CO129-498-1 Indepartmental conference on Piracy- report 12-1-1926 - 20-4-1926 — Page 67

beforehand or, if that was impossible by Killing him or wrecking

The apparatus beginning of the attack.

at the

that pirates are careful not to attack a

ship if there is a patrol vessel anywhere nea:

If, therefore, a wireless signal were sent

when an attack occurred, sufficient time

would elapse before the patrol vessel could

come up to enable the pirates to get away

with their loot or at any rate to get posses- sion of the ship. Even if a patrol vessel

did come on the scenes before the pirates

had got away, what could it do short of

sinking a ship? - a remedy which would be

worse than the disease. In any case the

by pirates would probably make sure of bribing

the wireless operator or at any rate would

out the aerial before attempting to attack.

Sir G. Grindle suggested that if a

convenient form of automatic wireless apparatus

were produced the more reputable ships would

in any case carry it for their own protection;

and if the installation were made compulsory

the expense of installing it might act as a

further deterrent to the disreputable ships

coming on the British register.

6

Sir E. Stubbs thought, however,

that before it could be made compulsory for

a ship to instal and carry wireless apparatus,

it would be necessary for such apparatus to

beobtainable at a reasonable price, and an

expenditure of £50 would certainly not keep

one of these ships off the register.

It was however arranged that the

Board of Trade should inform the Colonial

Office when a decision had been reached as to

the