2.
98
Shanghai, the kegistrar of hipping has discretion to
refuse registration because the company's principal
place of business is not established within some part
of His Kajesty's dominions as required by Section 1 of
the Merchant shipping Act. The principal office of the
Oversea Chinese Banking Corporation Limited is however
in Singapore. The company's letter to me does not, of
course, contain sufficient information on which to
register this launch, but provided the prescribed
requirements are complied with it would seem that I
have no discretion to refuse, and in fact I would have
a statutory duty to register the launch under Section 9
of the Chine (shipping Registry) Order in Council 1904.
4. If the launch were registered it would be
entitled to fly the British fing and if e vessel flying
the British fisg gets into difficulties with the Chinese
authorities, as may easily be the case with such #
launch at Amoy, it is undesirable on the general grounds
of the prestige of the flag for the British authorities
to refuse intervention on its behalf. We should then
have a company from which protection has been withdrawn
owning a launch which is to be protected. I think,
therefore, that we anould use such pressure as is
available to dissuade the company from proceeding with
registration, and with this in view I would call
attention to other enactments which might be invoked
for the purpose.
5.
The Amoy Consular District General Regulations,
Section 7, provide that if any British launch engages
/in