Sessional_Paper_1927 — Page 65

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The officer on watch on a protected bridge will undoubtedly carry a very heavy responsibility, and may even at short notice be called upon to carry out without hesita- tion orders, which should have been laid down in advance as part of a considered general plan, affecting the lives of all the Europeans on board excepting those on the bridge The action taken must ultimately depend on individual character and determination. The recommendations of the Commissioners can go no further than the consideration of the best form of assistance that can be given to a determination to resist, which must be assumed; and they find that assistance in a closer definition of the citadel idea as develop- ed from its origin in the report on the piracy of the s.s. "Sui An", in the belief that a ship so defended will discourage the attention of pirates. Arson or wholesale murder would hardly be resorted to by pirates, except in revenge for want of success; and a pro- bable, or even possible, want of success will form a powerful deterrent.

A purely Government scheme in such circumstances not unnaturally invites criti- cism and objection; and this the grilles system has received. In spite of this however, and in spite of a certain lack of interest displayed in it by owners and officers generally, the Commissioners accept the position that the grille system has positive value if it incor- porates the lessons of experience and is adapted to design.

VI. (d) to consider the supply of armed guards, the number to be carried and their administration.

I. The present system.

The opinions elicited from witnesses showed one fairly well marked division in the general view of the value of the guards. The majority of the officers of the coast ships seemed to have little confidence in them, while the river steamer officers had little or no fault to find. The cause of this divergence of opinion no doubt lies in the different condi- tions obtaining on the coast and on the river. The river runs are matters of hours only and intermittent, while the coast runs are continuous over periods of days and nights. The grilles of coastal steamers, at which the guards are stationed, are in most cases out of sight of the officer of the watch, while the concentration of the grille system on the bridge in river steamers keeps the guards continually under the closest supervision. Even with these advantages however there was no strong impression created by the officers of river steamers that Indian guards were indispensable, and the opinion seemed to hold that if a surprise could be prevented by reliable discipline, an alert watch, and an early alarm, the officers could hold the bridge. For watchmen of this nature the choice be- tween Indians and Chinese, perhaps from other provinces than Kwong Tung, seemed to be a matter of personal feeling, with a leaning, (among officers of river steamers) towards Indian guards for their fighting qualities, in the event of it becoming possible to defend the whole area inside the outer grilles.

Officers from coastal steamers had little good to say for the guards. Their dis- cipline was not satisfactory and their behaviour often open to complaint, as with only two deck officers besides the Captain, it was not possible to exercise continuous supervision over duties out of sight of the bridge. The lack of interest shewn by the officers in the guards is no doubt partly responsible for this state of affairs, but there is reason for this mental attitude, and it is obvious that even in otherwise well disciplined ships, the con- trol of the guards offers peculiar difficulties, sufficient to prevent the presence of Indian guards on board coastal ships being generally viewed with favour by the officers. But again something in the shape of alert watchmen is required, and again the choice of na- tionality becomes a personal matter, with some leaning in this case towards Northern Chinese as being more easily adaptable to the life of a ship which contains practically only Chinese. The possibility of connivance with pirates and the smaller fighting power of Chinese as compared with Indians has still to be considered, and must not be over- looked. These disadvantages may however be well counter-balanced by the probability that Chinese would be quicker than Indians to see signs of danger, and the officers would thus receive earlier warning to enable them to take measures for defence.

No criticisms or suggestions as to the number of guards to be carried were re- ceived. But as in every case the officers seemed confident of being able to hold the bridge indefinitely if given sufficient warning, it would appear that the number of guards to be carried should be governed by the number of watchmen required for the grilles.