JEWS DUPED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 55, 6 March 1935, Page 15

JEWS DUPED.

POLISH SWINDLER. IMMIGRATION "RACKET." GYDNIA (Poland), February 0. Tlic police of Gydnia and Danzig, together with 47 prospective settlers in Palestine, are searching for Mechol Chaini, whose recently organised Bteamship line to Palestine has been closed by the authorities. A few weeks ago Chaini appeared at the fishing village of Orlowa, hear Gydnia, and chartered a 41-ton sloop from sonic fishermen. Opening his office in (iydiiia, lie advert wed cut rate passagi;.-, from Poland to Palestine aboard his flagship. For the small sum of 40 dollars he offered to settle all immigration matters with the British Palestine authorities and to transport the passenger to a Palestine port. His bookings were large, and, on the eve of the worst storm the Baltic had experienced, lie embarked 47 passengers from a small pier in the fishing village unnoticed by the police. Out in the Baltic the small two-master fought the storm. The passengers! became so sick they failed to notice the pasKage of time. Three days later land was ■sighted, and rejoicing was general. The captain was asked which Palestine port was off the bow, Haifa or Jaffa. He gruffly told them they had arrived at the new Polish port of Gydnia, and a riot broke out on board. Police restored , order when the sloop docked, and now Chaini is being sought by his clients and the police.

Another group of 327 Jewish emigrants have just returned to Poland from a three months' trip in the Mediterranean aboard a email ship whoee captain had promised to smuggle them into Palestine. Chased by British patrol boats and aeroplanes from tlie vicinity of Palestine ports, they called at Greek ports, where they were refused permission to land because their papers were not in order. Suffering from undernourishment, they have returned to Poland, where Jewish charitable organisations are caring for them.

British authorities who are attempting to control the emigration of Polish Jews to Palestine are co-operating with the Polish police to prevent swindlers from preying upon tens of thousands of Jews who wish to settle there, but who are kept at home by immigration restrictions. According to Jewish organisations, there are already ;30,000 Jews who have settled in Palestine illegally, and a strong campaign is being waged to grant them the status of legal immigrants.

The Polish police have closed a number of fake travel agencies, who obtain large sums from credulous immigrants, vvhoee applications for Palestine visas have been refused by the British emigration office in Warsaw. British officials report that they have more than 30,000 applications on file, and have refused permission to additional 200/100 Jews to file applications.

Competition for Palestine visas is keen innong tlie seven different Jewish political parties.