E 7
Illicit Opium sources.
The chief sources of illicit opium were Pakhoi, Hoihow, Kwong Chow Wan and Macau. Raw Chinese opium originating in Yunnan was imported chiefly through Pakhoi.
Kwong Chow Wan.
Prepared Opium in large quantities came from Kwong Chow Wan, by practically every steamer on that run; as the result of a large seizure the Chinese captain of one of these ships, received a severe sentence. His owner was proved to be one of the Indian opium dealers licensed by the French authorities at Kwong Chow Wan; he was also deeply interested in selling to Shanghai the Indian raw opium imported by the French authorities at the port. It appears certain that of the Indian opium sent to Kwong Chow Wan for sale by the French authorities in Indo-China a larger quantity is smuggled to Shanghai almost entirely through Hong Kong, and sold there at prices up to as much as $15,000 per chest. Owing to the political trouble which has been constant recently in the neighbourhood of Shanghai there is said to be a large accumulation of Indian opium at Kwong Chow Wan in the hands of the dealers. The 500 chests put up for tender annually give rise to an active market, quotations are constantly cabled from Shanghai via Hong Kong, buying forward, selling short and general speculation are common, and apparently a very large number of persons are engaged in opium dealing apart from the comparatively few licensed dealers who alone are permitted to tender for the actual available supplies.
Shanghai and Indian Opium.
The receipt of copies of the documents seized at 51, Canton Road, Shanghai, enabled some light to be thrown on the source of the Raw Indian opium sold there; this was proved to have been imported through Hong Kong from Kwong Chow Wan and Indo-China, the names of the local members of the syndicate were discovered, but all members left the Colony before any action could be taken against them. They were found to have carried on their opium business under the guise of a shipping company, and owned a small steamer running to Kwong Chow Wan; the business had been carried on for some time under various names. Opium smuggling on the large scale appears always to be combined with shipping business, the ownership of a small ship being essential; such ships do much perfectly genuine shipping business, and to a great extent the communications between Pakhoi, Hoihow, and Kwong Chow Wan and this Colony depend on this type of ship, which are of a very decrepit type and officered mainly by Chinese or Portuguese.
E 7
Illicit Opium sources.
The chief sources of illicit opium were Pakhoi, Hoihow, Kwong Chow Wan and Macau. Raw Chinese opium originating in Yunnan was imported chiefly through Pakhoi.
Kwong Chow Wan.
Prepared Opium in large quantities came from Kwong Chow Wan, by practically every steamer on that run; as the result of a large seizure the Chinese captain of one of these ships, received a severe sentence. His owner was proved to be one of the Indian opium dealers licensed by the French authorities at Kwong Chow Wan; he was also deeply interested in selling to Shanghai the Indian raw opium imported by the French authori- ties at the port. It appears certain that of the Indian opium sent to Kwong Chow Wan for sale by the French authorities in Indo- China a larger quantity is smuggled to Shanghai almost entirely through Hong Kong, and sold there at prices up to as much as $15,000 per chest. Owing to the political trouble which has been constant recently in the neighbourhood of Shanghai there is said to be a large accumulation of Indian opium at Kwong Chow Wan in the hands of the dealers. The 500 chests put up for tender annually give rise to an active market, quotations are constantly cabled from Shanghai via Hong Kong, buying forward, selling short and general speculation are common, and apparently a very large number of persons are engaged in opium dealing apart from the comparatively few licensed dealers who alone are per- mitted to tender for the actual available supplies.
Shanghai and Indian Opium.
The receipt of copies of the documents seized at 51, Canton Road, Shanghai, enabled some light to be thrown on the source of the Raw Indian opium sold there; this was proved to have been imported through Hong Kong from Kwong Chow Wan and Indo-China, the names of the local members of the syndicate were discovered, but all members left the Colony before any action could be taken against them. They were found to have carried on their opium business under the guise of a shipping company, and owned a small steamer running to Kwong Chow Wan; the business had been carried on for some time under various names. Opium smuggling on the large scale appears always to be combined with shipping business, the ownership of a small ship being essential; such ships do much perfectly genuine shipping business, and to a great extent the communica- tions between Pakhoi, Hoihow, and Kwong Chow Wan and this Colony depend on this type of ship, which are of a very decrepid type and officered mainly by Chinese or Portuguese.
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