Copies to: Foreign Office (Ref.Kr.Crde's letter .4757/275/10 of 10 g)
Colonial Office (Rof."r.Cowell's 33755,34 of 2ind aug.
ar Office (Ref. ur office letter 083/5915.1) of 30 July) B.of 7. ref.r.Furke's
0.in 0. China)enclosing lettor E.9159/34 QUMSInici Commodore Hong letter 1754
of 21 al.
1.02222/34.
34.
Kong
21.30
27th August,
ན
Gentlemen,
With reference to your letter of the 19th June,
concerning the "piracy" of the .s." huntion", I am commanded by My Lords Commissioners of the admiralty to inform you that
They have given cureful consideration, in conjunction with tho
other Departments concerned, to the question raised in your
letter of the provision of navul or military guards for British vessels trading between Shanghai and Korthern Chinese ports.
Lɛ you are aware, E.. Government dooided in 1929 that the military guards placed on British shije permanently trading on the South Chine count could only be continued for
a limited period until the 31st March 1930 when the chipping
companies would have had time to make other arrangements.
The supply of guards was, howovor, extended for a further
limited period, on certain conditions, one of which was that the full cost (instead of the extra cost only) of the guards should be paid by the shipping companies, and military guards ultimately omuned to be supplied in august 1930, by which tire an armed force under the control of the long kong police had been organized and made available at Hong kong, the cost of which is borne by the shipping companies.
3. In 1931, an action was brought in the High Court of Justice by the China Navigation Company, elaining that the Crown had no right to exact payments for the provision of
military guards, but the notion was dismissed and the dimissal
was uphold by the Court of appeul.
4. The view of the admiralty has been and still is
that a proper system of rilles, coupled with the use of armed
/ police
Messrs. John Jiro & Jons Ltd.,
8
illiter Square,
Page 30Page 31
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