Displaying results 2541 to 2550 of 2610.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia; origins and early history »

Publication date: 1968

The story of the origins of the Commonwealth Bank begins with the influence of English ideas of banking and currency reform on Australian thinking a century ago. It takes the reader through nineteenth-century financial crises, the Labor Party's early determination to control banking, the setting up of credit fonder, and the issue of state notes, to the passing of the Act to establish the Bank in 1911. Next Dr Gollan examines the role of Denison Miller as first Governor of the Bank, and the impetus given to the Bank by its crucial position during World War I. The book concludes with the creation of the Note Issue Department in 1924, an early step towards the realisation of the Central Bank. Not least interesting in this account of power politics and conflicting interests is the author{u2019}s assessment of the part played by King O{u2019}Malley in legislating for the Bank. Apart from its obvious importance to bankers, the book will be of interest not only to students of labour and economic history, but also to the general reader of Australian history.

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A cruize [sic] in a Queensland labour vessel to the South Seas »

Publication date: 1968

The narrative of W. E. Giles is the fullest and least biased account of a voyage in a labour recruiting vessel which is known to exist. The author paints a vivid picture of the dangers - from hostile natives to drunken cooks - and discomforts of a voyage in a small ship of his day. Giles was an acute observer with the ability to record what he saw in graphic terms. He describes in detail the varied receptions which met European visitors to Melanesia in the 1870s and the manner in which Pacific islanders left their homes for work on foreign plantations. Accompanying the Bobtail Nag's boats when they landed to recruit, he had excellent opportunities to see exactly how this recruiting was carried out and to learn something of the way in which the people lived. The Introduction gives the general background to the narrative and draws on a wide range of documentary sources to present a broad picture of the labour trade. Giles's account gains additional interest from the detailed comments in the footnotes which accompany it. Of great value to historians of the period, this book has also a wide appeal to all interested in the Pacific islands or the trade in indentured labour at that time.

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Capitalism, primitive and modern: some aspects of Tolai economic growth »

Publication date: 1968

A flexible social system with a monetised economy and many of the features of a modern capitalistic society is unusual among underdeveloped peoples. Such a system existed among the Tolai of New Britain long before European contact, though at the same time they were a primitive, cannibalistic people. In the last seventy years they have come to be regarded as the most advanced and sophisticated people in the whole of New Guinea. From her intimate knowledge of conditions among the Tolai the author shows that even such favourable pre-conditions of growth provide no more than fertile ground for new economic ventures. Sooner or later a stage is reached where a new institutional framework is needed for further growth. With a wealth of carefully recorded detail and a stimulating approach Dr Epstein has examined the development among the Tolai of a modern cash economy: through cash cropping to investment in tertiary industry which by its nature is protected from foreign competition. The Tolai have altered but not abandoned their former way of life, with consequent problems of stress in the subtle relationship between traditional and modern forces in an economic and social system. Dr Epstein{u2019}s analysis of the Tolai{u2019}s economic growth demonstrates the significance of social factors for an understanding of economic problems. Her book is important for economists, social anthropologists, and the planners and administrators in underdeveloped areas, and it will have a wide appeal for readers interested in social, political, and economic change in a society before and after European influence.

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Australian trade policy 1942-1966: a documentary history »

Publication date: 1968

This book gives an account of the development of Australian trade policy since World War II and of changes in the international and domestic framework within which it has been conducted. Topics covered include the dramatic growth of Australian trade with Japan and North America, the use of import controls during the fifties, changes in Australian tariff policies and procedures, trade problems posed by the needs of the less developed countries, and the impact on Australia of new international institutions such as GATT, UNCTAD, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and of the emergence of regional blocs such as the European Common Market. The book consists of documents and commentaries. The documents give the content of government trade policies as outlined in statements by Ministers in Hansard, the press, and elsewhere, in parliamentary and other official papers, and in statements by government officials. Some important non-official documents recording comments on policies are also included. The extensive commentaries not only draw attention to significant aspects of the documents but also fill out the story. They reveal gaps in our knowledge in certain areas of trade policy and so point to possible avenues of research for economic historians. The author, a leading Commonwealth public servant during most of the period covered in the book, has a unique, first-hand knowledge of his subject. As Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Agriculture, and later of the Department of Trade, he played an influential part in the development of Australia's trade policies both at home and in international councils. Simply and clearly written, this timely book raises issues of serious importance both for Australia and her trading partners overseas. It will be of great value not only to economists and to students, but to businessmen, officials and others concerned with Australian trade and public policy.

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An outline of forest mensuration with special reference to Australia »

Publication date: 1968

Forest mensuration is the starting point of organised forestry and is essential to efficient management. This book outlines the fundamental principles and their application to practice in Australia. Many of the methods and techniques of forest mensuration in Australia have been adapted from those of northern hemisphere countries, but they have been so modified to suit Australian conditions that the available textbooks are not suitable for Australian students. This is the first book to provide a basic text for a university undergraduate in Australia. In addition the clear descrip tions of forest mensuration practice will make it of use as a reference for practical foresters and forest owners, in Australia and in other countries with similar conditions.

