[Header:] The West Australian, Friday, February 20,1948 -

[Headline:] ALLOWED TO STAY

[Subheading:] Minister Gives Malay Permission

An order for the return to Singapore of Samsudin Bin Katib, a Malay pearl diver, was cancelled yesterday by the Minister for Immigration and Information (Mr Calwell). Katib arrived in Perth from Broome this week and was to have left Fremantle in the Charon on Monday. He will now return to Broome.

A leading figure in recent industrial disputes at Broome, Katib was sent to Perth for repatriation to Singapore because, it was said, no pearling master would employ him. Before he left, members of the Indonesia-Malay Association at Broome, of which he was president, objected to his repatriation order and intimated that they would not sign agreements with pearlers unless a job were found for Katib.

It was pointed out that Katib’s repatriation was normal for indentured labourers who had not signed agreements with pearlers by February 14. His fare by plane from Broome to Perth and his passage by ship to Singapore was provided by his last employer under the terms of indenture.

Claiming that Katib has been victimised because he had been the spokesman of pearl divers seeking higher wages at Broome, the secretary of the Fremantle branch of the Seamen’s Union (Mr. J. Hurd) made representations to the Minister for Immigration through the federal executive of the union. Mr. Hurd said yesterday that the decision of Mr. Calwell to send Katib back to Broome was a result of the protests made by his union.

Katib was first employed as a diver at Broome in 1937, Mr Hurd said. In June, 1942, he joined the Commonwealth Military Forces, and served in the Water Transport section. In 1944 he transferred to the A.I.F., and as a member of “Z” special unit he was parachuted into Labuan behind the Japanese lines. He spent 199 days there. Later, after his discharge from the army, he was again engaged as a diver by Messrs. Streeter and Male, at Broome, and continued there until the end of the pearling season last December. The position up to yesterday was that he had been offered employment as a diver by Mrs. Dakas, a master pearler, but had not been able to accept owing to his impending repatriation.

Mr. Hurd said that no divers or crews at Broome would sign contracts for the season due to open on March 1 until Katib had been permitted to work as formerly. The divers had asked for 10 per cent of the proceeds of the sale of shell compared with 6 per cent which they had lately been receiving, and 12 per cent paid before the war.

The Seamen’s Union had been interested in the case because Katib was a member of the Malayan Seamen’s union. Mr. Hurd said. He had been advised by the federal secretary that the Malayan union had been in touch direct with the federal executive of the Australian union on the matter.

It is understood that official inquiries are being made regarding prospects of employment for Katib at Broome.

[Stamped in blue ink ‘COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA’, ‘DEPT. OF IMMIGRATION.’, ‘PERTH’, ‘RECEIVED’, ’21 FEB 1948’.]