APPEAL TO PARIS

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 299, 2 December 1936, Page 3

APPEAL TO PARIS

BY SAMPAN CAPTAINS. JAPANESE CREWS IN NOUMEA. The Court of Appeal at Noumea has rejected the appeal of the Japanese captains of the two sampans recently seized off the coast and later forfeited. One of the ships involved is .a 3flton vessel which had a crew of 22 Japanese, and the second vessel was of about 80 tons, with a crew of 30. The Japanese were captured in July after a chase, and it was alleged, that they had been poaching trochus shell. At Noumea, the Court of First Instance imposed a fiije of £6O on each vessel, and ordered the confiscation of the sampans, fishing gear, and the trochus shell found on board. The masters of the sampans appealed to a higher court in Noumea, and now, following the rejection of the appeal, they intend to take the case to the Court of Cassation (Supreme Court) in Paris. The Governor of New Caledonia (M. Sindous) has demanded that the Japanese Government shall compel the organisation to which the crews belong to repatriate the men and meet the expenses involved. The Governor is unwilling to repatriate the “Japanese pirates” at the expense of the colony. While waiting for a decision on the repatriation question, the Governor has given authority for the Japanese to work in Noumea or in the interior of the colony, on condition that they do not compete with European labour. Because of the mining activity in New Caledonia, there is a considerable demand for manual labourers at present.