OPY
H.M. Consul-General, Shanghai to H.M. Kinister, Feking.
H.B.M. Consulate-General,
No.40 (1272/28)
Shanghai.
1st March, 1928,
74
and three copies.
Copy to Hongkong,
Canton.
sir,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your
despatch No.207 of November 16th, 1927, calling for my views and for those of His Majesty's Acting Commercial Counsellor
on the subject of measures for the prevention of piracy, with
special reference to certain suggestions and recommendations
advanced by His Excellency The Commander-in-Chief.
This matter has been disuussed very fully by Mr. Brett
and myself with the shipping sub-committee of the British
Chamber of Commerce and with representatives of the leading
British shipping companies, and I have now the honour to
submit the following observations which may be taken to
represent our joint views.
Their
Taking in the first place the suggestion referred to
in paragraph 3 of the Commander-in-Chief's letter that the
shipping companies may not take sufficiently active stepa
to encourage their officers to resist piracy, the local
representatives of the China Navigation and Indo-China
Steam Navigation Companies were asked the four questions set
forth in paragraph 5 of Admiral Tyrwhitt's letter.
replies were practically identical with those given at Hongko ng
by Mr. Robertson and Mr. Brown of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire,
as reported by Mr. Brenan in his despatch No.2 of Jamary 16th.
No special orders either for or against resistance are given
by either company, but apart from the fact that resistance is
compulsory under the Hongkong Piracy Prevention Regulations
His Majesty's Minister, British Legation,
Peking.
it