TELEPHONE NO.
8868 CENTRAL LIVERPOOL.
OFFICIAL.
The Merchant Service Guild.
(CAPTAINS AND OFFICERS)
+X
MSC
SECRETARY: CAPT. JOHN G. MOORE.
The Arcade, Lord Street, Liverpool.
April 19th 1905.
The Secretary of State for the Colonies.
C.
12931
PEC
20 APR 05
ADDRESS TELEGRAMS DOLPHIN, LIVERPOOL.
278
Sir,
Goo
7821
I am directed to acknowledge our letter of the 16th ult., enclosing copy of a Despatch from the Governor of Hong Kong with regard to the case of Captain Bell-Smith of the steamship "Wingchai” and to the constitution of the Court of the Marine Magistrate. Whilst thanking you for the inquiries made, the Guild regret to say that they are not altogether satisfied with the explanations afforded in the Despatch under notice. They feel that where cases are heard before a Court affecting technical matters in connection with merchant ships, the Court should have proper representation of one person or more who is familiar with the details of merchant ships by virtue of practical experience. The justice of this principle has been recognised in several quarters on the representations of the Guild;
7 in fact, as stated in our letter of the 17th of December last, the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in the early part of last
year, caused a Despatch to be sent to Shanghai that in cases of the
High Court affecting merchant vessels, there should at least be one
Merchant Captain as an Assessor.
With regard to the question of the responsibility of the Cap-
tain and Pilot, it may be said that the Hon. L.A.W. Barnes Lawrence, R.N. in stating in the course of his judgment that "in nowise is the master absolved from responsibility in the event of an accident seems to
clearly/