CO129-490 - Public Offices - 1925 — Page 644

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is essentially a duty of His Majesty's Navy.

An efficient

service of patrols would not merely protect commerce from attacks from without but would also act as absolute deterrent

to attacks from within.

In a speech made by him in Shanghai (1924) Admiral Sir Arthur Leveson stated that the placing of armed guards on river boats was of little practical service and that increased patrols were in his opinion the only remedy, and that he was taking steps to increase the patrols on the Yangtze.

The signatories hereto have taken up the question

of Naval patrols with the Senior Naval Officer West River Patrols and his report is with the approval of the Commodore

appended hereto.

Two observatione only need be made on the substance

of that Report.

First that it would appear from the Report that that portion of H.M. Naval forces which is stationed in adjacent waters is not adequate for the many and varied duties which devolve upon it and second that the report deals practically entirely with River traffic.

It is urged that a system of patrols on the lines indicated by the officer in question and a coastal patrol within the Danger Zone to be formulated by the Naval Authorities

If the Estimates for His should be instituted at once. Majesty's Navy do not permit of the immediate construction of the indicated craft by the Navy it is urged that the Hong Kong Government might fittingly apply to this purpose the surplus shipping control funds as yet unappropriated to any particular purpose, or if these are unavailable for the time being, in the interests of the general trade of the

Colony