CO129-346 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [1-3] — Page 41

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they may not use their registration papers to go to sea

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without the precautions designed for the safety of pass-

-engers which are enforced by "Board of Trade

Registration"

The solution may perhaps be found in allowing only vessels

of 15 tons burden or under to be so registered, and only

provided they do not carry more than 12 passengers. It is

to this problem that Sir Havilland de Sausmarez is devoting

his attention, and I have had the advantage of some dis-

-cussion with him upon it. It would seem probable that the

matter must already have received consideration in the

case of other great inland rivers (or lakes) such as the

Nile, Congo, etc.

6.

The Minister writing to the

Foreign Office on 24th. November, 1907, said that the

question of controlling the launch traffic by regulations

was one which has presented difficulties for 20 years.

Admiral Sir Arthur Moore stated to the British Minister at

Peking that he felt sure that a large number of the steam-

-vessels on the West River which are nominally British-

-owned were in point of fact Chinese-owned, and that "there

was nothing to prevent the launches being run by a Chinese

Captain and crew who are in league with robbers for the

plunder of the passengers". He proposed when he visited

Canton