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that Hongkong should adopt the Board of Trade principles of the passenger certificate for ocean going vessels-and for this purpose full details of such requirements should be obtained from the Board of Trade and their recognition of this certificate as being in all respects the same as their own be obtained.

Appendix C.

Hongkong and the far east services which involve the large and important question of conveying the masses of Chinese to and from their fields of labour and the difficulty in this British Colony of legislating for the carriage of same in vessels under rules based on those apertaining in the European Countries is, we, consider,

(1) Impracticable (2) Inadvisable.

(1) The impracticability is that the vessels employed in this particular passenger trade are of small size averaging from 300 to 100 feet in length and to place boats in sufficient number to accommodate all persons on board would in the majority of cases be impossible and in others impracticable in that it would entail packing and/or stacking of boats which would only tend to increase the loss of life in the event of any accident to the vessel by reducing the available boats under davits less accessible. There are other difficulties deterent to organizing and maintaining efficient boat drill by the massing of boats such as the Chinese crews employed, the language difficulty, frequent changes of officers which is unavoidable owing to the exigencies of the services and the climatic conditions.

(2) The inadvisability of reducing the number carried in vessels to conform to the principle of "boats for all" would tend to drive the trade to foreign vessels particularly Chinese whose Mercantile Marine of steamships is ever increasing and whose country's maritime laws are practically non-existent. The Governments of India and the Straits Settlements are probably faced with the same difficulties only to a less degree than Songkong and the present Hongkong passenger certificate in its application to Life Having Appliances Rules is at least equal to that of these two countries.

The Governments of India and the Straits Settlements should be asked to accept this certificate as heretofore.

Appendix D.

We consider that in reference to the question of additional free board, the Govern- ment should be guided by the recommendations of a Committee which has been appointed by the Board of Trade under the chairmanship of Vice Admiral F. C. Learmonth "To study the weather conditions obtaining on the various sea routes of the World, and to advise, having regard to their conditions, to what geographical Zones the application of their special seasonal conditions of loading prescribed in the British Tables of free board may properly be extended, in what periods of the year in each zone the special conditions of loading should apply".

Appendix E.

The present type of life raft is an air tank made of light sheet brass with soldered joints, this is not considered satisfactory owing to its easy liability to damage. We consider that the type should be improved as far as the conditions in regard to lightness and portability will allow. We are of the opinion that air tanks made of light steel sheet galvanized and with rivetted joints would be more serviceable-but in this respect we recommend that information on the type approved by the Board of Trade be obtained from them.

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