CO129-438 - Public Offices - 1916 — Page 200

Any further communication should be

to :-

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY,

(MARINE DEPARTMENT),

And the following letter and number

be quoted:--

'M.

18966.

Telegraphio Address.

BOARD TRADE, MARINE,

LONDON.

194

BOARD OF TRADE,

----(MARINE DEPARTMENT),

C

7, WHITEHALL GARDENS,

34910

LONDON, S.W.

RECO

24th July, 1916.

Sir

REGE 25 JUL 1!

I am directed by the Board of Trade to transmit to you, for the information of lir. Secretary Boner Law, the accompany- ing copy of a letter from Mr. H. P. King of Dairen which has been received from the Secretary to the Shipping Control Com- mittee respecting the ships under construction at Hong Kong and Singapore for neutral owners.

The Board have made enquiries into the matter and they are informed that at the end of May last no vessels were under construction at Singapore, but that at Hong Kong the follow- ing vessels were under construction:-

The Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Co. Ltd.

Norwegian

2 Siamese

2 British

about 2150 gross tons each.

It

1350

TI

2370

11

#1

TI

IT

Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Co. of Hong Kong Ltd.

about 6200 gross tons

1 British

2 British

!

3 British

!

(Colonial)

2500 gross tons each.

ft

2000

"

It will be seen that six of the fourteen vessels under construction are for neutral owners.

The Board desire me to state, for the information of the Secretary of State that under the provisions of Section 9 (a) of the Munitions of War (Amendment) Act, 1916, they have power to certify the construction and repairs of merchant ships to be "Munitions Work" and that without the certificates which are issued by this Department in regard to particular ships,it is not possible for a shipbuilder or ship repairer to employ labour on the work or to obtain materials to execute the work.

Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.