Fishermen Of
p. 20 · Read in the full issue
Japan
Significant Facts from Hawaii
From Our Own Correspondent
Honolulu, Sept. 10.
UNCLE SAM already has spent hun dreds of millions of dollars in estab lishing a super-defence base in these islands, and he has budgeted to spend millions upon millions more, the idea be ing to keep the ambitious Japanese west of Hawaii.
But, in the shadow of the great guns that command the approaches from Jap an. in the coastal waters that wash into Pearl Harbour (the immense base that is the crux of the Hawaii defence scheme) enterprising, alien Japanese are reaping a harvest—and making military experts wonder.
The latest figures available show that alien Japanese dominate the commercial fishing industry of the islands. Of the total U.S. licenses issued. 272 belong to alien Japanese, and only 70 to U.S. citi
zens (many of them of Japanese parent age).
These fishermen use sampans, many of them ocean-going. Licensed power boats (sampans) owned by these aliens total 384, a sizeable fleet. Alien Japan ese also own 280 licensed rowboats.
There are 595 night-angling permits possessed by aliens. This gives the hold ers access to foreshores.
This tightly-knit alien Japanese group monopolises the wholesale and retail marketing of fish. There is proceeding, at present, a territorial investigation of the entire system. The public have com plained about the high prices.
Experts are here from Washington to see that the investigation covers every angle, to probe every angle of the set up themselves, anyhow.
Japanese fishing fleets are spread throughout the Pacific. Make a note of the localities: In the Dutch East In dies. along Australia’s northern coasti, in the Mandated Islands, in Siberian waters, in Alaskan waters, in Hawaii, along the California coast, and down in the vicinity of the Panama Canal.
Many of the sampans have an ex traordinarily long cruising range. Many are equipped with radio.
Major H. S. N. Robinson, Secretary of the Melanesian Mission, returned to Sydney early in October from New Zea land, where he attended to the business side of the visit of the Melanesian Mis sion yacht “Southern Cross”, which made the trip to Auckland for a special sur vey by Lloyds.
Mr. W. N. Lock, of the S.D.A. Mission at Merigeda, Papua, arrived in Sydney recently on leave.