XN000022-1975-07-22 — Page 2

TUESDAY, JULY 22, 1975

DESERTION RATE DROPS

AS HK SEAMEN BECOME MORE RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT

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SHIPPING COMPANIES ARE GRADUALLY REGAINING CONFIDENCE IN THE RELIABILITY AND EFFICIENCY OF HONG KONG SEAMEN AS A RESULT OF IMPROVED DISCIPLINE AND A MORE STEADFAST DEVOTION TO DUTY.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE SEAMEN'S RECRUITING OFFICE OF THE MARINE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY THAT 190 VACANCIES, FORMERLY FILLED BY FOREIGN SEAMEN, HAVE RECENTLY BEEN REPLACED BY LOCAL RATINGS.

+ALTHOUGH THIS COULD NOT OFFSET OTHER POSTS LOST TO FOREIGN SEAMEN IN THE SAME PERIOD, IT IS THE BIGGEST SINGLE BATCH OF VACANCIES OFFERED TO LOCAL SEAMEN IN A LONG TIME AND, HOPEFULLY, THE START OF A NEW TREND,+ HE SAID.

HE POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG SEAMEN ARE RECOVERING THEIR. IMAGE AS BEING HARDWORKING, CAPABLE AND DEPENDABLE MAINLY BECAUSE OF A SHARP DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DESERTED THEIR SHIPS IN FOREIGN PORTS.

+THE DESERTION RATE OF LOCAL SEAMEN HAS BEEN DROPPING QUICKLY SINCE THE PEAK WAS REACHED IN THE PERIOD 1968 TO 1971 WHEN A TOTAL OF 5,179 SEAMEN JUMPED SHIP,+ HE SAID, THIS AVERAGED OVER 100 DESERTIONS A MONTH.+

IN 1974, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DESERTJONS HAS DROPPED TO 516 OR AN AVERAGE OF 43 A MONTH.. DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THEY FURTHER DROPPED TO 165 AN AVERAGE OF 27 A MONTH.

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THE SPOKESMAN ATTRIBUTED THE LOWER DESERTION RATE TO TOUGHER PENALTIES, IMPROVED WELFARE AND WORKING CONDITIONS, THE SCARCITY OF JOBS ABROAD AND IN HONG KONG AND A SUCCESSFUL DRIVE TO BRING HOME TO SEAMEN THE LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES OF DESERTION,

UNDER REVISED LEGISLATION EFFECTIVE FROM FEBRUARY 1973, SEAMEN WHO JUMPED SHIP FOR THE FIRST TIME ARE SUSPENDED FROM GOING TO SEA FOR TWO YEARS. SECOND OFFENDERS HAVE THEIR NAMES PERMANENTLY REMOVED FROM THE REGISTER.

+THIS IS MUCH MORE REALISTIC THAN THE FORMER SUSPENSION PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS WHICH A LOT OF SEAMEN COULD AFFORD TO REGARD AS A HOLIDAY, HE SAID. +THIS, TOGETHER WITH THE REALISATION THAT SUCH ACTS MAY PUT A LOT OF THEIR COLLEAGUES OUT OF WORK, ARE MAKING SEAMEN THINK TWICE BEFORE THEY DESERT.+

THE SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT THE NUMBER OF POSTS AVAILABLE TO LOCAL SEAMEN HAD BEEN DECREASING STEADILY DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS, BUT IT WAS HOPED THAT THIS DOWNWARD TREND CAN BE HALTED AS A RESULT OF A CONTINUING DIALOGUE BETWEEN SEAMEN, THE S.R.O., THE SEAMEN'S UNIONS AND THE SHIPPING COMPANIES.

/+THE WORLD-WIDE