Cuttings on the Queensland sugar industry

Henry Ling Roth (1855-1925), ethnologist, investigated and reported on the sugar industry in Queensland, 1878-1884, and was the Honorary Secretary of the Mackay Planters' and Farmers' Association, 1881-1884. Subsequently, he moved to Halifax, England, and became the part-time, then full-time curator of the Bankfield Museum, 1890-1924. He was the author of 'The Tasmanian Aborigines' (1890) and other published works.

A bound volume containing 212 pages of 'newspaper cuttings relating to the Queensland Sugar Industry 1878-1884. Hy Ling Roth, late Hon Secretary Mackay Planters and Farmers Association'. The newspapers featured include the 'Queenslander', 'Mackay Standard', 'Mackay Mercury', 'Australasian', 'Maryborough Chronicle', 'The Week', 'Brisbane Observer' and 'Queensland Punch'. The subject matter includes aspects of the Australian sugar industry and reviews, mostly hostile, of Roth's book, 'A report on the sugar industry of Queensland' (1880). There are numerous reports on the labour trade in the South Seas, accounts of massacres in the islands and critical comments on Commodore's Wilson's Report of 1882. There are also letters to the press, including some by Roth himself, and a circular letter, 21 August 1874, from F. Bauer, Queen Street, Brisbane, regarding the recruitment of Chinese labour for sugar plantations. The volume also contains a table of the comparative costs of different types of coloured labourers, 11 September 1883; a plan of Abington and Mackay; and a printed petition to the British Government from Queensland sugar producers, 9 July 1884, requesting the supply of coolie labour from India.

Presented by Henry Ling Roth, March 1919.

Please cite as Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library, Cuttings on the Queensland sugar industry, RCMS 294

The volume is described in 'The Queensland sugar industry' in 'Royal Commonwealth Society library notes', no. 224, October/December 1977, p. 4.

The R.C.S. Manuscripts Collection includes Henry Roth's papers on North Queensland exploration, RCMS 293.

MSS Addenda, vol. III. Indexed

This collection level description was created by RAS using information from the original typescript catalogue.

A xerox of the volume was purchased by the James Cook University of North Queensland, August 1977.