PLOT TO INVADE AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 114, 11 November 1919, Page 8

PLOT TO INVADE AUSTRALIA

CURIOUS DISCOVERY IN BRISBANE

(FROJI ODR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

SYDNEY, sth November.

An extraordinary story of German spy activities has been told in the course of court proceedings in Brisbane. The plot, which might have been taken red-hot from a. Lo Quoux novel, is about as follows: —

The German Consul in Brisbane at the beginning of the war was a person of prominence and importance, and his wife was a charming Australian lady; and he was allowed a certain, amount of liberty. But suspicion fastened on him, the authorities pounced, and papers wore found in his possession whioh indicated that ho was at least cognisant of a far-fetched but perfectly serious scheme for the invasion of Australia, He was interned, and the papers were lodged in the Intelligence Branch,of the Defence Office.

The next chapter show 6 the wife of the German Consul being approached .by a well-known Brisbane solicitor^ with a strongly Teutonic name. He lot it be known that he had possession of those very compromising papers, and he would part with them for a consideration. The lady cleverly staved him off, and forthwith took train to Melbourne, and laid the position before the Minister for Defence. Her motives are not to be questioned. It is known that she is anxious that her husband should bo leniently treated, and that sho should, not be forced to go to Germany with him.' The sequel camo promptly. , The solicitor with Gorman forbears was arrested, and the papers recovered from him.

The next chapter shows the authorities seeking for the means by which the papers got from the Defence Office to the solicitor. Ultimately a private named Johannes Adrianus Tilanus was arrested and charged with theft. The verdict was guilty, and a term of two yeare was imposed. The sentence, however, was suspended. Tilanus, it appears, had been most valuable to the Defence people duTing the war. Ho was acquainted with the plottings .and machinations of the Germans •in. Australia during tho war, and he told the Defence officers. Ultimately, however, ho succumbed to a, temptation to feather his own nest.

Details of tho plot to invade Australia, are not known. But it was well advanced about the middlo period of tho war. A limited number of troops were to land in Australia from enormous submarines, and play ha'joc. The U-boats did not materialise.

In the report on the Wellington College sports', which appeared in Saturday's Post, tho name of the winner of the senior championship appears as L. N. Nicholls. This should have been 'N. S. Nicol.' '

At a largely attended meeting of Columba Presbyterian Church last night (says a Press Association telegram from Oamaru) it was unanimously decided to present a call to the Rev. Walter M'Lean, M.C., who returned from the front by the Eemuera.

11l the United States in the earJy days of the last century a good beaver hat became a kind of heirloom, and was handed down from father to son. For some strange reason it was considered to be rather frivolous and extravagant to be seen wearing a new beaver hat, and it was the custom when a man bought one to leave it out in stormy weather before wearing it, to "take the newness off."

That fishes do Hot hear very much, and certainly do not make uso of any sense of sound in hunting their' prey in the sea, was found recently by Professor- Brogg, when studying submarine sounds. He studied fishes at the Zoo, and found that their hearing powers were bo deficient that they were evidently of no uae iv tho un-dsr-water struggle for existence.