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I HAVE MENTIONED IN SOME DETAIL THE MORE IMPORTANT
FACTORS THAT HAVE LED SHIPOWNERS TO CHOOSE A FLAG OF CON-
VENIENCE OR NECESSITY. HOWEVER, THE GAPS BETWEEN THE
REQUIREMENTS OF CONVENTIONAL FLAGS AND THOSE OF THE MORE
PROMINENT FLAGS OF CONVENIENCE ARE BEING CONTINUOUSLY
NARROWED BY THE FORCE OF COMMERCIAL NECESSITIES AND
FURTHER APPROXIMATIONS CAN LIKELY BE EXPECTED,
AS REGARDS AN AUTONOMOUS HONG KONG REGISTRY, IT WOULD
OF COURSE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO OBSERVE THE RULES OF INTER-
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS, AND MY POINT IS THAT BY BEING AUTONOMOUS
(AND NOT JUST AN ADJUNCT OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION), PARTICIPATION
IN THE FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH CONVENTIONS
COULD PROBABLY BE MORE DIRECT, ACTIVE AND EFFECTIVE, THE
TWENTY-ODD MILLION TONS OF SHIPS WOULD NOT BE AS SILENT AS
NOW BY BEING WITHOUT A COMMON IDENTITY, BUT COULD, AND
PRESUMABLY WOULD, SPEAK WITH A FAIRLY LOUD VOICE IN THE
INTERNATIONAL FORUM, AN AUTONOMOUS REGISTRY WOULD PRO-
BABLY ALSO ENCOURAGE A GREATER UNIFORMITY OF INTERESTS OF
BOTH HONG KONG OWNERS AND HONG KONG CREWS, AND THE DEVELOP-
MENT OF BETTER ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES TO COMBINE EFFORTS
AND PURSUE GOALS OF MUTUAL BENEFIT. STIMULATION AND GROWTH
OF LOCAL SHIPPING-RELATED AND SERVICE INDUSTRIES WOULD NO
DOUBT BE A FURTHER PREDICTABLE RESULT, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL
JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANY LOCAL RESIDENTS.
I KNOW THAT THE ROAD TO ACHIEVEMENT OF THIS STATE
OF AFFAIRS WILL BE AN ARDUOUS ONE AND WILL REQUIRE HARD
WORK ON ALL FRONTS. IN VIEW PARTICULARLY OF THE LEGAL
IMPLICATIONS OF A MOVE TO A SEPARATE HONG KONG REGISTRY, ONE
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