CO129-531-15 Chinese customs- proposed agreement with Hong Kong 9-7-1931 - 17-1-1932 — Page 47

the British side.

2. One amendment of substance

isi roposed

Article 12 (d) as worded in the

draft appears to give the

Hong Kong authorities, acting on behalf

of the Chinese Customs, a power

to seize large ocean-going

vessels on the ground that some

salt may have been secreted on

part of the vessel by a member of the

crew or even by a passenger. This

hardly seems reasonable; general

international practice is to

confine powers of seizure to the

type of small craft on which,

if smuggling takes place, it is

likely to be with the cognisance

of the master or owner or owner-

master

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