To the Editor of the "Nowra-Cuima Dany News"
Sin—Although your excellent newspaper must be swamped with letters re the recent pirating of the is. Shuntien, Tam hoping that you will find space somewhere in your columns for my letter.
Unfortunately, China seems to be the one remaining country where piracy still flourishes. The. respon-Nbility "for, this undoubtedly lies with the Chinese Government, but the same time a casual observer eennot fail to. hold the shipping companies equally at fault. If the government refuses to protect ves sels operating up and down its coast, ix my opinion that the -shipping companies should automatically' take over this responsibility.
The expense involved to have every ship protected by a squad of well-armed men would be practleally negligible. This would run, al the highest, to $300 a month, per ship. Although T am not familiar with marine insurance, 1 believe that the companies operating on the China coast could reduce their pre-miurus by more than the above amount if the insurance companies: were once convinced.that adequate Precautions were used to protect passengers and cargoes. Whether it would be a slight additional expense 'oF not, it is my belief that the shiping companies owe it to their pas-Sengers to supply them with the same protection as that offered to foreigners residing here or in other treaty ports.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.