ABSTRACT
European interest in New Guinea increased during the 1870s, as the pace of colonial expansion across the Pacific intensified. The Australian colonies urged Britain to assume control of the eastern portion of New Guinea to keep it from falling into the hands of another European power. The camps that grew up around the mining operations were rough places in which to live. The camp at Edie Creek had about two hundred European miners and a much larger number of indentured workers. People lived in huts and tents. Mining activity in Papua New Guinea did not pick up again until the 1960s. This time the focus of attention was the island of Bougainville and copper rather than gold. The reaction of the authorities was reminiscent of the worst of colonial rule, only this time it was Melanesian against Melanesian. Chief Minister Michael Somare was especially critical of workers and of the union leaders, in particular.
