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39
* British
NB
disaster. The coxswain of the steam tug or launch ignored the
X
warning of the Police launch on duty off Cheung Sha Waan and struck
X
a mine, resulting in the complete destruction of both the launch
and lighters, and the loss of some forty lives.
Particulars of
this accident appeared in the local press on 1st November from
which cuttings are enclosed for your ready reference.
We have confirmed by personal interview with one of the
injured survivors at present in the Kowloon Hospital that this tug
and the two lighters were proceeding direct to Hong Kong without
discharging at Nam Tau. The launch flew a Japanese flag when
leaving Canton and the two wooden lighters, "Tai Hing" and "Tai Yee" had Portuguese flags painted on their hulls. dealers with whom we have business relations informed us that they
lost cargo in this accident and their goods were of the types which are normally shipped by British river steamers, such as Chinaware, Cassia Buds, Bamboo Shoots in tins etc.
Several Chinese
We would make mention also of the Chinese sailing junk "service" now operating spasmodically between Taiping at the entrance of the East River above Booca Tigris, Nam Tau and Hong Kong. From the information we have obtained it appears that Chinese interests in Taiping, we believe, have come to an arrange- ment with certain of the Japanese naval forces stationed in the Bocca Tigris area whereby in consideration of a "fee" paid them for a licence, the junks are permitted to sail unmolested from Taiping to Nam Tau. Several of such junks are registered in Hong Kong and they, of course sail ostensibly for Nam Tau. however, the Japanese eye is accidently or otherwise closed, these junks continue into Hong Kong waters after a brief stop at Nam Tau on the pretext of discharging and/or loading cargo there.
When,
The "fees" for licences vary, we gather, from 800 military yen per month for each vessel to M.Y. 400 for each single trip in one direction. Apparently, however, such arrange ents have on occasions come to grief and several junks although holding the requisite licence, have been either pillaged or burnt by