Correspondence files of J. T. Arundel & Co. and Pacific Islands Co. Ltd, Australian Office 1892-1904 [microform]
- Bib ID:
- 1663018
- Format:
- Manuscript and Microform
- Author:
- J. T. Arundel & Company
- Access Conditions:
- Available for reference.
- Description:
-
- 1892-1904
- 8 microfilm reels ; 35 mm.
- Series:
- PMB (Australian National University. Pacific Manuscripts Bureau) ; 1174.
- Summary:
-
Correspondence documents the early corporate history that eventually led to the environmental devastation of both islands, the diaspora of Banabans to Rabi in Fiji and elsewhere, and the near-bankruptcy of Nauru. Presscopy letter-books of outward letters from George C Ellis, A F Ellis, H E Denson and J T Arundel of the Australian Office of J T Arundel & Co and the Pacific Islands Co Ltd to business associates mainly in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Some indexed by subject and/or addressee. All arranged chronologically. See reel list for further details. See also PMB 1175 & 1176, Pacific Islands Co Ltd & Pacific Phosphate Co Ltd, London and Australian Offices, and PMB 480-495,497-498, for diaries, correspondence and further papers of J T Arundel and A F Ellis.
- Biography/History:
-
John T Arundel, son of a LMS official, was born in England in 1841. His early work for a London firm with interests in guano, or phosphate, took him into the Pacific. By 1892 Arundel had formed his own company, J T Arundel & Co, which had acquired concessions over a number of islands in what is now Kiribati - Kanton, Enderbury, Gardner, Hull, Flint and Manra (Sydney) - to plant coconuts, make copra and mine phosphate. The Pacific Islands Company Limited (PIC) was formed in May 1897 and, in 1898, took over plantations and trade stores of Henderson & McFarlane Ltd in the mid-Pacific. Lord Stanmore, formerly Sir Arthur Gordon, the first Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, was Chairman of the PIC. Arundel became its vice-chairman. PIC business interests stretched from Mexico to Fiji, with ready markets for copra and phosphate in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Japan and the UK.
In 1902 the PIC divested itself of all non-phosphate interests and merged with the Jaluit Gesellschaft of Hamburg, forming the Pacific Phosphate Company Limited (PPC). This new company was granted exclusive rights to mine phosphate on Banaba and Nauru. Phosphate mining ushered in an era of ruthless colonial resource exploitation that effectively dispossessed the indigenous peoples of these islands who were paid minimum annual royalties while the company made millions of pounds in profit.
- Notes:
-
- See also Mfm PMB 1175, Mfm PMB 1176
- MP1174/1, Melbourne Office, National Archives of Australia, PO Box 8005, Burwood Heights Victoria 3151, Australia.
- Reproduction:
- Microfilm. Canberra, A.C.T. : Produced for the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau, Australian National University. 8 microfilm reels.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Printed descriptive list available, and on Internet through http://rspas.anu.edu.au/pambu/
- Subject:
- Time Coverage:
- 1892-1904
- Other authors/contributors:
- Copyright:
-
Copyright Undetermined
If you wish to copy or order copies, contact us. For access conditions return to the record display above.
- Reason for copyright status:
- A Manuscript Collection may have a range of formats and dates.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
Request this item
Request this item to view in the Library’s reading room.
Feedback
Similar items
- Correspondence 1902-1909 [microform]
- Sundry data of my life 1865-1892 [microform]
- Records of the Pacific Islands Co. Ltd & Pacific Phosphate Co Ltd, Australian Office 1897-1909 [microform]
- Correspondence files of the Pacific Islands Co. Ltd and Pacific Phosphate Co. Ltd. 1896-1908 [microform]
- Papers 1897-1919 [microform]