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people consulted together and were responsible for the design
of this particular boat, which was never intended to be
available at a moment's notice, but was constructed solely
to rescue shipping in the harbour during typhoons
nothing more.
that and
Much as the "Hsin-wah" disaster was to be regretted, it is not really incumbent on the Colony to provide craft
available at a moment's notice to deal with a mishap of this
sort. The shipyards do have tugs usually available at short notice and they are perfectly capable of rendering in an emergency assistance of this nature.
While one realizes that Board of Trade requirements
insofar as Hong Kong is concerned stand in need of considerable
revision, nothing will convince me that the vast amount of money now being spent in this direction is really necessary.
British shipowners in China are in all conscience faced with
more than enough competition and if Board of Trade regulations
are too acutely tightened up, such will unquestionably react
on the British shipowner, particular as regards emigration from China ports to say Siam. In this trade foreign shipowners will have a distinct advantage over their British competitors unless the Board of Trade exercises the greatest possible
care in legislating against their own Nationals. this under Harbour because it is under this Department that
these surveyors are working. No one is foolish enough to
suggest that the Government are not quite right in doing their
atmost to make the regulations as effective as possible in
Hong Kong, and, while I believe the Authorities at home ars
quite alive to the conditions which prevail and are prepared to
make things reasonably easy for the shipowner, the Harbour
Department, I am afraid, is not imbued with quite the same ideas.
I comment upen
?