ABSTRACT
The Board President was reminded that British public opinion had expected the government to press for the best possible means of controlling oil pollution as the basis for international agreement, and not just perform an exercise in futility. The British delegates to the League therefore were instructed to speak publicly in favour of any recommendation to control oil pollution, but to opt at the moment of decision for the zone system. Scientific reports on oil travel, however, proved conflicting and became a dilemma for British officials who were responsible for the policy recommendations on the width of the protective zones. The wider provision of port reception facilities was also scuttled by the League experts, since, apart from Britain and the United States, few major international ports had such facilities. Oily water separators for oil-fueled ships became more widely used after the passage of various national laws and the 1926 Washington conference.
