CO129-487 - Others & Individuals - 1924 — Page 402

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is very little chance of their being taken by surprise and

every chance of their being able to resist successfully any

attack which might be made. We are moreover convinced that

the knowledge that all ships are in an efficient state of

preparedness would act as a real deterrent to piratical

attacks. This view is borne out by the fact (as we were

informed) that the ships of the more reputable lines, by

which the regulations are observed and good discipline enforc-

ed, have been immune from attack.

We

16. We therefore do not consider that a case has been

made out for any radical revision of the existing regulations.

We understand that, particularly in the case of old ships,

full compliance with the structural requirements of the

Regulations would entail considerable expense to the owners

and that accordingly the Hong Kong Government has in the past

allowed some latitude in cases where a strict enforcement of

the regulations would appear to entail special hardship.

were info med however that the policy of the Government for

some time past has been directed towards the more stringent

enforcement of the regulations. We consider that this is the

proper course to follow, and we recommend that the Hong Kong

Government should be invited to consider the desirability

of announcing that full and strict compliance with the Regulations will universally be required after a certain

definite period of time.

17. The guards employed are Indians, and we are informed

that, when it was decided to place guards in the ships, there

was at first considerable difficulty in finding suitable men.

The number of Indians in Hong Kong is not large and the

Government had to take such material as it could find.,

The

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