[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C O. 34181 [September 4.]
AFFAIRS OF CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[29644]
No. 1.
SECTION
25 SEP 07
177
Colonial Office to Foreign Office.--(Received September 4.)
THE Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies presents his compliments to the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and is directed by the Secretary of State to transmit, for the information of Sir E. Grey, with reference to the letter from the Colonial Department of the 6th instant, a copy of a despatch from the Acting Governor of Hong Kong on the subject of the importation of arms and ammunition into China.
Downing Street, September 3, 1907.
(Secret.) My Lord,
Inclosure in No. 1.
Acting Governor May to the Earl of Elgin.
Government House, Hong Kong, July 26, 1907. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's Secret despatch of the 13th ultimo, inclosing copies of correspondence between the Chinese Chargé d'Affaires and Sir E. Grey on the subject of the importation of arms and ammunition into China, and to refer to my Confidential despatch of the 28th June, 1907.
2. In addition to strictly enforcing the provisions of Ordinance No. 2 of 1900, and of the Proclamation against the exportation of arms and munitions of war, I have partly before and partly since the date of my despatch above referred to taken the following steps:-
(a.) A copy of the export permit (which shows name of vessel by which the export is made and port of destination) is now furnished in all cases in which export is permitted to the Commissioner of the Imperial Maritime Customs residing in Hong Kong.
(b.) Export permits now require the goods to be consigned to care of the British Consul at port of destination where such consignment appears to be a desirable safe- guard in order to insure that the goods reach their destination.
(c.) Export to Macao has been temporarily suspended. The Macao Government licenses a certain number of Chinese dealers in arms and ammunition who obtain their supplies from this Colony. Their requisitions, which have to be made through the Consul-General for Portugal here, are "narrowly scrutinized, and only limited quantities approximately sufficient for the wants of the fishing and trading junks which' frequent that port in large numbers are allowed.
The requisitions are, however, always somewhat larger than this Government, with such information as to the legitimate demand as it has been able to collect, considers necessary. Deeming the stocks they should have had in hand sufficient, and in view of the unrest in China, I considered it justifiable to stop further supplies for the time being.
(d.) Fishing junks frequenting this port are now only permitted to carry muzzle- loading muskets for their protection. Formerly they were allowed a proportion of breech-loading rifles. This innovation has been made at the instance of the Com- missioner of Customs above referred to who suspects these junks, in spite of precautions to the contrary of trafficking in their rifles.
(e.) A system of rewards, by which informers who give information leading to seizure of arms or ammunition about to be illicitly exported are given a certain percentage of the value of the seizure, has been revived. This system led to good results when I had charge of the police.
(2652 d-1]
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