204
In the case of a small privately-armed ship, a few months
ago, the master suspected that his crew was larger than
it should have been. He called in the Water Police and
mustered the ship's company and it was found that there
were just three times the numer of men living in the
crew space than there should have been, The supernumeraries
had been on board for several voyages and made money by
gambling and trading with the passengers and crew.
43.
It is not suggested that these long-standing
customs can be readily eradicated but it is at least
arguable that while the abuses exist the Government should
be absolved from the respon si bili ty of protection of ships
in which they occur,
44.
(a) Control of Sailings".
Two merchant ships, without guards, but sailing
in company are virtually safe from piracy,
Should one
ship deviate from her course the other ship would no ti ce
the fact, shadow her and make W/T reports.
45.
Sailing in company has all the well-known dis-
advantages inherent to a Convoy System. It would raise
a storm of indignation from the shipping firms and in
most cases could not be justified, But, should the
Government still be held responsible for the safety of
shipping, it could claim a right to compel vessels to
sail in company when conditions justify such measures.
46.
Part IV. Notes on W/T Communication Schemes.
The improvement in the working of the Southern
Communication Scheme and routeing system has been
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