CO129-487 - Others & Individuals - 1924 — Page 463

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جنت جورجی

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3.1.

The disturbed conditions in China have led to an

increase of piracy. Representations were received

from the eroantile Marine Officers Guilds and

other quarters and last summer I presided over an interdepartmental Conference which discussed the matter with the Guilds and prepared the report now submitted to the Secretary of State for authority to proceed as there in recommended.

Briefly the position is that the Guilds and the

China Association would like to throw the whole responsibility for defence against pirates on the avy. This is impracticable even at colossal ex- pense. The Hong Kong Government have regulations which are based on the duty of the ship's company to defend their ship. Under the regulations the vital parts of the ship are enclosed with grilles and constitute a kind of fortress. Experience shows

that pirate attacks can be and are successfully

resisted by well-found European ships when the regu-

lations are observed. The report herewith makes some

minor changes in the Regulations to make them more

acceptable

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452

acceptable to the European officers, but takes the

view that the Regulations can be worked, and are

successful when properly worked. We have instances to prove it.

The real trouble lies in the Chinese owned

ships which carry a European officer merely to

comply with the requirements of the Board of Trade

for British registry. The ships are not struc- turally capable of carrying out the Regulations properly, and, if they were, the kind of European

officer who is engaged "off the beach" as nominal

master, but is liable to 24 hours notice, and has no authority, is not in a position to exercise the discipline which the Regulations require. The Hong Kong Government have been tender in applying

the Regulations to such ships for fear of driving

them off the register. We think this is wrong,

and that the regulations should be strictly applied

and ships that are the natural prey of pfiates

should not be allowed to fly the British flag.

So long as there is anarchy in China, piracy will

flourish and ill-found, badly-manned Chinese owned

steamers will occasionally be taken. No practical measures can save such ships, but we

can save our flag.

di

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The fact that there have not been any

very striking cases of piracy lately seems to show that the measures taken by the Hong Kong Government –

fast patrol boats, armed guards, atc. are being

successful and should be up-held. But we think

the question of compensation to officers and that

of the provision of handy Wireless apparatus should be diligently pursued. A scheme of compensation has been tarted. We await an expert report from

the