RACIAL POTPOURRI

NZ Truth, Issue 1206, 10 January 1929, Page 9

RACIAL POTPOURRI

\ Hybrid Darkies Half-caste ;'■-■■ Girl Victim ! "white Australia" i . • ■ . (From "N.Z. TrutKV Brisbane Eepresentative). A grim color problem came before the Brisbane Criminal Court recently. John David Appoo, son of a Ceylon mother and a South Sea Island father, pleaded guilty to an offence concerning a half-caste girl of tender age. In "White Australia" these mixed unions are, not infrequent. In this particular case it is aggravated by the fact that the girl is now an expectant mother. Reparation is impossible. The man is married. Appoo is coal-colored, and carries within him the vices of the

i sinister admixture of dark blood - TTNDERL.YING this case is a startl--1 U ing revelation of shockingly lax 3 morality m the north of Australia. It reveals m astounding fashion the ■; prevalant system of immorality among c the half-breeds, and queer-breeds who '' infest some of the northern towns. 3 Appoo's story was that the girl's parents sent her to him, that he fe- \ turned her to them, and that she was sent back again to him. A 15-year-old girl! Delivered into bondage of a _ black man! This, m "White Aus- ", tralia." The girl will become a mother soon. What will the child be? Trace its ancestry as revealed m the Criminal ". Court." The father — son of a Ceylon 1 mother and a South Sea Island father.

The young mother t —a half-caste her- > self! [' Add to its parenfj tage the fact that the man and the

girl are nrst cous-. ins, and there you have the tragedy complete. . And the child is to start off life with . the stigma that its father was gaoled for being its father! According to Crown Prosecutor O'Rourke, m his outline of the . case to Justice Macnaughton, the girl and the ~, parents of the girl saw nothing wrong 1 m the relationship with the coal-color-e ed Lothario. • c She. practically lived with him. In s fact the parents suggested .that he c should get a house and take her with a him. The fact that Appoo was mart ried did not deter them. c Appoo's wife left him some time ago. Their child lived with i his c parents, it was stated. Crown *• Prosecutor O'Rourke, speaking m c favor of the undefended prisoner, said m some measure of extenua-

Her Parents Knew

S. . tion that the girl's parents knew all about it. Justice Macnaughton: That's al very well. I have my dutj to tin community to think of. Crown Prosecutor O'Rourke: But i is not as if he went out of his way. Judge: What is his character? Crown Prosecutor: He is marrieel but lives apart from his wife. He present whereabouts are unknown. H< is addicted to drink. 'He has beei fined for assault and for creating .; disturbance. Apart from that, he .ha a good character. He seems to be j good worker. Liquor is his onl; trouble. Appoo spoke up for himself, ther

and urged tha while he was un doubtedly guilty the fault was no altoget her his This product o

ZL VttHUIJ Ui late threw the blame on to the shoulder of the girl and her parents. "They should have controlled he better!"- was his impudent plea — over looking his own lack of control and hi own very heinous behavior. "They put the girl on to me all th time," he went on. wa m my way all the time." Justice Mactiaughton commented that this was a case where it was necessary to save a girl from herself. He pointed out that their cousinly relationship and parental laxity disclosed a shocking state of affairs. ■ "I sent the girl, home time, afte time!" said the man m the docl "They always sent her back to me." Even this sheltering behind the girl' skirts availed him nothing. ' The judg sent him to gaol, with hard labor, fo six months. ' ' .