CO129-542-12 Smuggling from Hong Kong into China 21-1-1933 - 21-8-1933 — Page 48

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may be said to be arbitrarily imposed, that is to say they are

imposed within a stated maximun for a breach of clearly

specified regulations. An appeal can be made to the

Inspector-General of Customs against the local decision.

Mr.

Hall was told that the Hongkong, Canton and Macao Steamboat

Company made a point of querying all fines, but that in only

one recent case had the Inspector-General failed to confirm the

local decision.

10. With regard to the suggestion that the Chinese

Customs do not deal as severely with Chinese ships and junks,

the Customs official stɛted that there was no truth in this,

except in so far as ships of the Cantonese Navy, Salt Revenue

Cruisers were concerned with which the Customs were not in a

position to interfere. Mr. Hall was shewn a letter just

received from the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company

complaining about the maximum fine of Tls. 1,000 having been

imposed on account of some Tls. 270 worth of smuggled copper

cash having been found on board. Mr. Hall was shewn a book in

which all fines levied during 1932 are recorded and he formed

the opinion that fines were being levied with complete

impartiality.

11.

With regard to the point that there is a political

motive behind these heavy sentences, I do not entirely share

this view. I think that the heavy increase in fines here may be

more correctly attributed to a change in the Commissionership at

Canton in May last which resulted in a very strict and in some

cases in my opinion an unreasonable attitude being adopted on

the question of fining. The merchants largely attribute the

increased severity to the attitude of the Deputy Commissioner,

Mr. Annett.

12. When Sir Frederick Maze, Inspector-General of Customs,

visited Canton recently I took the opportunity of having a

private