BEHIND BARBED WIRE

Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1924, Page 1

BEHIND BARBED WIRE

TAHITI'S PASSEXOKPS. AUCKLAND (filth AT SAX I- It AXCISCO. AFCKKAXI), An;. 2(1. "The allegations made in tin* >Syd ii.-y 'Daily ( Dial tlian.' that a n 11111 f m-r o Australians and Now Zealanders win left for Sin l-'raneiseo on the last tri] of tlie steamer Tahiti were prevente: from landing were made the subject o' inquiry-hv a reporter of the ‘'Post'' ii \V( llingtnit. and were proved to he tin. founded." reads a message fr nil Wellington. and also it was stated that the IKis.,cn;;c;-.-. "were merely held up for a If he Inrl made inquiries in Auckland he would have found that there was very real cause for complaint, and lie would have been aide to see documentary evidence that white people were detained in a place originally in- ! -mle.l f ii- C hiui*,i* and .lapniiese and army deserters, and that the treatment of one lady was Midi as to make her lii'shimd. a horn Ameiienn- eiti;:en swear lie would '‘never hooray for hi- e.mntry again." liis people had a • • rt:iin amount cf intlueiiee and liis wit - (who belongs t > a verv wellknown A nek Drill I family) cot away after a week from her temporary prir in. w here - lie etaild not touch a morsel of food except a bottle of milk (for which she had to pay ten cents), hid what happened to tin" rest of the passengers ..me enn only conjecture. The lady was the only ftrsl-elas.s pas.'.’iigcr in the party. all the others liein; .second-class and third-class passen;ers. and when the lady and her lltlshand wrote the letters seen liy a reporter this mornin; these unfortunate p.'issen;ers were still tinder detention. - A XK\Y RKGUI \TK)X.

Mlleii this Auckland lady left, with her lltlshand to ;n to the t'nited States where they were to live, everv re- ’ (piiiciiieni of the mimigrntion laws wae,implied witli. ne.ist people know. America only allows a certain quota from other euintries to enter the United Stales in any one year, and flic State has tin odd law which says that, a wife does not automatically become an American citizen liy marry--1 in; an Amerit an. In most countries Ills wife takes Iter husband's iintion- ■ nlily. Pel ween I lie .filin' that- this Auckland ;irl and her husband left by the Tahiti and the time the tit" ship arrived at Sail Francisco, which she did on duly Ifltli.’ last, it -ecus that some new iminierat ion reirulatioiis were |-is-ed in the. State, and the passports of the Tahiti's passen;ers did not dimply with those I e;nlai huts, or tit anv ri’i'e it. was a matter of dispute, and it was a, matter of dispute, and it was del'd vl that Wasliiiiet'iii must lie eonsidled. \lt!inu;li the Ameriean was l quite well-known, and there was not even the remotest, sii;;-.'st ion that there was anv nttemnt to eiretiinveut the new regulations, the ifnnii;ration •mt lim it ies would not listen t.-> any ' 'u;;cstion of a I-uni. and the lady had , to ;o to ihe ironic,allv-nnnicd Ant'd Island, which i- the Klli, Island e,f San Ft atieis'-o. or. in other w inds, the place where denhtfnl iiinii i;i'.i at s have to abide v. bile their < is heint; considered. Th " Auckland ;irl says it was only meant fq- .laqane.-' and ( hinese tind army de-eri. -r*. and il was admitted there was no ee: oiiinio lat ion for w in!" | pie. Til" iirmy desertr rs were housed en the (dh'-r si«|e of I'm island, and the pi.ee- wln re the Tahiti’s pa.-,en-ters. se.ii - iliirt.v or si, were taken was eu lie- .lapain.'s • and Chine,e '.id". The'while were pi ven romis in the li"spilal huildiu*'. and i| was clean, f lit 1 1 11 : 1 1 ••1 y. hin the food, says the Auckland pirl. .-lie i.nd.l not tmieli. UXIiKI! DOCK '.VI) KKV. The liilshiind, of the women who came I", the Tahiti were locked UP lie. ! el lie (lay. The whole place *eeli,, I - Lae,, resembled a barb'll wire i mil. mild i f army da' s, hut t!mv were dhie.ed out. for a v.lid" diiriiq; th" al'l.'i-ie-oii. when tliev could eonvi'i’se with I Loir wi'i-. They had. however, to lake their liieal, - epare lel v. There were sentries placed over Hi" party, some of tlmm heint.' quit ■ decent. I'll -o'ee of them ‘•cha-.'d ill" )-a-seneei*s armmd Idee sheet)." Aft'-r a we-'!; of t 'lis il. can lie dell'tided it; on i hat. the \nierieaii Hi'sl;and wa- Hoi si'eiit. The Auckland "irl was allowed out mi pit role, on a bond bein'.; *• i\ eii hv th" menan'ei' ol’ the Union- ('oiiii'any. Thai was on Julv Is’tli. ei;!st days afler |hc Tahiti arrived. A few dav* l-'i--" the liiana;er of ihe Union (''initially ;ol a I fit one letter tellim; him he was allowin'; tlie pa*-enters leo much liberty; and Iha I anvtliin; liapimned lie would lie liable to iiro-ectll ion and live years' impi isiininci l l.

All this time, of emir.'', negotiations were :i| oarenlly geiiig mi between San l'"r;iiicisen and Washington and how long the pool' pi eiile rein;iifed oil the isluiql is i:cl eh. ar. hot in letters dated San I'Tanci-" >. duly 21. ilii- Auckland girl and her ltnshand had arrived saf"Iv a I her husband's home lown. All tint her relations can assume i, that iL tool; from duly loth., the date of the Tahiti's arrival in San Franaisi o. until AiigU'l ISth. before la-r ( a-e was s'tiled, so that the inforni.-iLion given the Wellington. ‘'l’.i-t" to the elfeel i hot there was nothing in the complaint seems to have been rather opti-mi-lie. “Aferely held up for a dav or two" hardly Migg.stx the sort of place "erigiiiallv intended for danane-e and Cliiuese." the Auckland girl so graphically ilt s-rihe.x in her let l“i'.