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From the shipmasters', officers', »nd engineers' point of view, the one redeeming feature of the merchant service is the excellent discipline that prevails where Lascars are carried.
Why shipowners should be expected to forego the advantages thus afforded them of more suitable servants at a less actual cost than the European who takes on similar work is one of the things, in the words of Lord Dundreary, "No fellah can understand."'
In the endeavour to deal with this subject, we have had to make use of lengthy extracts from newspapers, magazines —mostly devoted to shipping—regulations, and matter from various sources incidental to as large a question, chiefly of events that have happened during the last two or three years, but does not by any means represent all that has occurred.
The consular reports are quite authentic, even if any of the other matter should be considered by some as not above suspicion. In regard to this, the recent action of the authorities in the port of Alexandria will be found of special interest, although we believe that up till now it has not appeared i in any report, or in any of the home papers. It tells its own story.
At all the Customs' gates or landing places in the port of Alexandria the following notice is posted up, so that he who runs may read. It is copied verbatim from the notice at Gate No. 6:
"From to-day inclusive no officers or members of a crew of any British ship in the Port will be allowed to leave by any of the Custom gates between 5 p.m. and 8 .m. daily unless in possession of a permit as per accompanying.
"It will be seen, on reference to the footnote on permits, that officers will only show their permits, whereas sailors or firemen will hand theirs in on going out.
"Permits collected by gate guards at gates other than those next to a section office will be dealt with as follows: Those collected by day guards will be handed in to their respective section office on completion of duty. Night guards will hand in those in their possession to the officer or N. C. O. who inspects their posts between 6 and 7 a.m. The officer or N. C. O. on duty at section I., II., III., and §.8. IV., will be responsible for the checking of officers' permits and the collecting of permits in possession of sailors leaving by gates 6, 14, 18 and 28 inclusive. All permits collected will be handed to the Inspector at daily by 8.30 a.m. (sic).
"The greatest possible care must be taken not to stop the exit of sailors of other nationalities.
