No.812
Sir,
C.D. 20615
7 AUG 19
Col. Secretary's Office.
Hong-Kong,
19th May, 1899.
197
I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant, and its enclosure relative to the system of rewards obtaining in Saigon for the discovery of smuggled opium on board vessels arriving at that port, and the abuses arising from that system, and to state that Her Majesty's Consul has been requested to make a representation on the subject to the French Authorities with a view to the adoption of a system that will bear less hardly on shipowners.
With regard to the suggestion contained in paragraph 3 of your letter, I understand that what shipowners desire is that if the Master of a vessel finds on arrival at Saigon that opium has been smuggled on board his ship by some person in Hongkong, he shall have power to prosecute that person on his return, but the difficulty of obtaining proof against the offending party would appear to render any such enactment of little practical use.
On the other hand, if the discovery were made prior to the departure of a vessel from Hongkong or on the voyage, legislation would appear to be unnecessary, as in the first case the Master could hand the opium over to the Police, and in the second take charge of it and inform the Customs Authorities on arrival at Saigon.
I shall be glad to be furnished with the further observations of the Chamber on this subject for the information of His Excellency the Governor.
The Secretary,
Chamber of Commerce.
I have etc,
(Sd.) J.G.T. Buckle.
p. Colonial Secretary