[?]ively Developments
pp. 37-38 · Read in the full issue
[?]n The [?]OP Industry
NTE RESTING developments, some of which may influence the lands fisheries, have taken place nee our article on the Australian tell industry was published.
Early in February the Fisheries ill and the Pearl Fisheries Bill, ere passed rapidly through both ouses at Canberra, without debate ■ comment. Their effect was to npower Australia to proclaim ►ecified areas beyond the inter itionally agreed 3-miles limit over hich Australia could control and igulate all fishing activities.
The bills introduce a system of :ensing, confer powers on State ficials to board vessels within the eas to examine unlicensed suspects, id empower the Government to vy fines and seize vessels.
The legislation can only be applied gainst a foreign vessel after the ►reign Government concerned has ;cepted the legislation. Just how ipan, for example, can be per laded to agree is not clear at ■esent. However, the Bills had to j passed before foreign govern ments could be approached. Efforts •obably will be made to negotiate »reements with Japan, Philippines, idonesia, the Netherlands and ortugal. Meanwhile, only Aus alian vessels operating in pro aimed areas outside the 3-mile nit can be interfered with, under iternational Law.
Darwin and Broome have re sided that Indonesian divers and peratives, who manned pearling aft last season, have not returned i the 1952 season.
Shortly before the end of last ;ason, the Consular Attache to the idonesian Embassy at Canberra sited the fisheries. The attache sported very unfavourably to his overnment on the working and ving conditions aboard the pearl ig vessels.
PHIS development has completely L immobilised the Broome and ►arwin fisheries which, with idonesian divers, had operated at i advantage over Torres Strait shery, with its less skilled Torres trait Islands operatives, who irgely man their own vessels.
Next step was that the Federal kivernment announced, following
representations from the master pearlers (the boat-owners) at Broome, and a satisfactory report from official investigators, that the entry of 35 Japanese skilled divers, tenders and lugger crewmen would be permitted, subject to strict con trols, for one year.
This announcement was im mediately followed by a clamour in Darwin, where local citizens are evidently opposed to the use of Japanese, no matter how profitable their employment might be to the industry. Some labour spokesmen siezed upon the subject as a handy political weapon, approaching the problem from an anti-Japanese rather than a pearling-industry point of view.
As the Darwin Branch of the RSL supports the protest, it now appears that either the Darwin pearling industry—an area from where the best of the shell is derived—will remain at a standstill, or conditions for the Indonesians will have to be greatly improved, which might mean the scrapping of the present luggers and certainly would mean much increased operational costs.
At Thursday Island there are solid grounds for refusing skilled Japanese labour, as the Torres Islanders are dependant on the industry for their own livelihood.
No similar situation exists at Broome or Darwin.
Apart from a well-justified hatred; —which in the long run will be abandoned—fear of spying activities is one reason for the ban against Japanese.
Mr. P. H. Mendis, an independent Torres Strait master pearler, bound for Ceylon, reported that his trip; was intended to open up a new; market for his own trochus shell:: he hoped to get £llO per ton.i Large quantities of locally-fished trochus are used in Ceylon, but Mr/ Mendis pointed out that the Aus-, tralian trochus was less brittle and superior.