"As a matter of fact, the
offending principle only occurs else-
where in the Arms and Explosives
Ordinance of the Straits and F.M.S.
and in the Opium Ordinance of Hong Kong,
and partially in the Hong Kong Arms Ordinance but this is not important."
The revised draft clause has now
been enacted in the Straits Settlements
Deleterious Drugs Ordinance and in an
Ordinance amending the Arms and Explosives
about
Ordinance, and is due to be enacted in a
Bill amending the Straits Settlements
Chandu Revenue Ordinance.
The question now is whether the
special circumstances of Hong Kong (as ela- erated in this present despatch and the first enclosure) constitute a sufficient
justification for departing from the general
principle (summarised in Sir G. Grindle's
minute quoted above), which was established
after such prolonged labour.
As regards the Arms and Ammunition
Ordinance, the Governor defends the revision
of the existing section on the ground
that the master is generally really in
charge of the small vessels which are
involved in this traffic; and that arms (unlike opium) are not easy to conceal.
presume the implication is that if there
are arms on board it can only be with the
connivance of the master.
I
But