:
NO 159.
27434
15 JUN 15
553
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONGKONG. 30th. April, 1915.
'08
Sir,
13474
In continuation of my Despatch No. 38 of the
3rd. February and with reference to your Circular Despatch of the
19th. December, I have the honour to invite your attention to a further matter in connection with the question of this Colony's
adhesion to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at
Sea.
2.
Article 64 of the Convention, read in connect-
-ion with Article XLVII of the Regulations, requires a minimum
number of certificated lifeboatmen for each boat or raft, the term
"certificated lifeboatman" connoting a member of the crew who holds
a certificate of efficiency, to the effect that he has, among
other qualifications, the capability of understanding and answering
the orders relative to lifeboat service.
3.
I would refer you in this connection to Sir
6097 Frederick Lugard's Despatch No. 14 of the 16th. January, 1908, on
the subject of the introduction in this Colony of the provisions of
the Merchant Shipping Act, 1906, with which Despatch was enclosed
a memorandum by the Harbour Master pointing out, among other
matters, that the requirements of Section 12 of the Imperial Act as to language qualifications of seamen were not being adopted in
Hongkong, because practically the whole of the crews shipped in
this port were Chinese, of whom but a very small proportion had
any
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
LEWIS HARCOURT, M.P.,
&C.,
&o..
&c...