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undertaking, secondly because the financial control had been abandoned, and thirdly because owners were being heavily hit by the fall in the freight market and they would undoubtedly have refused to comply with any request for a refund of commission already received.
2.
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On the 29th, November a telegram was received from the Agents for the Shipping Controller to the effect that five ships were being released from full requisition and were to be brought under the local scheme, and on the same date a telegram was sent by the Admiralty stating that arrangements were being made to release nearly all China Coasters on the Persian Gulf Service and, with the exception of the Indo-China and China Nagivation Companies 'Ships, to bring them under the schemes controlled by the Governments of Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements The matter was carefully considered by the Government, who had to take into consideration the fact that the ending of the war had entirely altered the situation and that owners were becoming more and more impatient of a control which they considered to be no longer justified, There was also grave financial risk involved in the management of a number of vessels returning all together to a market in which freights were already falling rapidly; more especially when regard was had to the fact that the Blue Book rates were,
in the case of many vessels, considerably better than the rates which they could earn before the war. Representations were accordingly made by telegram and, as has already been stated the Government was authorized to discontinue the control scheme.
13.
It is perhaps umecessary to describe in detail the trades on which the ships were from time to time employed. The particulars given in paragraph 9 of this report regarding certain vessels are typical of the activities of all. Various attempts were made to get more tonnage. The case of the S.S. "Glenfalloch" has already been mentioned; and the Govern- ment of the Straits Settlements were further approached, but
without success, for permission for the S.S. "Hock Lee" and
"Will o' the "isp