait : a history of colonial occupation and culture contact, 1864-1897 / Steve Mullins.

Many of the involutary/volutary migrants form the Pacific have morphed into Indigenous now & are making up a substantial number of the "indigenous' population..

diver dan,
was this white Australia policy an actual Govt Policy or was it that the Govt simply desired Europeans whose expertise in those days was imperative to establish a colony ?
Who in the then New South Wales would have benefitted from non-European migrants ?

The Queensland/Australian border runs to within a couple of hundred metres on this area of PNG. It appears that the ,then , British Government had little interest or even knowledge , of how an German annexation of Papua could effect Australia. The Left have always run with the 'slavery' concept because it suits them. That's why genuine , evidence based , History plays such an unimportant part of their DNA.

Incidentally , Hello Denver , long time no see .. cheers .. Laurie Geldard ..

Individual

I’ve lifted this from my link, which doesn’t answer your Q entirely, but gives you the gist of where and why the white Au Policy eventuates.

*... Through the nineties (1890’s), dependence on Pacific Islanders increased, however, and, by 1902 there were 9,841 in Queensland. Other non-Europeans were also employed, numbering 7,261 Chinese, 3,210 Japanese, 322 Javanese and 1,598 'others' in 1898. These numbers aroused fears that Australians were being squeezed out of the "black north". On the Herbert there were four serious riots between 1889 and 1892.

With Federation, the Commonwealth Parliament became dominated by spokesmen for "White Australia". In October 1901 legislation was passed prohibiting the introduction of Pacific Islanders after 31 March 1904.(38) After this attitudes against coloured labourers hardened in the white community and in the summer of 1906-07 the majority of Pacific Islanders were repatriated...*

Dan

Individual PS.

Keying in with these events were the Darwin riots against the Chinese coolies who established themselves in Darwin after the completion of the overland telegraph installation, for which Chinese labour was extensively used.

The Darwin rioters layed siege to the Governor of SA in Darwin at this time. He was rescued by the navy after confining himself to Govt house in Darwin for his own safety.

I’ve noticed that the true story once plain and clear on Wikipedia, has now been watered down to exclude many of these facts.

Dan

diver dan,
What i fail to comprehend is why don't so many people learn from the past ?