SHIP DESERTERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22620, 7 January 1937, Page 11

SHIP DESERTERS

FORM OF IMMIGRATION COMMENT BY MAGISTRATE NO DEPORTATION POWERS [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Wednesday "It is certainly opening up the way to a form of immigration that may become highly undesirable —however, that is a matter for the Legislature," saifl -Mr. J. H. Luxford, S.M., in the Wellington Magistrate's Court to-day, when a youth, Stanley Cecil Wallace, was charged with deserting from the steamer Hororata in December. Defendant was admitted to probation for 12 months. Earlier in the day Mr. Luxford dealt in a similar way with David Alexander Leonard Thompson, stewards' boy, aged 18, who faced a similar charge. Sub-Inspector Dempsey said there were four deserters from the Hororata | at Wellington. One, a man aged 44, j had not been traced. The magistrate said it seemed that 1 boys were signing on in England and | coming to New Zealand with the idea of ; finding new employment. Since the im-j migration regulations had been uplifted ; there was no power to deport these people. Later, another case came before Mr. j Luxford, when Alfred Sidney Goodman, j waiter, aged 31, was charged with de-! serting from the Rangitata on Decern- i ber 17. He pleaded guilty. ''l have heard all round the coast that this is an ideal country, and that i a working man gets good wages with | the new awards," said defendant. "About a third of the crew were paid j off, but when I asked to be paid off they ■ refused, so I left the ship." The magistrate said this case was dif- i ferent from the others. "1 do not like sending a man to prison," he added, "but adults must be punished for this type of offence." A sentence of one month's imprison- j ment was imposed. "So long as a person is of good character, and has not served a prison sentence within the past two years, there is no restriction on his entry into New Zealand," said Sub-Inspector Dempsey in the Wellington Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, when a youth appeared on a charge of deserting his ship. The sub-inspector added that a provision of the Immigration Restriction Act making further stipulations had lapsed after December 31, 1936.