Tahiti Has Some Jap

Prisoners

Tahiti, July 25.

rIS war-alert South Sea capital, still a thousand miles from any Japan ese aggression, is laying claim to the distinction of having been the first Paci fic island to capture Japanese prisoners.

And they have been captured, and now are interned here for the duration—eight of them.

How these Japs found their way into the deep South Pacific—where thousands of Chinese are the merchantmen —is no mystery, and may help to explain how the men of Nippon succeeded in spread ing their fishing nets over the many islands of the Pacific in slow preparation for their later hostilities.

The eight Japanese, of varying ages, were taken into custody on the island of Makatea, the small but important island 132 miles east of Tahiti. Makatea, of course, is important because it produces phosphates. Phosphate is a valuable munitions and agricultural commodity because it contains nitrates, and until the Allied Nations’ embargo against Japan took full effect, the Japanese bought and shipped away a good portion of Makatea’s phosphate. Seldom was the time when a Japanese ship was not loading there.

Since Japan was Makatea’s best cus tomer, it became a simple matter for the Japs to leave one or two of their “crew” on the island each year, to work at various “occupations.” The result was that, when the war started in earnest last December, eight unusually intelli gent Japanese were found “working” on Makatea. French and British interests control the phosphate deposits, and most of the Nipponese were working as house boys for phosphate company officials!

Definite evidence and all the facts and findings of the case have not been released here, and may have to wait for the war’s end. But it is fairly obvious that the Oriental patriots served pur poses similar to those of their brothers who posed as fishermen along the Cali fornia coast, Hawaii, New Caledonia, Aus tralia, and Vancouver.

Makatea is one of General de Gaulle’s most valuable assets in the South Paci fic, and Tokio for a long time resented the fact that the Japanese were forced to make business for the French and English in order to obtain Makatea’s phosphate. The Japanese would like to possess the little island of Makatea. but the seizure of eight “houseboys” may be very discouraging. They are now in terned in newly-constructed native houses. They have freedom—almost an acre of it. And they may also continue to be houseboys—for each other.

In the Fiji Legislative Council Cham ber, on August 21, the Governor of Fiji, Sir Phillip Mitchell, invested Mr. John F.

Grant with the insignia of membership of the Most Excellent Order of the Brit ish Empire—an Order recently conferred upon him.