TNAG-0358-FCO40-394-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1972 — Page 108

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I HAVE MENTIONED IN SOME DETAIL THE MORE IMPORTANT

FACTORS THAT HAVE LED SHIPOWNERS TO CHOOSE A FLAG OF CON-

VENIENCE OR NECESSITY. HOWEVER, THE GAPS BETWEEN THE

REQUIREMENTS OF CONVENTIONAL FLAGS AND THOSE OF THE MORE

PROMINENT FLAGS OF CONVENIENCE ARE BEING CONTINUOUSLY

NARROWED BY THE FORCE OF COMMERCIAL NECESSITIES AND

FURTHER APPROXIMATIONS CAN LIKELY BE EXPECTED,

AS REGARDS AN AUTONOMOUS HONG KONG REGISTRY, IT WOULD

OF COURSE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO OBSERVE THE RULES OF INTER-

NATIONAL CONVENTIONS, AND MY POINT IS THAT BY BEING AUTONOMOUS

(AND NOT JUST AN ADJUNCT OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION), PARTICIPATION

IN THE FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH CONVENTIONS

COULD PROBABLY BE MORE DIRECT, ACTIVE AND EFFECTIVE, THE

TWENTY-ODD MILLION TONS OF SHIPS WOULD NOT BE AS SILENT AS

NOW BY BEING WITHOUT A COMMON IDENTITY, BUT COULD, AND

PRESUMABLY WOULD, SPEAK WITH A FAIRLY LOUD VOICE IN THE

INTERNATIONAL FORUM, AN AUTONOMOUS REGISTRY WOULD PRO-

BABLY ALSO ENCOURAGE A GREATER UNIFORMITY OF INTERESTS OF

BOTH HONG KONG OWNERS AND HONG KONG CREWS, AND THE DEVELOP-

MENT OF BETTER ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES TO COMBINE EFFORTS

AND PURSUE GOALS OF MUTUAL BENEFIT. STIMULATION AND GROWTH

OF LOCAL SHIPPING-RELATED AND SERVICE INDUSTRIES WOULD NO

DOUBT BE A FURTHER PREDICTABLE RESULT, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL

JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANY LOCAL RESIDENTS.

I KNOW THAT THE ROAD TO ACHIEVEMENT OF THIS STATE

OF AFFAIRS WILL BE AN ARDUOUS ONE AND WILL REQUIRE HARD

WORK ON ALL FRONTS. IN VIEW PARTICULARLY OF THE LEGAL

IMPLICATIONS OF A MOVE TO A SEPARATE HONG KONG REGISTRY, ONE

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