TNAG-0420-FCO40-466-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 157

350

GRPS

PRICRITY

CONFIDENTIAL

CYPHER/CAT A

FM HONG KONG 140745Z

CONFIDENTIAL

NXKC21/2

TO PRIORITY F C O TELNO 645 OF 14TH JUNE, 1973.

HONG KONG REGISTER OF SHIPPING.

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I HAVE NOW SEEN Y.K. PAO AND HAVE RECEIVED STUART'S LETTER OF 7 JUNE.

2. WHAT MR. PAO SAID TO ME DID NOT QUITE COINCIDE WITH EITHER OF THE INTERPRETATIONS OF HIS THINKING CONTAINED IN PARAGRAPH 2 AND 4

OF STUART'S LETTER. HIS LINE WAS THAT HE ACCEPTED THAT FOR THE TIME BEING IT (LAST FIVE WORDS UNDERLINED) WAS

IMPOSSIBLE FOR H.M.G. TO AGREE TO MASTERS BEING OTHER THAN BRITISH,

THOUGH HE HOPED THAT LATER ON THIS COULD BE AGREED. BUT HE CONSIDERED

IT ESSENTIAL THAT THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE GIVEN POWER

TO GRANT CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY TO FIRST OFFICERS AND CHIEF

ENGINEERS OF OTHER NATIONALITIES WHO COULD BE HELD TO MEET THE

REQUIRED STANDARDS.

3. MR PAO'S POSITION IS, HOWEVER, DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF OTHER HONG KONG SHIP-OWNERS IN THAT HE HAPPENS TO EMPLOY A NUMBER OF

BRITISH MASTERS. THE POSITION OF HONG KONG SHIPPING INTERESTS AS A WHOLE, WITH WHICH PAO'S REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRED AT THE TIME, IS AS IN (B) ON PAGE 6 OF THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE'S MEMORANDUM (A COPY OF WHICH I ASSUME YOU CAN OBTAIN FROM STANDEN). AND IT IS

CLEAR TO US THAT, UNLESS THERE ARE CONSIDERABLE NUMBERS OF UNEMPLOYED

AND COMPETENT BRITISH MASTERS WHO COULD TAKE THE PLACE OF THE PRESENT NON-BRITISH MASTERS OF HONG KONG OWNED SHIPS (WHICH WE DOUBT), IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THESE SHIPS TO BE TRANSFERRED TO A HONG

KONG REGISTER. THIS WOULD MEAN, IN OTHER WORDS, THAT THE HONG KONG

REGISTER WOULD THEN BE CONFINED TO SOME OF PAO'S SHIPS WHICH COULD

NOT AMOUNT TO MORE THAN A VERY FEW MILLION TONS AT THE MOST.

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