SAMPAN LANDINGS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIX, 28 January 1936, Page 2

SAMPAN LANDINGS

COMMONWEALTH MINISTER CALLS FOR REPORT MAY APPROACH JAPAN MELBOURNE, 10th January. Viewing as extremely serious the reported landing of Japanese sailors from sampans on the northern coasts of Queensland on several occasions recently, the Minister for the Interior, Mr Paterson, who administers the Immigration Act, said he would call for an immediate report. The complaints of the unauthorised presence of the sampans in northern waters may also lead to representations by the Commonwealth to the Japanese Government asking for action to deal with them.

It is felt that this course would be more effective than efforts by the Commonwealth to patrol the North Australian coastline with vessels or aircraft capable of dealing satisfactorily with marauding luggers and sampans. The report he would call for would be prepared in co-operation with Customs officials, Mr Paterson said. Because there were few officials available in the vicinity of the place where the landings were made-it might be some time before the report would reach him.

“The most serious aspect of the reported landings,” Mr Paterson said/ “is that people who would he deemed prohibited immigrants can so easily get into Australia, so violating the most drastic clauses of the Immigration Act.” LAUNCHES BEING BUILT Mr Paterson added that two patrol launches were being built for service in the north, but even if these were commissioned there could be no guarantee that such incidents as those alleged would not occur again. This was. because of the great length of the coastline, and the limited range of launches compared with that ' of seagoing sampans. Customs and immigration authorities in Canberra* are awaiting official advice of the reported landing of a Japanese sampan crew at a holiday camp in North Queensland.

It was- stated that intermittent instances were reported in which Japanese landed at various uninhabited spots along the coast for fresh water or fuel, hut that usually the unauthorised visitors were careful not to comeinto contact with any people, and to keep well away from ports. The official view is that so long as the visitors do not come into contact with mainlanders, the danger of the introduction of disease is not serious. It is also believed that there is little smuggling into the country of aliens.