CO129-343 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 174

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OFI

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Enclosure

in Sie Ft Fordan's No. 529 dec 13/56

C.O.

4727

ulation.

¡RECR REGE

c.7 FEB 07:

Tai T¤ Pu té-ir-geen Jordan.

Peking.

3115

JAN 28 1907

December 3, 1906.

sir.

I have the homur to acknowledge the receipt of Your

Excellency's Note of November 20 on the subject of the pi-

raciss which have been committed on British vessels in the

rest niver and canton waters generɛlly.

Your Excellency

considered that the first step necessary was to establich

a competent system of water colice and that the most feasible

and inexpensive plan would be to authorize the Inspector

General of customs to organise z Tater Police service which

would constantly patrol the waterways: while the local

authorities should have their responsibility clearly defined.

The Board communicated the tenour of Your Excellency's Bote

to the Viceroy at canton, by telegraph, and tís Excellency

hes now replied as follows: -

*·lthough piracy le rife in Yuɛnetung, still the asses

of ateamors being plundered are not numerous. Those that

occur are cases of small etean-vegsele, going alone, and

taking up passengers en route. The pirstes disguise then-

selves as ordinary law-abiding people and take passage on

these vessels. Then they are under atear they overpower the

rest of those on board end proceed to plunder the ship.

These piraten all know how to work a steam-vessel, so that

even