CO129-346 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [1-3] — Page 39

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seen. It is not clear upon what authority this decision was

>

based. Up to the present date therefore British-owned

launches have continued to fly the flag (though legally

liable to a fine of £500 for doing so without the registra-

-tion required by the Merchant Shipping Act) and have

claimed and obtained British protection. I am informed

that there were over 13,000 entries of such launches at

the port of Canton in 1906 on the West River with an

aggregate tonnage of 250,000 tons (which gives an average

of 20 tons burden apiece).

5.

The existing state of things

appears to have arisen from a confusion in the use of the

word "Registration". Annexe 'C' of the Treaty of 1902

refers to "Registered Vessels" using the term in the

sense it is used in the Inland Water Regulations of 1898

which, however, did not refer to Board of Trade Registra-

-tion under the Merchant Shipping Act. This annexe to the

*Mackay Treaty" modified the 1898 Inland Water Regulations

and gave them Treaty sanction, thereby giving treaty

sanction to a Registration other than that enforced under

the Merchant Shipping Act. (The Order-in-Council of July

15th., 1904, framed under Article 88 of the Merchant

Shipping Act, however, in referring to registered ships

(clause