Sessional_Paper_1927 — Page 86

"At a Shipping Sub-Committee Meeting held on the 16th July, I submitted a report on the Harbour Improvement Scheme and put forward in same a proposal with regard to a passenger depot for River Steamers. The Committee of the Chamber of Commerce was subsequently informed by Mr. Fletcher that certain matters, with regard to Harbour Improvements were being suspended until the arrival of Mr. Duncan from Home. It occurred to me therefore that it might be opportune to put before the Government the scheme of the proposed passenger depot, even if you were not in a position to send in a considered report on the whole project of Harbour Improvements. To this end I addressed the Chamber of Commerce in a letter dated the 26th October. Since then. I have received numerous enquiries with regard to the passenger depot, which seems to have aroused a certain amount of public interest. It has been suggested that I might go one step further and prepare a rough plan of what I have in mind. I accordingly made some rough sketches which have been set forth in presentable form through the kindness of Mr. L. G. Bird, of Messrs. Palmer & Turner, and you will now find upon the table the general outline of the scheme. This plan will perhaps make matters more clear to you, and I shall as briefly as possible explain the 'modus operandi' of working the depot.

Before doing so however, I think perhaps I may say that the necessity of taking some definite steps towards the suppression of piracy and general lawlessness is becoming, every day, more pressing. Since we

we first discussed this scheme, piracies have been largely on the increase, and although the Hong Kong Govern- ment may have made certain arrangements with regard to better searching of passengers and their baggage, have arranged patrols to accompany the River steamers and although representations have been made to the Naval Authorities, no movement commensurate with the importance of the issue has yet been made, and if you approve of same, representations to the Government by the Chamber advocating this depot scheme will be in line with the strong resolutions recently proposed by the delegates of the Chamber of Commerce at Shanghai.

It is admitted by all that the present system of police inspection at wharves during all sorts of weather and at night cannot but be most unsatisfactory, and all who have any knowledge of Chinese criminals state that it is not likely banishees, bad characters, etc., will submit themselves to an eye to eye inspection by detectives in broad daylight or well lit rooms.

I am not overlooking the prevention of piracy regulations, and while these in a measure may assist in quelling an outbreak on board, I am inclined to look upon them with mixed feelings, inasmuch as that while the regulations and the use of grilles and locks may have a deterrent effect and assist in preventing the control of the ship falling into the hands of pirates, there is another side to the question, namely, the ordinary perils of the sea. By this I mean that in the event of an out- break of fire, or panic by collision, or stranding, the presence of grilles and the difficulty of gaining free access to boats, might be the means of bringing about a terrible calamity. Even since these notes were written, a serious accident has occurred in the Canton River, namely, the stranding of the "HEUNGSHAN" with over 500 passengers on board. I have not yet heard the official details of this casualty but it is evident that the personnel of the vessel must have done exceedingly good work in keeping order and in getting passengers to a place of safety. It is said in the Press that the Piracy Prevention grilles were pulled down: I do not suppose this is correct however. What I wish to impress upon you is that this accident happened in a river where it was a comparatively simple matter to speedily beach the steamer, but I leave you to consider what might have occurred had the vessel met with a similar mishap in some part of her route where there was no possibility of taking steps for safety as was so promptly done by Captain Thomas. These boats navigate mostly at night leaving and entering a crowded Harbour, which greatly increases the ever present dangers of navigation.

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It is appreciated that those who were responsible for drafting the Piracy Re→ gulations have done their utmost to give as free access to boats as possible, but it must be patent to all that grilles constitute a very grave danger in event of panic, to which Chinese passengers are particularly prone. We most of us remember the burning of the "HANKOW" which even when lying alongside the wharf with free and easy access to decks and gangways, resulted in a very large and regrettable loss of life. Again the stranding of the "POWAN" on Ma Wan Island was a casualty accom- panied by loss of life, and obviously if grilles had been erected on these two vessels,