CO129-298 - Governor Sir Blake Administrator Major Gen Gascoigne - 1900 [3-4] — Page 472

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Enclosure 2.

471

15024

REC

Wholesale Trade.

Betail Trade.

Sal Trade must be erniated

No interference with wholesale trade.

Wholesale Dealers do not object to take licence.

Pay fec.

Register.

Report.

Keup books.

dlake returns.

Sabait to examination.

Root 20 MAY 00

MEMORANDUM Submitted by the Importers and Wholesale Dealers

in Arms and Ammunition in Hongkong on the subject of “A

+4

Bill, entitled An Ordinance to amend and consolidate the law "relating to the carriage and possession of Arms and Ammu- "nition.'

1. There is a very extensive trade in Arms and Ammunition carried on in Hongkong. The larger and by far the more important part of that trade is a wholesale trade, arins and ammunition of all kinds being imported into the Colony in bulk, being stored in the Colony for longer or shorter periods according to the state of the market, aud being exported from the Colony in steamers under British and foreign flags and not in junks. That export trade is carried on with Russia, Korea, Japan, China, Tonquin and Cochin-China, the Straits Settlements, Java, Borneo and even with South America and Mexico.

2. There is also an extensive Retail trade, the Importers selling arms and ammunition in larger or smaller quantities to the local dealers, and the local dealers selling by retail to European customers either resident or in transit, and to Chinese, mainly sinal traders from neighbouring ports, casual visitors to the Colony and to the junk people.

3. It is clearly recognized that the local trade in arins and ammunition and the carrying and possession of arms and ammunition in the Colony must be regulated, but, except in so far as may be necessary for purely local purposes and for rendering the restraints on the local trade effective, there should be no interference with the wholesale trade or with the import or export of Arms and Ammunition. It is a perfectly legitimate branch of trade. It is entirely untrammelled in England. It is not forbidden by International Law. All foreign powers have the right and the power to protect themselves by making the import of arms and ammunition into their respective countries contraband. No country interferes with the trade of its own subjects in contraband, and there is no reason why the Government of this Colony should pass laws to protect Foreign countries.

No Heeuce fee beyond $100,

be

4. The Importers and Wholesale Dealers in Arms are perfectly willing-(1) to take out a licence to import and deal in Arms and Ammunition; (2) to pay a reasonable licence fee, sufficient to cover all the

Government may expenses put to in regulating the local trade; (3) to register their names, places of business and godowns; (4) to report to the Harbour Master or other proper Official, the Captain Superintendent of Police if preferred, all imports and exports of Arms and Ammunition; (5) to keep proper stock books; (6) to make periodical returns; (7) to submit to examination at all reasonable times of their books and godowns by some responsible Official, and to subject themselves to penalties for any breaches of the law.

5. But the Importers and Wholesale Dealers submit that no licence fee should be levied beyond what is necessary to cover the Government expenditure; that any higher rate is not a licence fee but a tax imposed upon the trade and an infringe- ment of the freedom of the Port and that the additional trouble and expense thrown upon the Importers and Dealers by the stringent provisions of the Ordin- ance and the certain diminution of the local trade, is in itself a sufficiently heavy tax. A fee of $100 for a Licence to Import and to deal in arms wholesale is am- ple; a fee of $10 or $20 per annum is a sufficient licence fee to impose on Retail Dealers, whose business is likely to be seriously affected.