This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
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CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[F 9461/41/10]
No. 1.
December 29, 1927.
SECTION 2.
Acting Consul-General Brenan to Sir Austen Chamberlain.—(Received
(No. 140.) Sir,
December 29.)
Canton, November 22, 1927. WITH reference to my despatch No. 136 of the 17th instant, I have the honour to enclose herewith for your information copy of my despatch No. 195 to His Majesty's Minister, Peking, dated the 22nd November, 1927, on the subject of piracy suppression.
Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
I have, &c.
J. F. BRENAN.
(No. 195.) Sir,
Acting Consul-General Brenan to Sir M. Lampson.
Canton, November 22, 1927.
IN continuation of my despatch No. 192 of the 17th November, regarding piracy prevention measures, I have the honour to state that on the receipt of your telegram No. 471 of the 4th November I consulted with the Commissioner of Customs and the local shipping representatives, and went thoroughly into the question of searching Chinese passengers for arms. A memorandum on the subject, which has kindly been prepared for me by Mr. Hedgeland, is enclosed herewith.
2. British ships trading to Canton include river steamers running exclusively between this port and Hong Kong or Macao, and sea-going coasters calling at Shanghai and intermediate ports. The search problem is somewhat different in the two cases.
The river steamers berth at wharves on the Canton bund, and, as a rule, four of them leave daily for Hong Kong and one for Macao. All the above fly the British flag, but, with the exception of the vessels belonging to the Hong Kong, Canton and Macao Steamboat Company (Limited), they are Chinese-owned. Between them they carry daily 2,000 to 3,000 passengers.
3. Customs officers are stationed on the ships while in port, and they carry out the usual perfunctory examination of passengers' baggage, and on occasion they will even search the persons of suspicious individuals; but the Customs staff is quite inadequate to carry out a rigorous search of every Chinese passenger embarking on each ship, and that, after all, is the only way in which pirates.can be prevented from taking arms on board.
4. It must be remembered. moreover, that the Maritime Customs are regarded as a foreign institution, and too rigid an inspection by their officers would bring them into conflict with the Canton public, and subject them to further agitation. and abuse. As the river steamers lie alongside the bund, a commotion on a vessel would quickly communicate itself to the street, when the police would inevitably have to take a hand in the matter. Only the other day a woman searcher, who had searched the wife of a labour union leader, was seized in the road by members of the union and imprisoned in their headquarters. The Customs authorities had great difficulty in securing her release. The truth of the matter is that the Customs already have to contend with much opposition on the part of the local authorities in carrying out their ordinary work, and in present circumstances it would be inadvisable for them to try and assume further duties, which in other countries would devolve upon the police force. The Canton Government is jealous of its sovereign_rights," and would be quick to frustrate any attempt to extend the powers of the Customs.
5. If it is desired to subject all Chinese passengers on the river steamers to a rigorous search for arms it would be necessary to invoke the assistance of the police. because it would not be safe for the searchers unless they had behind them the full authority and protection of the Government. Whether the police would be willing to carry out such a duty effectively is another matter. They undoubtedly could if
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