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The same effect would be produced if the Ships Officers'
Guilds could be induced to tackle the question of refusing to
admit to their Guilds officers who were in the habit of signing
on Chinese vessels nominally at the standard rate of wages but
actually only receiving a part of the amount specified, and on
unsatisfactory conditions of service, such as a liability to
dismissal at 24 hours notice. All the better class of ships'
officers on the coast recognised their duties to carry out the Piracy Regulations, and it was curious that the Guilds had been
stampeded into their attitude of opposition by a minority of
officers of this unsatisfactory type.
Sir E. Stubbs did not feel that he was in a position
to suggest how the l'erchant Shipping Regulations could be amended
to produce the desired effect. He thought this was a matter for
the Board of Trade,
The representatives of the Board of Trade, however, did
not see any prospects of the Merchant Shipping Regulations being
amended.
Captain Bate asked whether it would be possible for a
"black list" to be prepated, and for the shipping authorities in
Hong Kong to refuse to allow men on the black list to be engaged.
Sir F Stubbs thought that while in theory this might
work, it would be very difficult to carry out in practice.
Conditions in the East are so different from what they are in
this country. Every member of the comparatively small European
community is known to almost every other member. It would be
extremely difficult to get a man convicted of practices which
would enable him to be placed on a black list.
Captain Bate then enquired of Sir E. Stubbs whether it
would not be possible to establish at Hong Kong a corps of certi-
ficated officers, and to insist that only officers from this
corps should be allowed to be carried by ships subject to the
Piracy