CO129-454 - Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1919 [4-6] — Page 41

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carry coal for Admiralty account, but, as she was found to be quite unsuitable for the purpose, she was despatched on the 28th. June to Amoy te carry coolies to Singapore. She remained on this run, and in August it was decided to instruct the omers that she must run on the trip Singapore, Hongkong, Amoy, Singapore; the reason being that a local Cement Company had made representations that it required tonnage to carry cement for Government works at Penang, and the Government of the Straits Settlements had asked for assistance in getting labour. The ship nould not carry labourers from liongkong because of quarantine restrictions in Singapore, and so she was loaded with cement in Hongkong and was

In September she was sent to Java to bring sugar.,

ort. The owers state sent to Amoy to pick up coolies in that port./" that the ship visited Singapore twelve times in 1918.

(b). The S. S. "Wollowra" was requisitioned at the end of 1917 in order to carry coal for the account of the Hongkong Goverment. At the time when the Dutch Ships were seized she wAJ diverted to bring sugar from Java for the local refineries. On the 14th. May, 1918, the Government of the Straits Settlements wrote to ask the assistance of the Hongkong Government in pro- -viding tonnage to carry labour from China to Singapore. It was possible to make arrangements to send coolies from Hongkong, but Singapore had quarantined this Colony on account of Cerebro- -Spinal Meningitis. Sir Henry May telegraphed that it was not

Singapore convenient to place more vessels on the Amoy, Swatow,

and he urged strongly that emigration from Hongkong should be allowed, protesting against the quarantine on various grounds, one of which was that Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis was understood to be quite as prevalent in Amoy and Swatow as it was in Hongkong. the Government of Straits Settlements could not see its way to comply with this request, and steps were accordingly taken to charter the S. S. *Wollowra" on the Amoy, Singapore, Rangoon run for the express purpose of carrying coclies to Singapore, agninst the interests of Hongkong.

run,

(c). The 8. 8. "Telemachus" was under charter to a

firm