MYSTERIOUS SHIP

Taranaki Daily News, 12 May 1934, Page 7

MYSTERIOUS SHIP

CAPTAIN INTERVIEWED. STRANGE DECLARATION. The presence off the coast of North. Queensland of a Japanese ship which, it is allegbd, is Engaged in fishing for trochus shell, emphasises-the importance of ?■ tire Federal Government’s proposals for the .protection of fisheries in Northern Australia, says the Sydney ' Morning Herald. . .. Owing to the slump in pearl shell, it is stated that the Japanese are attaching increasing importance to truchus shell, White owners of/trochus-fishing luggers believe that the presence of the Japanese vessel, which they regard as a dspot ship, explains the mysterious flooding of the world’s trochus shell markets. They allege that their own divers illegally bar* , ter shell to the Japanese ship. Division of power between the Commonwealth and State authorities makes it extremely difficult for either to deal effectively with pearl and trochus shell poachers on the reefs fringing the northern coasts. T, Australian territorial waters are limited , by an imaginary line generally under- f stood to extend three miles from the V coast. The Commonwealth has power .to - deal with fisheries .beyond the territorial limit; the ’States exercisfe jurisdiction within the three-mile limit. Under the present system a poacher fishing beyond the territorial limits, upon the appearance of Commonwealth authorities, can simply retreat to within the three-mile limit, and thus place himself under the State jurisdiction. If a ship carrying, shell is intercepted it is impossible to say definitely whether the shell has been obtained within or without the territorial limit*. The matter will probably be dealt with *• by legislation. FRAUDULENT WORK SUSPECTED. Owners of trochus fishing luggers in northern waters claim that many of their luggers have been returning to ' port after the season’s operations with returns so ppor that they had pot paidthe rent of the luggers and the cost of provisions. The owners now say they believe that the visiting Japanese vessel has been purchasing the shell at a price lower than market rates from the divers, who then defaulted, to the owners. The large quantity of rice carried on the visiting vessel, they say, suggests that it is bartered for shell, giving a large illegal profit, to the detriment of the lugger owners. . 'f-< A representative of the Sydney Morning Herald, using a speedboat, recently located the Japanese vessel which has been reported off the Barrier Reef and which, on account of its elusiveness, has been generally called the “mystery sampan.” The craft proved' to be not a sampan, but a vessel of the clipper type. The Japanese captain permitted the correspondent to go on board and stated z that he had done nothing wrong, having ' come for trochus shell only, and that if the police pursued him, rather than surrender his vessel, he would dynamite it without any concern for his life or the lives of the crew. . It soon became evident that the questioning by the visitor was causing the Japanese commander a certain amount of uneasiness, and there occurred a long discussion between him and the interpreter, at the end of which the latter remarked to the visitor. "He has got the wind up about you. He think? y©U are an official and you want to take his boat.” ■ ’ ' ' On being reassured on this point, the captain stated he had done nothing wrong and that he came to Australian waters seeking his livelihood by obtaining trochus shell, which he would take back to the East with him, knowing he could not dispose of his harvest in Australia. THE CAPTAIN STILL UNEASY. The captain denied he had guns <yi " board and replied in the negative to a question whether he had a wireless plant The interpreter again remarked stage that the captain was very uneasy about the presence of the correspondent and his party and he felt they had arrived to take possession of his boat. After further reassurances on this point, it was-deemed wise to take temporary departure. , fl Just then the captain by signs asked whether it was desired to see what was below the hatches. He lifted a hatch and a member of the crew opened bags and extracted rice for inspection. Similar action was taken at the largest hatch, with the same result, but judging by the quantity of rice which was unfolded to view the Japanese are evidently a very hungry race, as far as national food is concerned.