CO129-542-12 Smuggling from Hong Kong into China 21-1-1933 - 21-8-1933 — Page 111

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23rd February 1933.

The Pt. Fon. Sir P. Cunliffe-Lister, M. Secretary of State for the Colonies,

Whitehall, S.W.I.

R

Dear Cunliffe-Lister,

E

24 ED 1933

Very many thanks for your letter of the

21st February upon ne matter of smuggling in China.

As you point out, the remedy is mainly in the hands of the snipping companies; and, some time back, I tried to impress this upon the people who are in communication with me, and even went

and even went the length of giving them some hints, from prctical experience, as to the best methods of suppress- ing the illicit traffic.

But they seem now to feel that their efforts are not likely to meet with success unless they have some official backing. Probably this is due to the un- willingness of the shipowners to create had feeling between themselves and their Chinese shippers. There is also the difficulty of controlling the activities of the Chinese com- pradores of the ships and shipping firms.

I do not see that the Hong Kong authorities can do much to nelp, although if they made a snow of exercisin some supervision it might have the effect of stopping some of tne traffic.

In 1929 an Agreement was drafted which, if adopted, would nave enabled the Chinese Maritime Customs to maintain & staff in the Colonial waters, st the expense of the Hong Kong Government. I do not know if this Agreement ever came into operation one can see several

see several serious objections to such & course being taken - but if it did it seems to me that the companies might well be expected to meet the cost.

There is only one aspect of the question