CHINESE PIRATES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 15 December 1925, Page 5

CHINESE PIRATES.

ODDS AGAINST THE LAW. That historic figure the Chineso river pirate is doing extra well out of the present disorders. But lie is no new pneiiomeiion. Nearly all the naval Towers maintain a gunboat patrol on the great Chinese livers for the suppression of piracy, and the protection of their trade, but all tneir efforts arc of very Jittle effect in checking tho trouble, anti since the war there has been a very considerable revival (states Frank C. I haven, in the “-Manchester Guardian.”) Tho forces ot law and orb or have to work against very heavy odds, and it is not surprising that they have not been a bio to stamp out the curse. The wonder is that they have been able to do as mneh as they have achieved. To begin with, there is tho conniption of the local mandarins, who draw a considerable portion of their revenue from the pirates, anti who certainly have not reduced their demands in this direction since the foundation of the Ecpublic. Then there arc the colossal stretches of water to he covered, ,and the financial, considerations which limit the number of patrol craft. , Finally, the element of surprise. is always strongly in favour of the attacker, and with truly Eastern patience .the pirjit'e“is willing to hide his time * until, Tibo, opportunity presents itself. in the old days of JJritish piracy tho rover Hew the black (lag at the mast-

nead, with tile knowledge that. the. well-, insured shipowner would probably ,bo of an economical turn of mind, and. have .substituted wooden “quakeT”" guns for tiie effective ordnance that, lie was supposed to carry for his ..own' protection, and that the crew, ltnowning that they would have no chance, of putting up an effective defence in: any circumstances, would surrender without a. blow at the First sight of the dreaded ensign. The risk to the pirate would thus ho greatly reduced, which was a matter always very prominent in, his mind. Tho _ Chinese pirate, goes about bis work in very different fashion. Me has learned by experience that the British officers who command tin; great majority of the sizeable ships on the rivers are armed (with revolvers which are anything hut ‘‘quakers,”’ and do not hesitate to use them, and that the Sikh police guards that many steamers carry are well able t> protect their lives and the ships, in. their charge from any direct attack. Therefore direct attack is .seldom used. Instead, the pirates buy their tickets as ordinary passengers, and await their opportunity. The whole thing is perfectly organised, and every man has liis work to do. The officer- are the business of one, the police guard the others. "Within a matter of moments of the signal tor the attack being given—possibly the stump of a- cigar thrown overboard —a pirate will be in charge of the engine, and another steering tho ship. Doth arc probably in the possession of a British Board or Trado certificate of competency granted after examination at Hongkong. Sometimes they arc content merely to cover the officers on guard, ami not- to shoot unless they make an cflort to

defend themselves. . it. is very difficult for’ the Chinese shipouner to deal with tins dangi".. tor naturally tlm pirate makes the utmost, possible use ol locat lcelmg am. prejudice. bur lliis reason inar.v owners put tlmir -hips under the British Flag, ami give the British «.-;uiilioa(s nil (lie nvor ilio to htoj) ;m«l ‘heir InO i cnmuiamlers of the gunboats do nut ;ivail lliemsclves of the ri’dit. cau-ing a hurra'd discarding of ,evolves and weapons, and the end! t ., ~11 hope-: of :i successful piracy torthat trip at h'ast. Other p reran t tons ( arc taken. Jn many of tho stern- j

wheelers the upper dock is reserved for Europeans,' so that any native who makes, liis way up there is immediately suspected,'and can "be dealt with before he can cause trouble. This limits the danger of tho white officers-to the time that they spend in the saloons for theii meals and looking after the comfort ot their passengers. In-.many modern | screw steamers, however, this is mu easy. Another, precaution is the 1 fixing of wire netting in the native 1 passenger space, which certainly makes ' it very much more difficult for them to combine for a rising. At the same ' time, it lias'the disadvantage that, in the event of accident, it makes the work of saving life infinitely more 1 difficult, and in the case of a steamer ’ which was burned alongside, the wharf : at Hongkong the provision of these : nettings caused some hundreds of helpless women passengers to bo roasted to death while their rescuers were trying ti get to them. Everything in China is done by guilds or communities, and piracy is no exception. Each district has its own pirate centre. Some years ago the wreck of one of tho most up-to-date turbine liners ot the Japanese mercantile marine made convenient pirate headquarters, from which they were not dislodged for a Jong time. The most interesting ease of this sort, however, is tho island near Kuin Chuck, which covers the .approach to Canton, 'j'lie pirate community there runs into some thousands, and includes many men with British-certificates. 'Jhey have their wives, and families with .them, and there, is no turning them out, because shore operations by Foreign gunboats would he a violation ot Chinese territorial rights, and the

local authorities tax the fruits ol their piratical labours heavily. Not. very far away there is. a. hill some 2l)oft high, and there is a guard here at all times, which signals every interesting movement-on . the., river to the settlement on the island. Ill© movements o,f .the' gunboats, the sailing ot tempting-looking victims, the shipment of specie, all arc reported. Ihe headquarters are approached by tortuous creeks, all of which have been carefully blocked with stones, whoso removal would give the pirates ample time to slip away to the mainland. Thus piracies aro planned _ out in'll ahead, and every precaution taken. Often the native pilots in the river gunboats are well aware ol uhat, r-> going to take place, and prevent tmc-i----feronoe bv the simple method of putting the ship hard and fast on the bank or on some convenient shoal. There is little hope of putting an cud to piraev on the Chinese rivers while the Chinese morality regards piraev as quite a normal means ot earning a living, while the officials ai . hand in glove ‘with tho pirates, and look to them for a large part ot their lovenue, and while the foreign td 1 ' 1 ’ boats on patrol are not aliened 1° 7 . parties in pursuit, of" fii"itivos. I >. !,dds of the game are all in taioni ot the pirate, and lie well knows it.