CO129-532-6 Anti-piracy guards 2-1-1931 - 26-8-1931 — Page 13

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SPECIAL ANTI-PIRACY QUARDS ON BRITISH STRAMLKS,

(Commodore Hongkong ko.H.K.0260 of 22/5/31).

Folice and Messrs Butterfield and Swire, the latter losing

no opportunity of exaggerating trivial incidents to prov@

that Police Guards are inefficient. This Company s till

contends that guards should be provided direct from the

armed forces of the Crown, or, alternatively that they

should be recruited and trained by the Navy or Army. In

this connection I recently met Mr. Colin C. Scott, one of

the London Directors of Messrs Butterfield and Swire, who

told me that his firm is fighting the action against the

Crown on the argument that the Government, having notified

the shipping Companies that they considered the circumstance

rendered the provision of guards necessary, it was the dut

of the Government to provide these guards.

The real grievance, I gather, was that the firms

considered the charges for guards (a typical account is

given in Enclosure No.1) were very excessive,

6. I also attach reports from the Hongkong Police

on the following subjects:-

Enclosure No.2, Rescue from Firates of persons

kidnapped from 8.8. HIRUNDO (received from General Au Yeung Kui, Commissioner of lolice, Canton).

Anclosure No.3, Rescue from Pirates of persons

kidnapped from 8.6. HELIKON

(received from Tsoi Tang Fai).

Enclosure No.4, Soma notes on the antecedenta

of Tsoi Tang Fai.

(Signed) A. H. Yalker.

COMPODORE.