L
"emigration offices"; and in the previous paragraph " 568
His Excellency stated that "it is understood that at the
"coast ports the measurements are taken by such surveyor as
"the Emigration Officer may find available".
There is an undercurrent of insinuation in
these sentences, implying that the coast port surveyors are
not wholly satisfactory. So far as this port is concerned •
there have been three surveyors in twenty years or more, and
all threeh have been fully qualified men. The present surveyor,
Mr. R. W. Black, is the engineer in charge of the Amoy
Deak, and he has been Government Farine Surveyor for eight
years. He is not only "official"; he is also independent ",
On this point, then, His Excellen oy's suggestion is unnecessary.
As to any difficulty in applying obligatory Hongkong
measurement to emigrant ships, I cannot agree with His
Excellency that there would be none. Expense and loss of time
would be caused to ships obliged to go out of their way
to effect the necessary registration at Hongkong; and
some vessels would certainly transfer themselves to other
localities where irksome and unnecessary regulations do not
exist.
Some other objections occur to me ----
(1) The control of the Hongkong Government over ships at
China ports,necessary to oblige ships to visit Hongkong
for measurement, would presumable have to be effected through
His Majesty's Consuls, and would place them in the awkard
position of receiving instructions from a Colonial Department,
leading to a conflict of duties:
(2) In the event of the Hongkong Goverment succeeding in
attracting Chinese emigration to Hongkong, it is almost certain that Japanese shipping would take up the South China emigration.
The competition. would be made all the easier for them by the
Hongkong Government's suggested handicapping of the British
vessel /
J
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.