Issue Details: First known date: 1908... 1908 The Kanaka Labour Trade in the Pacific
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Becke outlines the history of the labour trade in the Pacific, known as 'black-birding', from its start in 1863 to the deportation of Pacific Islander workers from Queensland, beginning in November, 1906.

While Becke condemns the early practices he himself worked as a 'recruiter' and he attempts to present a benign picture of the trade under British regulation. He gives a detailed account of how the labourers were 'recruited', as well as portraying the 'recruiter' as a supposedly fearless hero.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon The Call of the South Louis Becke , London : T. Fisher Unwin , 1908 Z325514 1908 single work non-fiction autobiography A description of the narrator's wanderings around Australia and the South Pacific. Much of the material appears to be autobiographical and he also relates a number of tales that were told to him during his travels. London : T. Fisher Unwin , 1908 pg. 106 - 114
Last amended 25 Feb 2009 16:29:41
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