YOUNG STOWAWAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 103, 4 May 1931, Page 8

YOUNG STOWAWAYS.

VOYAGE WITHOUT AVAIL BROUGHT BACK FROM PANAMA. NO JOBS IN AUSTRALIA. Two young stowaways are on board the Canadian National steamer Canadian Commander, which arrived at Auckland from Halifax this morning. The men stowed away in Australia, and they will be landed at Brisbane.

When the Canadian Britisher was completing her cargo at Brisbane in February, ten men slipped on board and hid themselves in various parts of the ship. All ten succeeded in keeping themselves out of view until the steamer left the wharf, but soon afterwards seven of them were found and put ashore. The other three remained undetected until the ship was well clear of the port, when they voluntarily gave themselves up. It was too late then for the men to be landed, and they were put to work for the voyage across the Pacific.

At Panama the three stowaways were handed over to the canal authorities and detained pending the arrival of a Canadian Government steamer bound for Australia. One of the trio was lucky enough to get a job on a British ship, which was short of a hand, but the other two were held until the arrival of the Canadian Commander. On the Commander one of the lads was put to work on deck, and the- other in the stokehold. When their ehip reached Auckland this morning, the men were interviewed by the police. Local representatives of the line told them that they did not want to put them in gaol while the ship was in New Zealand waters, and, on giving their word of honour that they would not. attempt to desert, the stowaways were' allowed to continue their jobs with the other members of the crew. One of the stowaways is an Australian and the other an English lad. j When they got on ooard the Canadian Britisher in Brisbane they hid nea. - the steering gear, and saw the other seven stowaways being put ashore. . It was their hope, they said, that they would be allowed to work their passage to America, where,- they considered, there is a better chance of getting a job than in Australia. "You can't buy a job in Australia," said one of the men.

Officers of the ship reported that; the young men worked well throughout the voyage.