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Chinese shippers.
Opium in fact so far as South China is concerned
forms the basis of all Chinese shipping ownership, with the
exception of the river steamers, and the only persons who
can control the ships' crews are the owners.
Most of the ships in question, if ordinary wages
were paid to the crew and ordinary rates charged for freight
would have to cease running.
4. The crews of most coasting steamers are not
personally concerned in the opium traffic merely receiving
some recompense for their assistance, while all the officers
are required to do is not to interfere. If they do they
are either dismissed, or being unpopular with the compradore
and crew, find themselves subjected to all kinds of
difficulties in the execution of their duties.
It is the owners, charterers or agents who are
financially interested in the traffic, either as owners of
contraband or receivers of special freight charges.
The officers by their non-interference abet this
traffic. There have been cases where no mention was made
in the log of the ship ever having been within miles of the
place where the opium was known to have been landed.
5. It is accordingly doubtful if the draft amendment
would afford any restraint on the use of ships for the carrying of opium as most magistrates would be satisfied if the Captain went into the box and denied on oath that he had anything to do with the opium. The whole crew if necessary would support him, unless by his interference with the
traffic he had made himself objectionable to them.
6. It might be possible to exempt all ships of a
tonnage above a certain figure so as to exclude from the operations of the section all ocean going ships, the Captains and owners of which are not concerned personally
in the traffic.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.