CO129-416 - Public Offices - 1914 — Page 605

1

1

598

piracies upon the attention of the Minister of Marine

The at a personal interview on the 21st instant.

Admiral explained the circumstances at length to the Minister, and laid stress on the fact that it was the stretch of water between Hongkong Waters and Kongmoon which requires special attention. It is true that the island of Ch'i-ao, where the attack on

the "Tai On" took place, lies outside the entrance of the West River, and is therefore not properly

within the sphere of the West River patrol. The

latter organization has, however, lately lost some of its former efficiency and Sir T.M.Jerram, in mentioning this fact, suggested that there should be closer co-operation between the British and

Chinese Naval Authorities in future. Admiral Liu

received this proposal sympathetically and showed us some Regulations which were said to have been in force in past years. I suggested that the case would be best met by the issue of Presidential

Instructions calling upon the Authorities of the

Province to act in close co-operation with the

British Authorities, the details of the scheme to

be worked out on the spot by the Naval Authorities

of the two countries.

Admiral Liu was inclined to think that the

origin of the trouble lay in the inefficiency of the

Police supervision in Hongkong over passengers embarking on river steamers, and intimated that unless the Hongkong Authorities lent their assistance nothing of an effective nature could be done to cope

with