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for duty at Hong Kong in order to search their outgoing
steamers, and a further search is made, usually by the chief
officer, when a ship has got well out to sea. Such a search
is, of course, in reality no part of the duties of a ship's
officer, and it imposes a considerable burden upon him in
stormy weather, when all the officers are expected to attend
closely and continuously to the navigation of the ship. It
is difficult to see what further steps shipping companies can
take, and for this reason they strongly resent the imposition
of fines on their ships when smuggled goods are detected on
board.
9.
Customs fines amounted, in the case of Messrs.
Butterfield and Swire, the principal company whose ships call
regularly at Amoy, to about six thousand dollars during the
eighteen months ended the 31st December last. They have,
however, been much less frequently levied of late, and have,
as a matter of fact, not been paid at all during the last two
or three months. The shipping companies have, on my advice,
recently refused to pay them, but are prepared to hold the
Customs by the terms of their annual guarantee bonds. The
highly objectionable claim of the Custom to be possessed of
both executive and judicial functions has, however, not been
withdrawn, and so the way is left open to the continuance of
the abuses hitherto existing.
10. The main conclusion to be drawn from the present
state of affairs is that the Customs preventive service is
inefficient; the obvious step, in order to prevent loss of
revenue, is to take more active measures to prevent smuggling
from parts other than Hong Kong; it is true that additional
armed steamers are bing built, but they can succeed only by co-
operation with an efficient coastguard service on land.
Possibly, however, the objection to the institution of such a
service is that it would be too much subjected to powerful
influences on shore; a case has actually come within my
knowledge