21
quite
delay when a piracy actually occurs. As we see it, an
appreciable delay would be implicit in any system which
relied upon communication with Head Offices as compared
with a system which centralised on one of H.M. ships.
apart from the longer time which would be taken in the message reaching a responsible official, the Head Offices'
first action must be to retransmit the news to H.!!. Naval
Authorities, who, had it reached the first of all, would
have been able to act with far greater celerity. In other
words a scheme oporated by H.M. ships gets the news in
the quickest possible time to those who must decide whether,
and if so what, action need be taken. We therefore prefer
to leave the scheme to the ships. Their instructions are
clear cut and Masters understand that the whole respons-
ibility of ascertaining that all is well on a sister ship
rests with them, and they are, we are confident, giving
the acheme the serious attention it requires.
Interchanges of signala are, of course, logged, and
logs are examined at the end of each trip; we shall continue
this and other measures to satisfy ourselves that the
scheme is being conscientiously carried out but we still
hope that, in view of the difficulties arising from spacing
out sailings and from delays due to stress of weather and
to the elasticity of sailings necessary to develop trades
to the best advantage, the supervision of the scheme will
be placed under a permanent receiving unit in the manner
which has worked satisfactorily in the South.
We are etc.,
(signed) Jardine, Matheson and Co.Ltd.
General Managers, Indo-China S.N.Co.Ltd.
(signed) Butterfield and Swire,
Agents, China Navigation Co.Ltd.