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The Times
16/2/257.
293
OPIUM TRIAL AT SHANGHAI.
SECRET PASSAGES. [FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
SHANGHAI, FEB. 15. Great interest attaches here to the trial by the Mixed Court of seven Chinese, who are charged with importing and selling opium. In the course of the proceedings some remarkable allegations were made in regard to the extent of the trade and the connexion of prominent Chinese officials in the Shanghai district with the traffic.
The trial is the result of a raid by the police on a house in the Canton-road in the International Settlement. In the bouse was an astonishing series of secret passages, and in capboards was discovered opium estimated at the value of 1,250,000 dolları [£156,0661. There was also a mass of documents revealing an immense organization for the import of Turkish opium. This is shipped from Con- stantinople to Vladivostok, but diverted to Shanghai, where delivery is taken out- side the Woosung Forts, and the cargo transferred thence to
the Kiangnan arsenal, both places being outside the Shanghai harbour limits.
Ine of the contracts produced the || following, occurs" The Navy, Army, and polies will przezally smsist in the protection of the goods. The reference is, of course, to tha Chiness. The names of firms at Constantinople and Basal and a Japanese frm were mentioned, as well as those of the Chinese, as implicated. A talagraphic code for dealing in opfam, herol, morphis, and cocaine was found, as well as contracts made out in dollars, yen, | starling, and Turkish currency, amonating to
milon of dollars.
I
Involved in the case is a man whose relations are alleged to have made vast fortunas In cornering foreign opinm on the cessation of the export of Indian opiuma and a firm which is suing the accused Chinese for non-payment of a share of the profits on the insport of uplum.
Apart from the implication of Chinesa | officials, the case throws a glaring light on the scandalous sale to Chinese and other of patents of nationality of the smaller nationa This is a very old grievance, which does much to justify the Chinese conjilaulut that extru titorality directly contributes to disorder in China. It is high time the Great Powers were urged to affect the suppression of the
abime.