CO129-448 - Governor Sir May - 1918 [4-6] — Page 23

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Memorandum on the organisation of the Statistical Branch of the Imports and Exports Department, Hong Kong,

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Until the present War rendered prolaper#18) that

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as much of the Trade of the World as possible should be brought under the sorutiny of the Allied Govertimente, no

attempt had ever been made to compile any comprehensive statistios of the trade of Hongkong. Prior to 1909 the Fort

was absolutely "free". It is true that Opium and its deri-

vativos were controlled by law in the interests of the local

Revenue and Arme and Sugar for other reasons; but no duties

wero levied and no Customs Service existed, the control or

the articles mentioned being divided between the Police,

Harbour and Medical Departments. The reason for this free-

dom is not far to Beek. It is simply that the bulk of the huge tonnage which places Hongkong as high among the ports of the World, consists of goods which come to Hongkong merely

to be re-shipped to other markets of which the chief is of

course China.

At the end of 1909 duties were levied on intoxi-

oating liquors and the Imports and Exports Office was

organised as a separate Department to administer the new law, taking with it the functions of the Harbour Department in

respect of the Brussels Sugar Convention. The preventive

side of the new Department's activities was rapidly extended

to the Morphine und Cocaine Traffics, the illicit opium

traffic, and the illicit arms and ammunition traffic. The

Department also assists in the exclusion of Chinese currency

and the protection of the Post Office Revere. But the out-

break of war found Hongkong still without any general super-

vision of trade and it was not until the end of 1915 that

powere were taken to establish such supervision in ite

entirety.