TNAG-0420-FCO40-466-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 147

CONFIDENTIAL

4. AT EARLIER MEETINGS, ALSO, THE SHIPOWNERS CONFIRMED THAT THE ESSENTIAL PROBLEM RELATES TO TAIWANESE OFFICERS, INCLUDING MASTERS AND THAT, BESIDE THIS, THE QUESTION OF OTHER NATIONALITIES WAS

OF LESSER IMPORTANCE. THEY CLAIMED TAHT TAIWANESE OFFICERS WERE

TRAINED TO A HIGH STANDARD, MOST OF THEM HAVING RECEIVED FOUR YEARS'

UNIVERSITY TRAINING AS WELL AS SEA TRAINING AND THAT A MINIMUM OF

6 AND A HALF YEARS SEA SERVICE AS AN OFFICER WAS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN

A MASTER'S TICKET,

5. FOLLOWING RECEIPT OF YOUR TELEGRAM, I HELD A FURTHER MEETING

OF THE PRINCIPAL OWNERS, INCLUDING PAO, AND PUT YOUR PROPOSALS TO THEM. THEY CONCENTRATED ON MANNING (YOUR PROPOSALS 1, 2 AND 3) AND EXPLAINED THAT, SINCE THESE WOULD RENDER THEIR OPERATIONS IMPOSSIBLE, THE ONLY POSSIBLE COURSE WAS, WITH GREAT REGRET, TO REJECT YOUR PROPOSALS.

6. I THEN WARNED THEM, WITH PAO'S SUPPORT, THAT THIS MIGHT

WELL END THE MATTER, AND URGED THEM, AT LEAST AS AN INTERIM MEASURE AND HAVING REGARD TO THE DIFFICULTIES OF YOUR POSITION, TO CONSIDER A COMPROMISE.

7. AFTER A FURTHER MEETING AMONGST THEMSELVES THEY HAVE NOW AGREED

THAT YOUR POINT 1 (THE REQUIREMENT FOR MASTERS TO BE BRITISH WITH THE REQUISITE BRITISH OR EQUIVALENT COMMONWEALTH CERTIFICATES)

COULD BE ACCEPTED AS AN INTERIM MEASURE, BUT THIS WOULD HAVE TO

BE QUOTE ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT A PRAGMATIC REVIEW OF THE

NATIONAL REQUIREMENT WOULD HAVE TO TAKE PLACE, WITHIN SAY TWO

YEARS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A HONG KONG

REGISTER, IN THE LIGHT OF EXPERIENCE GAINED IN THAT PERIOD, AND OF DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING RECIPROCITY WITH EEC CERTIFICATES OR

AMENDMENTS TO THE EXISTING UK LEGISLATION UNQUOTE TO QUOTE FROM

THE LETTER RECORDING THEIR POINT OF VIEW.

8. THE INITIAL SUPPORT FOR A HONG KONG REGISTER WITH THE ABOVE

REQUIREMENT WOULD BE LIMITED TO ABOUT 10 PER CENT OF THAT

ORIGINALLY ENVISAGED, 1.E. ABOUT 2 M. DEADWEIGHT TONS, AND THIS WOULD

BE DEPENDENT ON THE AVAILABILITY OF BRITISH MASTER AT THE TIME.

9. BUT THEY EMPHASISED THAT YOUR PROPOSAL ON MASTERS COULD ONLY BE

2

CONFIDENTIAL

/ ACCEPTED

*