CO129-513-5 Coastal and river trade- prevention of smuggling and illicit trading 15-10-1928 - 14-12-1929 — Page 85

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belonging to the vessel, who would receive our instruc-

tion to assist the search party in every means in his

power.

We have arranged for every Native whose pre-

sance on board all the vessels belonging to this

Company is justified to be provided with an identity

dise and for all those necessary to the operation of

the vessels, whose number has been reduced to a reas-

onable minimm, to be signed on the Articles.

These measures have been adopted with a view

to reducing as much as possible the chance of H. M.

Consular officers being compromised on account of

their supporting this Company's interests in the avant

of any chinese being removed from our vessels.

We are prepared to instruct the Agents of this

Company at Iohang and Chungking to inform the local

representative of the Opium Suppression Bureau and

also the representative of the Navigation Bureau of

the date and time of departure of our vessels from

aach port to enable them to send down their represen-

tative with search party before departure should

H.B.M. Consul consider it desirable,

To reduce to a minimum the danger to which the

Officers of the ship are exposed whilst conducting

their search for muggled cargo previous to the de-

parture of the vessel from each port, arrangements

have been made to seal up all compartments in which

smuggled cargo might avoid detection.

As those intent on smuggling carry out their

operations mainly during the hours of darkness when

it is only reasonable for the officers of the ship to

be/