if 7
continue to be levied and in the opinion of the Company are
7d out of all proportion to the offence committee.
6.
Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and Company have sent me
a list of fines imposed upon their ships in 1932 which shows a
total of H.K.$1,736.21 for 23 steamers.
The Company write:-
"While doubtless many of the cases listed do
represent genuine instances of petty smuggling by the
ship's staff, and as such must be dealt with by the
Customs as necessary, we are of the opinion other
seizures are somewhat unreasonable, for instance ships'
Compradores' private stores (cigarettes, etc.) for small
entertaining purposes, copper coins for use at various
ports in connexion with the steamers' business, etc.
We have on many occasions endeavoured personally to
intercede on behalf of the ship's staff at the Customs,
but their attitude has been an adamant one, and short of
a glaring case, we have come to the conclusion that any
efforts to persuade the Customs to take a lenient view
of a particular case are quite useless under the present
regime".
7. Messrs. Butterfield and Swire at Canton have in reply
to my circular letter sent me a list of fines and duty paid
amounting to H. K. 87,803.65 for about 80 steamers.
8.
Messrs. Dodwell and Company hanäled only two British
steamers during 1932 and both were fined.
g.
Accordingly Mr. Acting
In view of the views expressed in Mr. Lamb's minute
which formed an enclosure to Peking despatch No. 113 of the
24th December, 1932, it seemed advisable to try to investigate
the Customs side of the question.
Consul Hall interviewed a member of the Customs who has given
certain information in strict confidence. The Customs argue that the fines can only be stated to be arbitrarily imposed
in the same sense in which fines imposed in a Court of law
may
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