CO129-534-3 Report of Retrenchment Commission 4-5-1931 - 19-2-1932 — Page 105

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Secondly, the desire of the Hong Kong Government to obtain for

its passenger certificates world wide recognition, which could

only be secured through prior recognition by the Board of Trade.

A representative of the Board of Trade was sent out from

England at the request of the Hong Kong Government and as a

result of his recommendations, published as Sessional Paper No.

5 of 1927, an increase in surveyors from eight to fourteen

was authorised. It should here be remarked that for general

purposes there are three classes of Passenger Certificate

issued; Class III for river steamers, Class I for coastal

trade and Class IA for world wide tradeo It was recognition

of the last that was sought, When the Board of Trade's

representative was in the Colony he expressly stated that the

Board was not concerned with the Hong Kong Class I and Class

III certificates. The increase of six surveyors was therefore

prima facie for Class A survey work.

7. în 1930 ten ships were surveyed for this class of certifi-

cate and the fees collected by Government in respect thereof

were $13,000. There seems to be small prospect of any marked

increase in the future in the number of ships taking out Class

IA certificates. To maintain an additional six European

surveyors for ten ships would be the height of extravagance.

But in fact the six surveyors were not wholly for the IA

certificate survey work.

8. At the time when the Board of Trade's representative was

making his investigations the Harbour Master considered that

his staff of eight surveyors was insufficient for the ordinary

work of the department. The Board's representative included in

his recommendations extra staff sufficient to cover the require-

ments of the Harbour Master, fearing that if this were not done

the extra surveyors engaged primarily for IA certificate work