CO129-396 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 350

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Search of whips.

It was also sugg sted to me that each ship should,

after she has finished leading, be taken down to Wenchew

Bay and that she should be there searched before departure

for Manila by & Farepean Inspector and a staff of reliable

detectives. All ships are searched at Manila on arrival

by a staff of Customs officers and secret polios, and I

think that a similar step should be taken before departure

from Hongkong, as it would no doubt favourably influence the Collecter of Customs in any action he might think it necessary to take if opium were found on the ship at

Vanila notwithe tanding the search made in Hongkong.

It seams to me that the responsibility for taking strong measures for the relief of the situation at this

and primarily develves upon the Hongkong Goverment for

two reasons.

Firstly, because the Hongkong Government was represented at the opium conference held at Shanghai in

1909 and is morally bound by clause 4 of the resolutions

passed at that conference, which considers it the duty of

all countries to adopt reasonable measures to prevent

the shipment of opium at po to of departure to any

country which prohibits its entry, as is the case in

the Philippine Talands. This resolution is quoted by

the shipping companies before referred to in their letter to the Colonial Secretary of August 19th, ultime, copy of

which is enclosed (Enclosure 7). Secondly, this

identical resolution has been virtually incorporated in

the provisions of the International Opium Convention

held at the Hague in December, 1911, under Articles 2 and 3 of chapter 1,referring to raw opium, and under

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