MINUTES.
MINUTES NOT TO BE WRITTEN
ON THIS SIDE,
No 239.
70
Gw
71100
27207
sir,
C.O.
31025
359
ان انال |
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONGKONG. 29th May, 1924.
With reference to your telegram of the 12th
May, I have the honour to enclose copies of the correspond-
ence which has passed between this Government and the Chine
Coast Officers and the Marine Engineers' Guilds on the
subject of the piracy regulations.
2.
The main contention of the Guilds has been
throughout that the system of armed guards should be
abandoned. Compliance with this demand would mean that
every ship which left Hongkong would be exposed to the risk
of piracy without power of resistance, since as I have
pointed out in my despatch No.203 of the 5th of May no
system of patrols or escorts can provide adequately against
attacks from within.
The Guilds constantly assert in their letters
that the Indian Guards are useless. They adduce no evidence
in support of this assertion and all our experience goes
counter to it. Whenever there has been an enquiry into a
case of piracy it has been shown that the guards did their
duty as far as they were able.
Piracies have been successful not because
the guards were useless but because the Piracy Regulations
were not observed.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
J. H. THOMAS, M.P.,
&c..
&c..
&0.
3.
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