PEARLING SEASON

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 March 1937, Page 10

PEARLING SEASON

.FATALISTIC MALAY CREWS. DARWIN, February 18. The pearling season this year will begin weeks earlier than in previous years. The first Darwin luggers left port to-day for the periling grounds. Pearlers state that Japanese divers have been restive I't weeks be muse of inactivity consequent on the monsoonal period, and are anxious to start activi-i ties despite the risks. j During the past few weeks Malay members ol the crows have been cele-

brating the approaching return to I work with numerous feasts. They. i a/.lopt a fatalistic attitude towards! I their dangerous calling, feasting when i op port unity offers, declarmg t’<t they j reliably will not return from the grounds. Many Japanese divers have received advances of up to £l5O from pearlers, but have not spent as lavishly as-, in previous years. It is stated that they are. saving with the object, of buy- 1 ' ing their own luggers on their return 1 to Japan on completion of their in- !

dentures. This anxiety to own luggers . Irn.s never before been so evident, and I Australian owners consider that they 'will have difficulty next year in securing competent men. 'l'cnders are being called by tho Administration for tho transport of more than 2000 gallons of petrol to form a dump on Goulburn Island, about 250 miles east of Darwin, for supplies for the patrol boat, Larrakia, but this dump will not be ready, as was anticipated, before the pearling season starts.