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Population growth and family change in Africa: the new urban elite in Ghana »

Publication date: 1968

In Africa, as in most developing countries of the world, the population is growing rapidly, mainly because of a swift fall in death rates. This is aggravated by the African tradition of very high fertility; the average family has probably been larger there than in any other continent. The high rates of population increase have now reached a stage which could endanger living standards and reduce the possibility of economic growth. In the economically advanced countries of the world, population growth finally slackened when parents decided deliberately to limit the numbers of their children. This happened first among the economically better-off groups in the towns. The author believed it possible that a similar situation might have arisen in Africa, for the large towns, and especially the educated people within them, are the source from which social and economic change is spreading at an unprecedented rate throughout most of the continent. This book gives the results of a survey taken in Ghana to confirm this. The survey showed considerable and increasing pressure on the elite families to limit their size, the main pressure coming from the educational needs of children. This may have farreaching effects in the rest of the country. In many ways Ghana has been the most advanced of the tropical African countries, and the changes in the way of life of the new elite there portend much both for Ghana{u2019}s future and the future of other countries on the African continent.

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The Indianized states of Southeast Asia »

Publication date: 1968

The British historian D. G. E. Hall has said this work of synthesis and interpretation is one "to which the highest tribute must be paid, not only as a work of rare scholarship, but also for presenting for the first time the early history of Southeast Asia as a whole." Westerners who look in vain for a thread of continuity in the actions and attitudes of Southeast Asians will find Coed{u00E8}s presents them with not a thread, but a fabric. From a lifetime of study of Chinese, Arabian, and European chronicles, and from deciphering ancient annals and inscriptions - from Burma to South Viet-Nam, and from Laos to Indonesia - Coed{u00E8}s has found the story of India's expansion woven into the cultures of Southeast Asia. Preceded by China, who had similar aspirations, India's civilizing influence beyond the Ganges "is one of the outstanding events in the history of the world." Although the peak of her influence was over by 1500, the date Coed{u00E8}s' study ends, India's heritage permeates the art, law, literature, religion, and politics of present-day Southeast Asia. It is with justifiable pride that Indian scholars refer to the history of Southeast Asia as the history of "Greater India." In his editor's note, Walter Vella states that the present work "has been universally acclaimed and - the surest proof of its impact - heavily relied on by all later scholars." First published in 1944, with a second edition in 1948, and revised by Coed{u00E8}s in 1964, Les Etats hindouises d'lndochine et d'lndonesie "remains the basic text for those who seek to understand Southeast Asia - not only its ancient past, but also its immediate present - for the Southeast Asia of today cannot be understood without a knowledge of the traditional values and institutions, which remain vital, and which present leaders seem increasingly to esteem as a guide to the future."

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India, Japan, Australia: partners in Asia? Papers from a conference at the Australian National University, September 1967 »

Publication date: 1968

'Australia is located at a superficially convenient point in geographical terms and in industrial strength to stress our interest in Asia, and in particular our interest in the two nations at the north-west and northeast extremities of the arc facing inwards to the Asian heartland: India and Japan. Yet there seems no triangular relationship much thought about, let alone practised.' These words are taken from Sir John Crawford's foreword to this book, which is the outcome of his suggestion that a conference be sponsored by the Research School of Pacific Studies at the Australian National University in order that these three countries should get to know one another better. The papers and discussions presented here cover both political and economic questions. They examine the background of bilateral relations between India and Japan, Australia and Japan, and Australia and India; they discuss the future of Japanese economic involvement in South and Southeast Asia; they discuss India's economic problems and the extent to which Australia and Japan can help with these; and they consider the possibilities of co-operation between the three countries. The book will find readers in the fields of business, education, and government, and should interest all those who are concerned about Australia's future relations with Asia.

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The works of Ta'unga: records of a Polynesian traveller in the South seas, 1833- 1896 »

Publication date: 1968

Almost all published work about the history of the Pacific to date has been written either by, or using the files of, foreign governments, missionaries, businesses, and travellers. This book results from a meticulous search over a number of years for all the material written by Ta{u2019}unga, about his home island of Rarotonga, and more particularly about his experiences in New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands, and Samoa. The first of the writings is dated 1833 and the last 1896, and between them evidence has been found of at least thirty manuscripts (though not all of them have been located) and it is almost certain that he wrote many more. Ta{u2019}unga lived in New Caledonia before any European had lived there and gives us the first record by a resident of the indigenous cultures of the south-eastern portion of New Caledonia at the time of first contact with foreign commerce and religion. It is also the first published book to contain the writings of a Pacific islander writing about any country other than his own. It is an important book because it gives us an insight into the central and western Pacific at a time of tremendous cultural change resulting from the army of missions moving westward across the Pacific from Tahiti and the vanguards of commerce moving eastward from Sydney. As Ta'unga{u2019}s narrative shows in somewhat gruesome detail, the advanced parties of both groups were apt to be expendable.

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Proud and serene: sketches from Thailand »

Publication date: 1968

It is all too seldom that the Western world produces someone with the critical objectivity, the insight into human nature, the ability to communicate, and the involvement with his fellow man to write revealingly about the Eastern world. In these sketches the author introduces samlor drivers and doctors, servant boys and teachers, village farmers and government officials. Through his sympathetic account of the thoughts, background, and way of life of each of these people, he conveys something, too, about the heart of Thailand, about the similarities and differences in the cultures of East and West. Those with little knowledge of Thailand will be enchanted at the portrayal of customs, beliefs, and environment vastly different from our own; those who already know and love the Thai people will recognise in these pages the same gaiety and charm which endear the country to the foreign visitor. The author's deep knowledge of Thai culture and institutions ensures that the background to these sketches is authentic. However, they were written primarily to be enjoyed, as well as to enlarge sympathy and understanding - the author has described them as hors d'oeuvres for those who are about to visit Thailand or study it seriously.

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