Sessional_Paper_1884 — Page 94

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THIRD MEETING,

19th January, 1883.

Present:Sir GEORGE PHILLIPPO, Chief Justice, (Chairman).

Honourable J. RUSSELL, Colonial Treasurer.

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P. RYRIE, M.L.C.

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F. B. JOHNSON, M.L.C.

Mr. J. H. STEWART-LOCKHART, (Secretary).

per man.

Inspector JOHN CAMERON further examined states:-Police Officers in charge of out- stations have never had their attention specially directed towards smuggling generally. Even if I knew that smuggling was going to take place I would not take steps to prevent it. I know positively that salt and opium smuggling does take place daily from Yaumáti. I can tell a salt smuggling junk from her appearance. These junks are a special class of junk, and are as a rule very fast sailing boats, of a long, narrow build, and can be pulled as fast as they can be sailed. The armament on board is a musket The crews of these junks vary from six to twenty-five, and the boats from thirty piculs carrying capacity to 300. In addition to muskets they sometimes carry a couple of small guns, four to six pounders. These junks take out their usual papers in compliance with the Ordinance. In 1876 a fight took place between a number of salt junks, about seven in number, and the Pingchauhoi, a Chinese Revenue Cruiser. The smugglers ran their junks ashore, and had a stand up fight. Four of the junks were captured. The remainder were sunk. A number of the men afterwards returned to Yaumáti, and I found them in the joss house there. Some were suffering from bullet wounds. They told me what had taken place. I asked them if they wanted to go to hospital, but they refused. I believe two of the same number were sent to hospital by Inspector. GRIMES, who was then in charge of the Water Police. This is the biggest fight I have ever known or heard of. In December 1879, a boat left Hongkong Harbour with 70 balls of opium, and on getting through the Liümún pass to Chinese waters was pursued by a Chinese Revenue Cruiser, and had to retreat to T'okwawán in English territory. The opium was landed in a house there, and afterwards stolen by the villagers. The Government Schoolmaster (Chinese) was implicated in the matter, some of the opium being found in the School house. Four of the thieves were arrested and sentenced to six months, including the Schoolmaster, who at first absconded, but was afterwards arrested. As a rule, salt junks leave in parties of three or four, watching their opportunity for a favourable wind and dark night. They rarely go singly, and if they do, the quantity they desire to smuggle is very small. The salt junks are not specially armed: they would not be allowed to leave the harbour with more arma- ment than the Ordinance allows. I should be sure to hear of it if there were any of these junks specially armed. They are continually boarded on entering the harbour, and after they have taken their papers. In fact they are frequently boarded, there being no fixed time for doing so. I have no records or papers which would tend to throw light on smuggling, as we do not interfere with these so-called smuggling boats. On one occasion one of these salt smuggling junks collided with a fishing junk at anchor in the harbour of Yaumáti, close to the Praya, and a serious fight resulted, many being wounded. The salt junk fired several shots at the fishermen on board their own junk. salt smuggling first commenced in Yaumáti in 1876. Previous to that time there were no salt shops in Yaumáti, but in that year a large number of salt merchants started