Editing Port Moresby (section)

===Colonisation===
{{stack|[[File:British flag raised on new guinea annexed by queensland.jpg|thumb|Queensland raises the British flag at Port Moresby in 1883]]|}}
[[File:Government House Port Moresby early 1900s.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Government House in Port Moresby—still used today though substantially enlarged—at the beginning of the 20th century]]

In 1883, [[Queensland]] attempted to annex the south-eastern corner of the New Guinea Island (subsequently known as Papua), fearing that Germany would take control of the entire eastern half of the island.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gordon |first1=Donald C. |title='Beginnings of an Australasian Pacific Policy' |journal=Political Science Quarterly |date=1945 |volume=60 |issue=1 |page=85 |doi=10.2307/2144459 |jstor=2144459 }}</ref> British authorities refused to approve the annexation following the German annexation of [[German New Guinea|New Guinea]] in 1884, but four years later it established a protectorate over Papua as [[Territory of Papua|British New Guinea]].

In 1905, the recently federated Australian government passed the [[Papua Act 1905|Papua Act]] which came into effect in 1906. The act transferred Papua, with Port Moresby as its capital, to direct Australian rule. From then until 1941 Port Moresby grew slowly. The main growth was on the peninsula, where port facilities and other services were gradually improved. The first butcher's shop and grocery opened in 1909,<ref>{{cite news | title =March of Civilisation | work =The Argus | page =5 | publisher =The Argus Office, Melbourne Victoria | date =7 September 1909 | url =https://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/files/journals/9/articles/5183/submission/original/5183-15633-2-SM.html | access-date =29 November 2009 | archive-date =4 August 2018 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180804222129/http://rockinrebel.com/ | url-status =dead }}</ref> electricity was introduced in 1925,<ref>{{cite news | title =Progress in Papua | work =The Argus | page =12 | publisher =The Argus Office, Melbourne Victoria | date =5 September 1925 | url =https://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/files/journals/9/articles/5183/submission/original/5183-15633-2-SM.html | access-date =29 November 2009 | archive-date =4 August 2018 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180804222129/http://rockinrebel.com/ | url-status =dead }}</ref> and piped water supply was provided in 1941.<ref>{{cite news | title =Department of the Interior: Tenders | work =The Argus | page =18 | publisher =The Argus Office, Melbourne Victoria | date =25 January 1941 | url =https://e-journal.iain-palangkaraya.ac.id/files/journals/9/articles/5183/submission/original/5183-15633-2-SM.html | access-date =29 November 2009 | archive-date =4 August 2018 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180804222129/http://rockinrebel.com/ | url-status =dead }}</ref>