CO129-498-1 Indepartmental conference on Piracy- report 12-1-1926 - 20-4-1926 — Page 66

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convicted of practices which would enable

him to be placed on a black list.

Captain Bate then enquired of Sir'

E.Stubbs whether it would not be possible to

establish at Hong Kong a corps of certificated

officers, and to insist that only officers

from this corps should be allowed to be carried

by ships subject to the Piracy Regulations.

Sir E.Stubbs, however, thought that

this too would be impracticable. If such a

corps of officers did not contain enough

members to man all the ships requiring them,

there would be trouble. To ensure that

there was a sufficiency of officers would

mean that there would have to be a surplus,

and the problem of paying them when not em-

ployed would arise and would probably be an

unsurmountable difficulty.

Ir.Moss.referred to the contentions

which had been put forward that ships officers.

were reluctant to risk their lives because

there is no adequate scheme for insurance. In reply to Sir G.Grindle. Sir E.Stubbs

stated that the Hong Kong Government had not proceeded with the suggestion that Government

should make it obligatory on the owners to

insure their officers. In his view it is

quite unnecessary to do so. Wages arehigh

and the officers can, if they wish, insure

their own lives at cheap rates.

Sir