AN ANXIOUS TIME.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20499, 29 August 1928, Page 8

AN ANXIOUS TIME.

PLOT FEARED ON STEAMER

CAPTAIN SUMMONS GUNBOAT.

(Special to Daily Times.) AUCKLAND, August 28. Fearing that the Chinese passengers who greatly outnumbered the Europeans would revolt and endeavour W seize the 2,000,000 pesos which she carried, the captain of the Dollar Line steamer, President Hayes, sent out a wireless call foi the presence of an American gunboat on a recent voyage from Shanghai to Hongkong. Passengers by the vessel wex-e Mr and Mrs J. Lloyd, of Auckland, and they spout a very anxious time. Mr and Mrs Lloyd, who have completed an eight months’ tour of the East, returned from Sydney by the Mahcno to-day. Mr Lloyd said there were about 40 uiuropoan passengers travelling first class on the President Hayes, while there were about 50 Chinese in the saloon and him dreds of them in the other classes. When the captain was looking over the passenger list after leaving Shanghai he noticed an unusual preponderance of Chinese,” Mr Lloyd stated. “ Fearing a possible connection with this and the large amount of money on board consigned to Manila, he decided to send out for help. In the meantime a ' the Europeans were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to go to the assistance of the officers and crew if trouble arose. “ Nothing was left to chance until tile arrival of the gunboat. The crew were kept on duty all the time, and the ship was kept well lighted. When, after two or three days, the gunboat was sighted there was great relief among the passengers.” Mr Ldoyd said it would never bo known whether there was a plot. If there had been, the precautions of the captain probably decided the Chinese not to go ahead with it. On the other hand, it the Chinese had taken it into their heads to become troublesome ho believed the Europeans would have been t, twhelmed, because they wore greatly outnumbered. In addition, many of them wore not armed. Mr and Mrs Lloyd travelled eight mouths touring India thoroughly, and then visiting China, Japan, and Australia. Discussing travel in Eastern countries, Mr Lloyd said everything was done to make the European sightseer comfortable. Especially was this noticeable in Japan. While the desire to please was no doubt prompted by the nope of commercial gain and the knowledge that every tourist left money in the country, it was nevertheless very pleasing. He found that New' Zealand was very favourably nowu and discussed, especially in India. It was the ambition of nearly every Indian civil servant he met to settle in the Dominion on his retirement. The European colonies of India he found to be very patriotic. Mr and Mrs Lloyd had a pleasing experience early one morning on top of Tiger Hill, near Darjeeling, India. They arose early to sec the sun rise over Mount Everest, and as they climbed Tiger Hill they saw two people standing on top. When they spoke to them they proved to be New Zealanders, one mail coming from Dunedin. “It seemed the strangest thing in the world that four New Zealand people should unknowingly come together in India, and alone on Tiger Hill watch a glorious sunrise,’ added Mr Lloyd.