75
attacks.
it is taken for granted by the companies that officers
will do their best to protect their ships from piratical
As regards compensation and rewards the companies
are opposed to laying down any fixed rules or scales for
the treatment of such questions, and prefer to deal with each
individual case on its merits. In the "Sunning" case the
officers concerned received substantial tokens of the company's
appreciation of their efforts and were fully compensated
for their losses, and in many other instances both companies
have dealt generously with officers killed or injured in
their service. So far as I am in a position to judge there
would appear to be no reason whatever to believe that it is
the policy of either of the two local British shipping
companies to discourage resistance by their officers to piracy.
Turning to the more general question as to the most
ffective methods of dealing with the problem of piracy on
the coast of China the views of the Shanghai representatives of
the shipping companies are naturally based on those already
expressed by their head offices at Hongkong, and our recent
discussions have not thrown much new light on the subject.
When meeting the Shipping sub-committee, however, I thought
it well to ascertain to what extent the members would be
prepared to support the recommendations put forward by the
"Sunning" Piracy Commission, as set forth on page 13 of
the report, and the following is the substance of the
committee's views.
1.
With reference to the first recommendation the committe
considered that under the conditions existing at Shanghai any
really effective march of ships and passengers is a practical
impossibility. The reasons put forward in support of
this opinion were similar to those indicated in my despatch
No.87 of November 31st, 1927, and I am satisfied that they
are well-founded. The committee had no observations to offer
on