THE DAILY PROVINCE JULY 18, 1914 p.1 HINDUS DEMAND THEIR FARES PAID ------------------- Naive Proposition is Put Up to Agent of Komagata Maru’s Owners. ------------------Passengers Would Have Passage Paid and Free Provisions on Boat. ------------------The latest demand of the Komagata Maru Hindus, delivered to Mr. C. Gardener Johnson, local agent for the owners, who went on board with sailing orders for Captain Yamamoto last night, is that the passage of all on board the ship shall be paid back to Calcutta and that sufficient provisions for the whole voyage shall be put on the ship free of charge. Otherwise, say the Hindus, they will not let the ship leave the harbor. Seen this morning regarding this new phase of the situation, Mr. Gardener Johnson said: “We have absolutely no intension of paying the Hindus’ passage back to Calcutta. They did not come from Calcutta in the first place and in any event I don’t see why we should be made to pay out money for this purpose. They came here of their own accord. As regards the provisioning of the ship, this might be done but we have not yet decided about it.” To try and find some way out of the entanglement a conference between Mr. C. Gardener Johnson, Japanese Consul-general Hori, Captain Yamamoto of the Komagata Maru. Immigration Superintendent Malcolm R. J. Reid, Mr. J. E. Bird, counsel for the Hindus and Mr. A. J. Kitto representing counsel for the owner’s agents is being held this morning in the former’s office. Last night Mr. C. Gardener Johnson, accompanied by immigration officials proceeded to the boat to hand over to Captain Yamamoto his sailing orders. THE DAILY PROVINCE JULY 18, 1914 p.1 The captain said he was quite willing to obey his orders but the Hindus looked at it in another way and refused to allow him to get up steam. After a hurried conference the Hindus were asked on what terms they would let the ship leave port and the naive proposition regarding the paying of passages and the provisioning of the ship was the reply. It was stated this morning that the Hindus had today allowed the Japanese firemen to get steam up in the auxiliary boiler which runs the electric light plant and pumps but had still refused to let him light a fire under the main boilers. Whatever the outcome of this morning’s conference is, little difficulty is anticipated in getting the Komagata Maru outside of the three-mile limit, but after that the fun is expected to start. According to international law, as soon as the Komagata Maru leaves the three-mile she is in Japanese soil and no foreign-armed guards could be placed upon her unless a request is received from the Japanese authorities. Immigration officers fully armed could however, be placed aboard the ship as passengers it is said, who could in case of trouble be used to prevent the Hindus from harming Captain Yamamoto and his Japanese crew. What course will be followed, however, can not(Sic) be stated until after today’s conference.