(Inspector General of Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs to H. B. M. Minister, Peking.)
405
INSPECTORATE GENERAL OF CUSTOMS, PEKING, 27th June, 1898.
SIR,-I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of Your Excellency's despatch of 24th June, informing me that you have received a communication from Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs asking you, in view of the recent leasing to Great Britain of part of Kowloon peninsula and the adjacent islands, what arrangements the Imperial Maritime Customs of China would propose and where stations would be placed, and in reply to state in, the following numbered paragraph what, in my opinion, will be necessary in and around Hongkong and its new territory to safeguard the revenue interests of China-a task which will be made, in conse- quence of the increased area to be looked after, both onerous and expensive. The proposals are made in the belief that Her Majesty's Government desire to give China liberal and sustained support in the protection of her revenue in that neigh- bourhood :—
1. The right of the Chinese Customs to maintain its office in Hongkong- where it is now only unofficially acknowledged-ought to be formally admitted and the status of the Commissioner of Customs as a Chinese official recognised. The existing sub-stations at Changchow, Capsuimoon, Lai-chee-kok, and Fotochow ought to be maintained as at present although they are in the leased territory. If it should be found that other stations are required they may be instituted.
2. The Chinese Customs at Hongkong shall have the right there to collect duty and likin on any opium and similarly dues and duties on general cargo shipped on any native vesssel to or from China. The Customs ought also to have the right to one or more special jetties in proximity to junk anchorages at which cargo may be examined and verified.
3. The Chinese Customs' cruisers and launches may continue to exercise their functions within the waters of the leased territory.
4. No opium, raw or boiled, shall be landed or stored, taken delivery of or ship- ped in Hongkong, British Kowloon, or any of the leased territory without a permit to be issued by a Colonial Authority. Opium moved without permit, or found any- where or in any quantity in contravention of Colonial Ordinance, shall be confiscated.
5. The Opium Farm, i.e., an official establishment with an exclusive right to retail (only boiled) opium shall be maintained, and the Ordinances Nos. 22 of 1887 and 2 of 1891, concerning opium movement, &c., shall be confirmed and amended to meet new circumstances and to make good those points on which they are insuf- ficient.
The boiling establishments of the Farm, its retailing shops, and its books and accounts shall be open at any time to the inspection of officer of the Chinese Cus- toms specially deputed for that purpose.
6. All Ordinances regarding the possession, movements, preparation, or sale of opium in the Colony and its waters, afloat and ashore, shall be rigidly enforced by the Colonial Executive and its officers rewarded from proceeds of seizures with a view to encouraging zeal.
All proceeds of sale of confiscated goods shall be divided equally between the Chinese and Colonial Governments.
7. No arms, munitions of war, or contraband goods may be shipped on any vessels, proceeding to a Chinese port in Hongkong or its waters, without a permit issued or countersigned by the Chinese Customs.
8. The Hongkong Government shall pass such legislation as may be necessary to give effect to the above provisions.
The above numbered paragraphs are put forward merely to represent what I consider is proper should be done at Hongkong to meet Chinese revenue require- ments. I may, however, express the opinion that the system it provides for, and more especially the recognised presence of a fully authorized Chinese Customs establish- ment at Hongkong, gives promise of enabling measures to be taken which will make the working of the West River trade especially at those places of call to seawards of the first port (Samshui) considerably easier than at present; also of securing arran-