CO129-507-4 China- anti-piracy precautions- question of compensation to families of British officers killed or wounded 5-10-1928 - 2-1-1929 — Page 37

12th November, 1928.

37

Dear Locker-Lampson,

Anti-Piracy Protection in Eastern Waters.

As I daresay you know the War Office have recently

authorised the supply of guards by the military authorities

in China to certain British shipping, as a prevention

against outbreaks of piracy.

The passenger trade between

Singapore and Swatow and Amoy and Hong Kong is a very exten-

give one, and is chiefly, if not entirely, carried out in

British ships which are particularly susceptible of

piratical operations.

Recent.

There is some reason to believe that the sunction

given to the employment of regular troops for guarding

purposes may be of a temporary nature, but if this is so

it will inevitably follow that, once the guards are with-

drawn, the passenger trade will be gravely affected.

piracies have made it clear that it is essential these

guards should not be withdrawn until either the naval forces

nave been strengthened or the Chinese Covernment itself

has taken effective steps to put the pirates down.

I have put down questions to the Minister for War

and First Lord of the Admiralty on the subject, and I think

it is desirable to draw the attention of the Foreign Office

to it also, and I hope you will be able to reinforce the

request made by the shipping companies that these guards shall not be precipitately withdrawn and not under any cir-

cumstances till some other measures which should prove

equally effective have been substituted.

You will realise, I think, that both experience

in the!