Chamber of Commerce,
Manchester,
23rd July,1930.
407
Dear Sir Horace,
I am desired by the Chairman of the China and
Far East Section of this Chamber to say that the
question of the smuggling of Japanese piece goods
into China, through Hong Kong, was discussed at a
recent meeting of the Executive Committee of that
Section.
A member of the China Committee had received a
report which alleged that, over a period of a few
months, cotton textiles, mostly of Japanese origin,
to the value of two million dollars had passed into
consumption in China by unlawful means. It is said
that most of the goods find their way into the
Province of Kwantung and are sold in Canton at prices
identical with those ruling in Hong Kong. The state-
ments made are that, by a clever system of smuggling,
large quantities of goods evade the Customs in Hong
Kong, with the consequence that the legitimate trade
in British textiles is suffering a serious disadvantage
because of the prices at which the Japanese goods are sold.
My Committee have no means at their disposal to
check the accuracy of these statements, but they were
of the opinion that H.M. Government should be notified
immediately so that enquiries could be made through
appropriate channels, with a view to the fullest possible
Sir Horace Hamilton,
Board of Trade. Great George Street, LONDON.S.W.1.
investigation