STARVING SETTLERS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 154, 17 July 1937, Page 14

STARVING SETTLERS

-Press Association.)

Sunday Island Scheme "A Failure"

(By Tetegraph-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Pour of the seven settlers on Sunday Island, in the Kermadec Group, are to be evacuated at their own request by the Government ;s motor-ship Maui Pomare, now at the island. The ahip left Wellington a few days ago, taking a small expedition to carry out exploratory work. A radio message from Mr. J. E. Anderson, officer in charge of the expedition, was received yesterday by the Government, and in xesponse to a urgent request, the Government has agreed to remove four disillusioned men. Eeference was made by Mr. Anderson to the poasibility of an acute shortage of food on the island, necessitating the dispatch of a relief ship to rescue the expedition in the event of the settlers remaining. Eeference to recent attempts to promote settlement on Sunday Island were made by the Actmg-Minister of External Affairs (Hon. F. Langstone) in an interview to-night. "For sonto time past," he said, "there has been a movement to protnote settlement on Sunday Island by a group under the leadership of a Mr. Venables, known as the Sunday Island A.ssociation. It will be of public interest to know that on June 14 H.M.S. Achilles called at Sunday Island and with considerable difficulty landed a party for naval purposes. The officer in charge hardly set foot on the island when serious complaints by the settlers were the order of the day. An urgent request was made by. disgruntled settlers to be shipped back to Auckland. This request could not be granted, as the Achilles was bound for the Tongan Islands and other ports of call. "Mr. Anderson, engineer in charge of the expedition, stated in a message that, if the settlers were not removed from the island, there might be such a demand on the party 's small supply of provisions that a relief ship would have to be sent forward to rescue the expe^ tion. In response to an urgent request, .he Government agreed to remove four settlers from their sorry and unenviable plight. I consider this development should be known by the public, and I trust there will be no i'urther attempts by misguided persons to settle on this jialftndL"- aoncluded Mr. Langstone.