CO129-521-2 Piracy in Chinese waters- anti-piracy measures 9-1-1930 - 10-4-1930 — Page 201

2/1

Page 2 of Enclosure No.4 (a)

British Board of Trade regulations are designed to safeguard life at sea under all conditions, and also to promote good organisation in this respect on board ship, consequently it is submitted trat when such organisation is maintained, any infringement of regulations for promoting that organisation, tends to defeat their object.

On existing ships, extensive reconstruction involving

but now the situation of officers' cabins is not foe sible ships can probably be so arranged as to afford a certain amount of defence in this r spect, against piracy from within.

3. (a) The recommendations make no mention of the type of guard to be carried, Indians have been found un- satisfactory and Chinese are an unkrown quantity, but are not considered likely to be adequate, in addition to the danger of their coming into collusion with the pirates, Accordingly, it would be necessary to fall back on Europeans but it would be impossible to obtain a sufficient number of suitable men on the China coast, outside of the Naval, Military or Police forces. The total required for China Navigation Company's coastal steamers, based on the present numbers which the Militery authorities consider essential in each steamer, would be about 200 men. Although the number of men per steamer might be reduced; even so, for a private company to have to recruit and control this small army seems altogether undesirable. This takes no account of guards required on Yangtse river steamers.

"Tean"

(b) The China Navigation Company is experimenting with four Northern Chinese guards on one steamer running between Hongkong and Haiphong, because, until some such trial is carried out, no dependable opinion can be given upon their efficacy; actually, the only real test would be of course an attempt at piracy on the ship on which they are carried, The men are all ex-Weihaiwei policemen and were recruited for us by the Police Inspector at Weihaiwei, who, however, pointed out that if we want men disciplined and trained in the use of arms, i,e. cx-police, there must have been something against them otherwise they would not have been dismissed. It should go without saying that a private company has no facilities for disciplining and training a

The records of the se large body of men in the use of erms. men, sent us from Weihaiwei, ere as follows :-

Is

2.

3.

Chang Yu Chen. Served 13 years in this force and was discharged for accepting bribes from gamblers in 1926. He was serving as a Corporal at the time of dismissal and apart from the offence for which he was discharged he has no serious entries on his conduct sheet.

Chiang Fu Shu. Served as a Constable for 16 years.

His conduct Was discharged as medically unfit. sheet is practically clear.

There are

Miao Feng Yu. Served as a Constable for 15 years. He was discharged for neglect of duty. three entries for the same offence on his conduct sheet.

4,