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barry coal for Admiralty account, but, as she was found to be quite unsuitable for the purpose, she was despatched on the 28th June to Amoy to carry coolies to Singapore. She remained on this run, and in August it was decided to instruct the owners that she must run on the trip Singapore, Hong Kong, Amoy Singapore; the reason being that a local Cement Company had made representations that it required tonnage to carry cement for Government works at Penang, and the Government of the Straits Settlements had asked for assistance in getting labour. The ship could not carry labourers from Hong Kong because of quarantine restrictions in Singapore and so she was loaded with cement in Hong Kong and was sent to Amoy to pick up to coolies in that port. In September កន she/sent to Java to bring sugar. The owners state that the ship visited Singapore twelve times in, 1918.
(b) The s.s. "Wollowra" was requisitioned at the end of 1917 in order to carry coal for the account of the Hong Kong Government. At the time when the Dutch Ships were seized she was diverted to bring sugar from Java for the local refineries. On the 14th May, 1918 the Government of the Straits Settlements wrote to ask the assistance of the Hong Kong Government in pro- viding tonnage to carry labour from China to Singapore. It was possible to make arrangements to send coolies from Hong Kong, but Singapore had quarantined this Colony on account of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis. Sir Henry May telegraphed that it was not convenient to place more vessels on the Amoy, Swatow, Singapore, run, and he urged strongly that emigration from Hong Kong should be allowed, protesting against the quarantine on various grounds, one of which was that Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis was understood to be quite as prevalent in Amoy and Swator as it was in Hong Kong. The Government of Straits Settlements could not see its way to comply with this request, and steps were accordingly taken to charter the s.s. "Wollowra" on the Amoy, Singapore, Rangoson run for the express purpose of carrying coolies to Singapore, against the interest of Hong Kong.
(c). The s.a. *Telemachus" was under charter to a
firm
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