Captain was Justified

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 409, 18 July 1928, Page 9

Captain was Justified

LINER CALLS FOR AID

Passengers Support Master

“ANYHOW, WHAT DID THE NAVY DO?”

(United P. A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) Received 9.5 a.m. LONDON, Tuesday. THE liner Jervis Bay has docked at Southampton. The passengers’ stories were a mere recapitulation of the Colombo narratives already published, but the passengers insisted that the captain was fully justified in sending the wireless calls for help, “as things looked fairly bad for a time.”

The majority of the passengers say they saw nothing of the occurrences.

Though interest in the Jervis Bay virtually evaporated at Colombo with the sentencing of the troublesome stowaways, the news tapes at the moment are turning out long Interviews with the passengers.

gers were calm, and strongly supported the captain. Captain Daniel, master of the vessel, asked if he wished to make any fresh statement apart from the evidence at Colombo, replied: “It is all over and done with. I want to forget it. What’s the use of reviving it?” The Australian Press Association informed him of the nature of the Commons discussions, including the suggestion that the owners pay the naval costs.

These merely repeat the threadbare story, though these present different angles, according to the tellers’ sympathies. For instance, one woman profferred the opinion that it was disgraceful for the captain to hose the poor stowaways.

Captain Daniel said: “Why? What’s the Navy for, unless to police the oceans? Was it not its duty to help when it. was asked? Anyhow, what did the Navy do? It took four days to get a ship to my assistance.” He added that there would be no written report of any sort. He would report verbally to the chairman of the board.

The male passengers generally treated the episodes lightly. Ex-Petty Officer Forster, one of the volunteer guards, said: ‘‘l cannot say whether it was prearranged, but the worst of it was that they scared the women.”

Another man states that except when two women fell into hysterics when the men were hosed, the passen-

Asked if he intended remaining with the. new management, he replied: “Yes. If they’ll have me.”