Copy
(E1696/26/10)
85
Extract from minute on meeting with members of British
Chamber of Commerce at Swatow, January 18th, 1933,
by Sir E. Teichman (Swatow) dated 18th January, 1933.
The smuggling from Hongkong and Macao was enormous.
Most of it was done by Chinese small craft. The usual
difficulties arose over smuggling in British ships (i.e.
smuggling by their Chinese crews), and the levying of fines
by the Customs, such fines, though not legally enforceable,
being enforced through threats to cancel the shipping
companys' extra-Treaty Customs privileges and facilities
(this has always been the case). The attitude of the
latter was, however, on the whole fair enough (and not
"vindictive" as was alleged by their colleagues at Canton).
The shipping companies sought to recover the fines from
their Chinese. Jardine's representative said that one way
out of their troubles was for the shipping companies to
require guarantees from their Chinese crews. Butterfield's
representative, however, maintained that such guarantees,
which could generally not amount to more than 100 taels or
so, could not be made sufficient to safeguard the companies
against 1,000 tael fines. It was agreed that the only
real solution of the shipping companies' troubles was
the conclusion of the China-Hongkong Customs Agreement,
under which the Chinese Customs would do their own work
at Hongkong.
properly
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