A—6

18

relating to the safety of navigation, including proposed amendments to the International Regulations for preventing Collisions at Sea. Where there is such, international regulation the observance of uniform standards is secured by the general adoption of the appropriate conventions. (c) In those matters in which standards of safety have not yet been settled by international agreements, there is at present, [in fact, substantial uniformity throughout the Commonwealth. Under the new position each part of the Commonwealth will be free to adopt its own standards for its own ships and for all ships within its jurisdiction, but for practical reasons it is desirable that each part should inform the others of any modifications of substance which it may make or propose to make in those standards, together with the reasons for the modification, in order that uniformity of standards may, so far as possible, be maintained. 99. Extra-territorial Operation of Legislation. —(a) Each part of the British Commonwealth, in the exercise of the power to legislate with extra-territorial effect with regard to ships, should accept the principle that legislation with extra-territorial effect passed in one part of the Commonwealth should not be made to apply to ships registered in another part without the consent of that latter part. (b) This recommendation is not intended to limit the power of any part of the British Commonwealth over its coasting trade. 100. Uniform Treatment. —(a) At present all British ocean-going ships are treated alike in all ports of the British Commonwealth, and, as stated in the Resolutions of the Imperial Economic Conference of 1923, it is the established practice to make no discrimination between ocean-going ships of all countries using ports in the Commonwealth. In view of the importance that is attached to uniformity of treatment, it is recommended that the different parts of the Commonwealth should continue not to differentiate between their own ocean-going ships and similar ships belonging to other parts of the Commonwealth. Such uniformity of treatment is regarded as an asset of very considerable importance, especially for the purpose of negotiations with foreign Governments who may seek to discriminate in favour of their own ships and against British Commonwealth ships. (6) Under the new position, each part of the Commonwealth will have full power to deal with its own coasting trade. We recommend that the Governments of the several parts of the Commonwealth might agree, for a limited number of years, to continue the present position, under which ships of any part of the Commonwealth are free to engage in the coasting trade of any other part. (c) These recommendations are not intended to affect the right of any part of the Commonwealth to impose conditions of a general character on all ships engaged in its coasting trade, or to impose Customs tariff duties on ships built in other parts of the Commonwealth or outside it, or to give such financial assistance as it thinks fit to its own ships. (d) These recommendations are also not intended to include any reference to questions affecting fisheries or the fishing industry, which were not considered to be within the scope of the Conference. (e) It is recommended that no part of the British Commonwealth should give more favourable treatment to foreign ships than to ships of other parts of the Commonwealth. (f) The precise manner of giving effect to these recommendations, if they are approved will, we assume, be determined by the Governments of the British Commonwealth. So far as we are concerned, we suggest that an agreement might be made between the several parts of the Commonwealth for a limited terms of years, containing a provision that the principles would not be departed from after the expiration of the agreed term without previous notification to the other members of the Commonwealth and consideration of their views. 101. Internal Discipline and Agreements with the Crew.—Each part of the British Commonwealth, in the exercise of its right to legislate for all ships within its territorial jurisdiction, should, for practical reasons, accept the principle that, in matters relating to the internal discipline of the ship and in matters governed by