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Guards.
31. Every ship shall carry at least guards, and River Steamers on the routes given in 30 (1) & (2) shall carry at least six guards.
32. The duties of the guards shall be as follows:-
(a.) To assist the Police in searching the passengers and their baggage and goods, the crew and staff of the ship and their belongings, and the ship and its stores and equipment and cargo.
(b.) To protect the bridge deck and the access from the bridge deck to the
engine and boiler rooms.
(c.) To endeavour as far as possible to see that no ammunition or arms are
smuggled on board.
No guard shall be employed on any duty other than those specified above.
33. At least two guards, and, in the case of ships having to carry six guards, at least four guards, shall be on duty at all times while the ship is in a danger
Guards shall not be stationed below the Boat Deck.
zone.
34. Each guard while on duty shall carry one police whistle, one 12 bore gun with 20 rounds of ammunition, and one revolver and 25 rounds of ammunition.
35. All guards shall be exercised weekly in the use of their weapons, and instructed in their duties from time to time as may be necessary by the master or by an officer deputed by him. Weekly exercising shall include the firing of 5 'rounds revolver and rifle by each ship's officer and each guard. The performance of these exercise shall be entered in the ships official log. Empty cartridge cases so expended shall be produced at the Central Police Station at the time of indenting for fresh ammunition.
36. Subject to the performance of the duties required of them by these regulations, and subject to the right of the Captain Superintendent of Police to direct them with reference to any search, the guards shall be under the entire control of the master of the ship, and shall take no orders direct from the owners, agents, charterers or licensees of the ship, and all orders given by the owners, agents, charterers or licensees to any guard shall be given through the master of the ship.
37. Guards must be requisitioned for to the Captain Superintendent of Police on a form approved by him. The Captain Superintendent of Police will train and appoint guards to each ship as required and shall have power to remove any guard from any ship as he may think fit; the owners, agents, charterers and licensees shall pay to the Colonial Treasurer on the first day of every month $25 for each guard carried during the previous month.
Passengers and Searches.
38. When a ship is within the danger zone no passengers shall be allowed on the bridge deck between the lodgers and grilles.
39. While a ship is lying alongside a wharf in the Harbour Ino passenger or any other person shall be permitted to come on board or to bring or put on board any article or thing, except cargo, on the side of the ship away from the wharf.
40. In the case of a ship which is lying alongside a wharf in Hongkong no passenger shall be allowed to embark after the master of the ship has been notified by the Police that the search of the ship is complete, and in case of a ship lying elsewhere no passenger shall be allowed to embark after the search by the Police has been begun.
41. All necessary orders and facilities shall be given to enable the Police and the guards to search all passengers and their goods and baggage, all the members of the crew or the staff of the ship and their belongings, any part of the ship and its stores and equipment, and any of the cargo, and to do all acts which may be reasonably neces sary in order to carry out any such search, provided that the guards shall in all respects in reference to any such search be subject to the directions of the Captain Superintendent of Police.
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42. The Captain Superintendent of Police shall have power to direct, either gener ally or in any particular case, how and when any search is to be carried out, and may detain any ship for the purpose of any search or any additional search, and may delegate his powers in this behalf to such other officer of Police as he may think fit.
All necessary orders and facilities shall be given to enable the directions of the Captain Superintendent of Police, or any person deputed by him, to be carried out.
43. No ship shall leave its wharf or moorings or the Harbour until the master of the ship has been notified by the Police that the search by the Police has been com- pleted.
General.
44. In the case of a piratical attack in the daytime repeated blasts shall be sounded on the steam whistle or syren.
45. In the case of a piratical attack at night rockets, blue lights and Verey's lights shall be fired.
46. The owners, agents, charterers and licensees shall notify the Captain Super- intendent of Police confidentially beforehand on any occasion when it is expected that treasure will be carried on a ship and on any occasion when there may be any reason to fear that a piratical attack may be attempted.
47. The metal or metal grille doors to the engine and boiler rooms shall be kept locked at all times while the ship is in a danger zone and during such time the only access to the said parts of the ship shall be from the bridge deck.
48. Ships proceeding to or up any part of the Canton River or estuary, the West River, or the tributaries or mouths of such rivers, shall at night-time accompany each other as much as possible between Hongkong and Wang Mun or Bocca Tigris and remain within easy signalling distance of one another. The hours of departure from Hongkong of any ships so proceeding shall be subject to the approval of the Captain Superintendent of Police.
49. The Captain Superintendent of Police will arrange for periodical inspections of River Steamers under weigh by officers deputed for that purpose, and all necessary orders and facilities shall be given in that behalf.
50. If any order of any kind whatsoever shall be given, or threat or inducement, direct or indirect, shall be made or held out, or pressure shall be exerted or advice shall be offered, which might have the effect of influencing the master, officers, guards, or crew of any ship to fail to observe any of the provisions of these regulations, and the same shall come to the knowledge of the master, he shall take all steps, reasonable and neces- sary, to counteract such order, threat or inducement and shall report the matter to the Harbour Master at the first opportunity.
51. The owners, agents, charterers and licensees of every ship, and their servants and employees, and the master and crew of every ship, shall use their best endeavours to assist in the carrying out of these regulations, and shall commit no act of omission or commission which may tend to prevent any of the provisions of these regulations from being properly carried out.
52. Subject to any exemptions granted under the Piracy Prevention Ordinance, 1014, these regulations shall apply to every ship proceeding or intending to proceed ou any such voyage as is referred to in section 3 of the said Ordinance and to every ship which has made any such voyage and is returning or is about to return to Hongkong.
COUNCIL CHAMBER,
A. G. M. FLETCHER, Clerk of Councils.
6th March, 1924.
(Extract from the Hongkong Government Gazette No. 12 of the 6th March, 1924
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