THE PIRATE MENACE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1078, 16 September 1930, Page 1

THE PIRATE MENACE

HEADQUARTERS 40 MILES FROM HONG-KONG STEAMERS ATTACKED i An ex-Aucklander, Mr. S. T. Williamson, was appointed water comptrol- ! ler in Hong-Kong, during the recent I water shortage there. ! With the aid of .steamers he delivered 15,000 tons of water a day to the city, and supplied the daily needs of some thousands of the inhabitants. Mr. Williamson arrived by the Ulimaroa this morning on a holiday visit to his people, who now live in Wellington. He is one of the directors of a steamship company in Ho ig-Kong and periodically visits Austra.ia and New Zealand to purchase steamers. In Sydney recently he bought the Kamo and the Tay, and despatched them to China for service in Chinese waters. In the last three years Mr. Williamson has bought five of the Union Steam Ship Company's vessels, including the Kaiapoi and the Kaitangata, which are now trading in the East. STATE OF TURMOIL Mr. Williamson has been in China for 1G years. He states that conditions are depressed there just as in other parts of the world. China is in a state of turmoil and is likely to be for some years to come. Tlie activities of the Chinese pirates were referred to by Mr. Williamson, who says that their headquarters are in Bias Bay, 40 miles from HongKon" The British cannot take any action in ridding the country of this nuisance. This could be done only if the two countries were in a. state Ut The Hatching, one of the Douglas Steamship Company’s vessels in which Mr. Williamson is interested was recently raided by pirates, but the officers and crew captured many of the marauders, and killed otheis. Two of the ship's officers were awarded the 0.8. E. and two others the M.B.E.