FRANCE INTERESTED

Evening Star, Issue 20134, 26 March 1929, Page 11

FRANCE INTERESTED

SINKING OF THE I'M ALONE INMES PROCEEDING Press Association— By Telegraph—Copyright. WASHINGTOON, March 25. (Received March 26, at 10.30 a.m.)’ The sinking of the schooner I’m Alone continues to be an extremely delicate subject here with a third nation now involved. This is due to the fact that one member of the crew who lost his life when the schooner was allegedly a French subject, namely,. Leon Maingay, of St. Pierre Miquelon. It is maintained in some quarters that Maingay was a naturalised British subject. Nevertheless tho French consul at New Orleans duly made representatoins to bis Embassy which is also investigating. Meantime there arc two factors of prime importance in the situation which must still be decided—first, whether or not the vessel was fourteen or fifteen miles out at sea, as Captain Randall vehemently affirms, and therefore outside the treaty jurisdiction of the United States; and secondly, whether or not the schooner was in truth a British ship or merely a r m runner masquerading under the British flag. Steps arc now being taken to decide these two points.—Australian Press Association. CAPTAIN’S INTERESTING CAREER. NOVA SCOTIA, March 25. (Received March 26, at 11 a.m.) The captain of the schooner _ I'm. Alone is known in British Admiralty, circles as Lieutenant-commander J. T. Randall, D.S.C., Croix de Guerre and two palms. He has had a wide experience of the Arctic. He commanded tho auxiliary schooner Morso on an expedition to Hobson’s Bay last summer. He is a resident of Liverpool (Nova Scotia), and was born in Newfoiuidiand. . _ The I’m Alone was registered at, Lunenburg (Nova Scotia). —Australian Press Association. FULLY JUSTIFIED. ■■ MR MELLON’S VIEW. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright* NEW YORK, March 25. (Received March 26, at 10 a.m.) Mr A. W. Mellon (Secretary of State) hold that the action of the United States in sinking the I’m Alone was fully justified under international, law. He has made public a report on the incident received from coastguard headquarters, which reviewed the history of the I’m Alone, and re-, peatod the coastguard contentions that she was a notorious rum smuggler.— Australian Press Association.