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COPY.
No. 16
pies to:-
Trade Commissioner, Hongkong No.21 Governor, Hongkong No. 74 British Embassy, Shanghai No. 80
(& 3 copies)
British Consulate-General,
CANTON,
18th April, 1939.
75
Sir,
With reference to my despatch No. 9 of March 10th
and to your S/O No.3 (Ref. 142/1D/1939) of March 14th, 1939,
I have the honour to inform you that I have received three
reports from the Canton office of Messrs. Butterfield and
Swire dated March 11th, April 1st and April 12th, respectively
on the subject of Japanese competition, which tend to show
that Japanese merchandise is being imported into Canton in
ships which claim to be Japanese naval or military transports,
for immediate or eventual commercial sale at Canton.
2..
On March 4th, "Lushan Maru" (Nippon Kissen Kaisha)
berthed at William Hunt and Co's wharf (former China Merchants)
and discharged a cargo consisting principally of rice, pre-
sumably for relief purposes, there being at that time a
serious shortage of rice at Canton.
There were also discharged
a considerable quantity of "Asahi" beer, which is being freely
sold in Canton, and 100 packages of groundnut oil, which were
reported as subsequently sold to a Chinese dealer in the city.
There was other cargo of which I can obtain no details.
This vessel left on March 6th possibly taking with her some
scrap iron which had been collected on this wharf by the
Japanese and some bristles from Hankow delivery of which was
taken by a Chinese dealer from Messrs. Jardine, Matheson &
Company's wharf shortly before the "Lushan Maru" sailed.
On March 6th, the "Huashan Maru" (Nippon Kissen
3.
Kaisha) arrived and berthed at the same wharf, staying there
three days. This vessel is known to have brought rice, 3,400
Commercial Counsellor,
British Embassy,
SHANGHAI.
/ packages
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