Jap. Thieves In N. Guinea Waters

Australians Seize Little Ship in Hermits

}N August 4 or 5, an Australian naval craft went to the Hermit Islands (north of New Guinea nd west of Manus) and there rrested what has been described as Japanese sampan, 60 feet long nd carrying 44 persons, on a charge f stealing trochus shell and copra rom Islands in Australian territory.

The vessel was taken to Lorengau Manus) for interrogation.

The Jap Captain disappeared the ight before arrival, and was re orted drowned. Mr. Tom Aitchison District Commissioner) alerted the atives, and the Jap was found shore, in hiding, and was returned ) the ship.

The sampan was loaded with lell, and “stank to high heaven.” he had an American authority to sh for trochus, as far south as the 3uator, but she was arrested three egrees south of the equator.

This followed a report that some me in July—apparently about 10th r 12th a vessel manned by apanese called at one of the Ninigo ;lands (westward of the Hermits) hich is occupied by an Australian lanter, Mr. Gus Kuster. The apanese, after accepting Mr. luster’s hospitality, raided his ;ores, siezed copra and trochus aell which he had on hand, and filed away. His radio was out of ction, so he was not able to report ae incident for some two or three eeks.

Thereupon the Australian auth rities directed, from Manus, an nmediate air and sea search of the hole area, with the result that icy picked up the sampan referred ) in the Hermit group, about half ray between Mr. Kuster’s island nd Manus.

Some of the Australian news apers “played up” the theft of Mr. luster’s shell, and the arrest of the sampan” in such a way as to iggest that Australia’s tropical ;rritories are again being invaded y Japan, and that a dangerous and larming situation exists.

Some insisted that the sampan ime from a “mother ship.”

The Australian Government romptly announced that the Aus •alian establishment on Manus is ) be strengthened: and a bomber as sent north, in August, to be rationed there.

The fact of the matter is that rese tropical reefs apparently are 3 be subjected to sporadic thefts y wandering little ships, manned by apanese or Indonesians, or both, i the same way as before the 'acific war. It is difficult to make tiese Asiatics understand that idely scattered, isolated and in ignificant little archipelagoes, like hose lying north-west of New ruinea, are Australian territory and lust be left alone.

There is this difference, however.

Before the war, many of these trochus-poaching Japanese were attached to the Japanese Intelli gence organisation and were com piling data for the Japanese Navy.

To-day, probably, they are only wandering and irresponsible poachers.

The irony of it is that between 1930 and 1940, when the Pacific Islands Monthly repeatedly reported the presence of Japanese poachers among these tropical reefs, and insisted on their significance, no one in Australia would take any notice.

To-day, when the incidents have no significance other than theft, the Australian newspapers are excitedly discovering all sorts of dangerous and sinister things.

Submarine At Emirau?

THERE is no doubt, however, that there is need for close super vision over the activities of strange craft in Australian tropical waters. The Japanese are not dangerous now; but there very definitely is a threat from sub marines based on Russian and Chinese north-west Pacific ports.

If World War 111 comes, the im mediate threat to us in the Pacific will come from the fleet of ocean g6ing submarines which Russia has based on Vladivostock and similar ports, with the object of attacking our commerce in the Pacific.

For example, it is known that in the early part of this year a sub marine appeared off the island of Emirau (north-west of New Ireland) and the party which landed on the island, and remained there for some time, comprised Asiatics and Euro peans—and the latter are presumed to have been Russians. The visit was observed and reported by a European.

During the 1942-44 operations, the Americans constructed two big air strips on Emirau, with runways 7,000 feet by 150 feet, and situated about 3,000 feet apart. They were well made of coral, and are still in good shape. Our Manus base is not very far away from Emirau.

There are other good airstrips on other islands in New Guinea waters which are now rarely visited. At Nissan (Green Islands), which is only 40 miles north of Buka and 100 east of Rabaul, there are two air strips—one 7,300 feet bv 150 feet, and the other 5,000 feet by 150 feet.

They are well made of coral, but have not been used since the war.

These examples could be multi plied. Those islands airstrips could become very interesting if, in the event of World War 111, it was possible for Russian submarines or raiding naval forces to bring into the South Pacific aircraft which could make use of them.