"
J7
13.
His Majesty's Consul-General personally approach-
ed the head of the Navigation Bureau at Chungking Mr.
Chien Chi-shan with a view to obtaining his assistance
in suppressing this smuggling evil and expressed his
opinion that the parties sent by the Bureau to search
ships just before departure took little or no interest
in the search for smuggled cargo so long as they were
paid what they considered to be the recognized squeeze,
Although Mr. Chien professed horror at such a suggestion
he was finally obliged to admit that he did not take
exception to the carriage of a small amount of smuggled
carga. In regard to the letter from the T'ang Chia T'e
sub-office mentioned in paragraph 11 above, to the effect
that goods having paid duty were no longer smuggled
goods, Mr. Chien said that that referred especially te
opium which had paid duty to the Opium Suppression
Bureau. His Majesty's Consul-General replied that such
a payment had nothing to do with a foreign shipping
company, which paid duties to the Chinese Maritime Cus-
toms alone and could legally carry no other cargo.
Ch'en admitted that it was a difficult matter.
14.
Mr.
His Majesty's Consul-General points out that one
diffic
of the chief difficulties in the matter is the number
of people who are profiting by the continuance of smug-
gling and who would lose an easy source of income if it
were put a stop to. In this category are included the
search parties, the native members of the crew many of
whom are not on the articles, the shippers of cargo -
especially contraband - and the villagers along the river
who in this way get certain goods at a cheaper rate than
by/