Chasing Sampan, French Aeroplane

Falls Into Sea

Audacious Japanese Poachers Captured in New Caledonia and the Solomons

THERE Have been dramatic events during the month in connection with the activities of Japanese shell-poachers in the Western Pacific.

An aeroplane, despatched by the Governor of New Caledonia to apprehend raiders, fell into the sea near the sampan it was pursuing. Rescuing the two aviators, the Japanese took them to Hienghene, where the vessel was arrested, and a quantity of shell seized.

A fortnight later another sampan was chased in New Caledonia by a motor ketch and, finally, captured.

On July 19, gendarmes in a fast launch caught a third poacher at Pouerihouen.

At Gizo, in the British Solomon Islands, 17 poachers caught while fishing on a reef were gaoled. After an exciting chase, the boat from which they were working was overtaken. The captain and his crew were subsequently fined £lO.

ON June 20 reports reached Noumea that foreign sampans were fishing for trochus shell at Touho and Pouebo. M.

Siadoux (Governor of the French Colony) asked the local Aero Club to send out their 'plane “Cagou” to investigate and compel the raiders to go to Noumea. Piloted by M. Beaumont with M. Martinet (president of the Aero Club) as observer, the machine flew along the east coast, armed with hand grenades and a Hock howitzer.

A poacher was sighted near the reefs off Cape Touho. three miles from the land.

The aviators dropped a message ordering the captain to go to the nearest port, and threatened to sink his ship with bombs if he disobeyed.

The sampan began to obey; but suddenly the aeroplane fell into the sea, the con trols becoming jammed by a bomb. One of the aviators was injured and fainted.

The other hoisted him on one of the wings.

The sampan then tried to escape, but, in response to the desperate signals of the aviators, returned, and rescued them. The poachers consented to take the men to port.

but only on condition that they themselves would be set at liberty.

M. Martinet had a rib broken and was unconscious for three hours. His com panion was slightly injured in the head.

The aeroplane sank and was a total loss.

The poachers took the injured men into Hienghene. There they were met by a launch carrying the local gendarmes who arrested the crew of 30 Japanese. The authorities seized the large sampan with its cargo of 30 tons of trochus shell.

After a few days’ detention the Japanese were released, as promised by the aviators.

In the belief that the trochus shell had been obtained unlawfully, the French officials kept half the cargo.

“Caledonien” Catches A Poacher

Early in July the motor ketch Caledonien came upon a Japanese vessel gathering trochus off Yate. near Noumea. After a 90 minutes’ chase, the French yacht caught the sampan.

Six natives, armed with tomahawks and spears, were put on board, and the vessel was taken to the nearest landing place.

It was finally towed to Noumea, where it was detained by the Customs authorities.

The vessel was of 30 tons, and had a 50 h.p. motor and a crew of 22 Japanese.

Seventy up-to-date charts of various Pacific Islands were found on board.

Third Sampan Captured

While poaching off the coast of New Caledonia, a third Japanese vessel was cap tured on July 19. Gendarmes and some settlers and natives set out from the town of Pouerihouen in a speedy launch and overtook the sampan as she was making off from the reefs. Six tons of trochus were seized.

The ship was of 80 tons, had a 100-h.p. motor, and carried a crew of 30 Japanese.

Many other similar vessels have been sighted off the New Caledonian coast and it has been learned that they are receiving supplies from a fast steamer of 800 tons.

Japanese Gaoled At Gizo

Great excitement was caused at Gizo, in the Solomon Islands, on June 6 by the appearance of a Japanese poacher in Fer guson Channel, between Wana Wana Lagoon and Gizo. Two small boats con taining 17 men put off and began fishing on the reef.

District Officer C. E. J. Wilson and two officials, in the Government launch Gizo, started off in pursuit of the sampan. The vessel soon out-distanced them, so they returned and eventually captured the men in the dinghies. The poachers were unable to speak English, so they were taken to port, where a domiciled Japanese trader acted as interpreter.

The Japanese were charged and then

imprisoned in the hospital. The local gaol was not big enough to accommodate 17 men.

Next morning the sampan was sighted some miles distant, evidently searching for the dinghies and divers. The District Officer again set out in pursuit, and a long chase followed. The sampan possessed the greater speed, and was slowly gaining ground when suddenly it altered course and slowed down, breaking the Japanese ensign.

The captain, it was learned, had decided that the better policy was to face an in quiry rather than lose the services of most of his crew. After much gesticulating and signs, the order to proceed into port in the wake of the Government launch was understood. The captain and his two companions were imprisoned with the other Japanese.

In court the following day, the master of the sampan stated that he had been a month out from Formosa and required food and water. He had dropped the dinghies on the reef to look for shell while he went ashore at Kolombangara Island for supplies.

He was charged under the Solomon Islands Fisheries Regulations, and fined the maximum of £lO. He was ordered to report to the Administration headquarters at Tulagi.

Great dissatisfaction has been expressed throughout the Solomon Islands at the inadequacy of the law. The Administra tion has been approached with a request to amend the regulation to provide for a more severe penalty in cases where poachers are caught red-handed.