Sessional_Paper_1923 — Page 68

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in by the Committee, has put their views very clearly. They maintain their opinion, then expressed, that "Hongkong, being only a great trading port and distributing centre for South China, subsists practically on ship- ping alone, upon which with its connected avocations the native population of Victoria and Kowloon, numbering about 400,000 persons, depend for their living. They urge strongly that no further ships should be requisitioned from Far Eastern waters without first reviewing the situation and indicating the services for which the vessels are required; and that it is essential to keep alive a nucleus of the British shipping services trading with Hongkong".

The difficulty of estimating the number of ships that can yet be taken is enhanced by the uncertainty as to the movements of Allied and neutral tonnage. It is rumoured that Japan proposes to place restrictions upon the use of her tonnage. The Committee are informed that the S.S. Prometheus under the Norwegian flag, on time charter on the coast, has been taken over by the Imperial Authorities. There are some twenty-five vessels run- ning in similar circumstances in local trades, and, if these or any of them are similarly taken, any estimate regarding available British tonnage falls at once to the ground.

The Committee's position is in short that if British and Chinese interests are to be maintained no British ship can be spared, although in extreme national urgency every British ship might have to be spared. The Committee are working under the following instructions:-"Decided to requisition all British steamers on Indian and Far Eastern Liner Services in order that they may be employed with utmost possible economy on most essential services Secretary of State's telegrain of the 7th March: "Unless and

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until you are otherwise directed, it is not the desire of the Government to interfere either with the nature of your business or the method of conduct- ing it" letter of 5th May, from the Ministry of Shipping: “All British liners are being requisitioned, but that does not necessarily imply that they would all be diverted from their previous trade routes Secretary of State's telegram of the 10th August: The Home Office want every possible relief" Secretary of State's telegram of the 12th May.

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The last is the key to the whole situation. While in the opinion of the Com- mittee all British vessels on the coast are probably required to keep together a nucleus of the British trades established through long years of patient effort, yet when and in so far as the Imperial need is the greater some ships can and must be spared.

The Committee wish in this connection to draw attention to the appointment of Colonel Thomson. They consider it essential that the representative of the Shipping Controller should be an experienced shipping man and that he should as far as possible remain on the China Coast, where alone he can study and understand the conditions peculiar to that coast. The Com- mittee have been unofficially informed that Colonel Thomson has very con siderable experience of shipping; but he has hitherto conducted operations from India. The result would seem to be somewhat unfortunate from the point of view of Hongkong, judging by the case of the Hongkong-Calcutta run. In 1914 the British India and the Indo-China Lines had each eight vessels on that run. At the present day the British India Line retain three vessels against the Indo-China Line's one, and the Controller has recently taken the Indo-China boat Chaksang, which has been specially built for the run; whereas in the opinion of the Committee one of the British India boats would be more suitable for Imperial purposes. The Committee ask that no further ships may, if possible, be taken until Colonel Thomson has had time to review the situation on the spot. The Committee suggest that in any event Lieutenant Oldman should remain adviser to the Admi- ralty and that Mr. Sutherland and Mr. Nuttall or his substitute should be. appointed as Colonel Thomson's local representatives.

The Committee hope that their representations will not be read as indicating an obstructionist policy. They most emphatically realise that the Im- perial needs are paramount, and that the Colony must do the utmost in its power, irrespective of private interests, to further the common end.