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THE IMPORT TAX ON INTOXICATING LIQUORS.
THE REGULATIONS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
sampling, breaking down, bottling, blending and mixing of dutiable liquors and denatured spirits in accordance with the Liquors Ordi- nance, 1909, and all Regulations made there- under.
8. Every Keeper shall immediately after any liquors or denatured spirits are received into or removed from a King's Warehouse make due entry of such receipt or removal in a special book in a form to be approved by the Superin-
7. Rates for moving and storing dutiable The Government Gazette on Saturday contains liquors and denatured spirits or for the use of the following regulations:-
any space in a King's Warehouse under Regu. No. 569-Legulations made by the Governor-lation No. 6 must be approved by the Superin-
in-Council under Section 55 (b) of the Liquors tendent of Imports and Exports. Ordinance 1909, (Ordinance No. 27 of 1909), to regulate the import of intoxicating liquors by junk, this 17th day of September, 1909. 1. Every junk as defined by the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 1899, arriving in the Colony with any intoxicating liquors or denatured spirits on board shall at once proceed to either the "Junk Anchorage, Victoria (as defined by the regulations made under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 1899, and Ordinances amending the same), and shall not, without the special permission of the Harbour Master, anchor or moor or discharge any cargo or goods or passengers' baggage at any other place.
$3
2. The report required (under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 1899, as amended by later Ordinances) to be furnished by the master of every junk on arrival shall include detailed particulars of the descriptions, marks and quantities of all intoxicating liquors and dena- tured spirits on board the junk, and of the names of the consignees or owners of such liquors: If such report contains any false or misleading statement the master shall be deem- ed to have committed an offence under the Liquors Ordinance, 1909.
3. No dutiable liquors or denatured spirits shall be imported in any junk of a less burden than 300 piculs.
4. No vessel or package containing any dutiable liquors or denatured spirits shall be opened on board a junk except in the presence of the Superintendent or a Revenue or Police Officer: the master of the junk as well as the person opening such vessel or package shall be responsible for any breach of this regulation. No. 570.-Regulation made by the Gover- nor-in-Council on the 17th day of Septem- ber 1909, under Section 55 (e) of the Liquors Ordinance, 1909 (Ordinance No. 27 of 1909), with reference to King's Warehouses. 1. The Governor-in-Council hereby approves and appoints the Godowns at Kowloon Point and at West Point, the property of the Hong kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Com- pany, Limited, and the Godowns at Kowloon Point known as "Holt's Wharf," the property of the Ocean Steamship Company, Limited, to be King's Warehouses for the purpose of the Liquors Ordinance, 1909.
2. For the purposes of the said Ordinance and of all Regulations made thereunder the Hong- kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Com- pany, Limited, and Ocean Steamship Company, Limited, shall be the respective Keepers of the King's Warehouses approved and appointed under the preceding regulation, and shall be responsible for the due observance and perform- ance of all the duties devolving upon such Keepers.
3. Every Keeper on receiving a request from the Master, owner or agent of any ship lying within the Harbour Limits as defined by the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 1899, shall forth with remove from such ship into a King's Warehouse all such dutiable liquors and dena- tured spirits as such Master, owner or agent may require to be so removed: and shall store such dutiable liquors and denatured spirits in a King's Warehouse to the order of such Master, owner or agent.
4, Every Keeper on receiving a request from any person holding a permit under the Ordin- ance which entitles the holder to store any duti- Warehouse shall forthwith store the same ing's same a King's Warehouse.
5.- (1) Dutiable liquors and denatured spirits may be divided into such classes as the Keeper may determine having regard to the rules of the Fire Insurance Association of Hongkong.
(2.) Liquors and Spirits in each class shall be stored in such Godown as the Keeper shall decide.
tendent.
9. Every Keeper shall make daily returns to the Superintendent in a form to be approved by him of all liquors or denatured spirits received into or removed from the King's Warehouses and of all breaking down, bottling, blending and mixing operations.
No. 571.--Rules made by the Governor-in- Council under Section 55 (d) of the Liquors Ordinance, 1909 (Ordinance No. 27 of 1909), this 17th day of September, 1909.
LICENSED WAREHOUSEB.;
1. Applications for licences shall be made to the Superintendent. Licences shall be in the Form A in the Schedule hereto.
2 Fees for licences in respect of a portion of a year only may be received at the rate of one- twelfth of the full fee for each month in respect of any part of which the licence may be issued.. 3. No structural alteration to any licensed premises shall be made without the permission in writing of the Superintendent.
4. No article may be stored in a licensed warehouse other than dutiable liquors or dena tured spirits.
5. No licensed warehouse shall be open for the receipt or delivery of dutiable liquors or denatured spirits between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. or on Sundays or Public Holidays.
6. Every licencee shall immediately after any liquors are received into or removed from his licensed premises make due entry of such receipt or removal in a stock-book in the Form B in the Schedule hereto, the entries to be made in English except such as relate to native wines and spirits in a licensed warehouse of which the licencee of Chinese race which entries may be made in Chinese.
7. Every licencee shall not later than noon on every Monday morning (or on the following day if Monday is a Public Holiday) furnish to the Superintendent a return in the Form in the Schedule horeto concerning all dutiable liquors and denatured spirits stored, received and removed during the previous week. [We refer interested readers to the Guzette for the Forms mentioned in the above Regula. tions-ED.]
No. 572.-Regulations made by the Governor- in-Council on the 17th day of September, 1909, under Section 55 (j) of the Liquors Ordinance, 1909 (Ordinance No. 27 of 1909), for the breaking down, blending, mixing and bottling of dutiable liquors.
[September 27, 1909.
shall be placed in such a manner as to allow convenient access to the Superintendent or any revenue officer to examine and guage the same and to examine and watch the operations.
4. The work shall not without the consent of the Superintendent in writing commence before 6 a.m. or continue after 6 p.m., provided that when the bottling of the contents of any cask has commenced it may be continued until the whole is bottled.
5. The keeper of a King's Warehouse or the licencee of a Licensed Warehouse shall keep an accurate account of all operations carried out under these regulations.
6. The person giving a notice under Regula- tion 2 shall to the keeper of a King's Ware- house a reasonable fee (to be fixed by the Superintendent) for the use of any space in such warehouse used for such operations.
COUNCIL CHAMBER,
17th September, 1909.
C. CLEMENTI, Clerk of Councils.
LIQUOR LAW IN OPERATION.
com-
To the surprise of most people the Liquor Ordinance which was passed by the Legisla tive Council about seven p.m. on Friday came into operation that same night. Opinion is of course divided as to the justice of the step-so much depending on the point of view but the fact is apparent that the Government had made their plans very speedily for applying the law at once. „Before the Bill passed through the committee stage the godowns selected for the bonded warehouses had been chosen, the preventive staff had been appointed, and arrangements had been made for the collection of duties at the earliest possible op- portunity. Whether the liquor law be approved or not, the Government is entitled to mendation for the expedition with which they made and carried out their plans. We under- stand that Lieut. Beckwith, Acting Harbour- master, has been appointed Controller of officers has been selected, comprising Detec- Customs, and a European staff of revenue tive Sergt. Wilden, Sanitary Inspectors L. E Brett and D. J. Mackenze, and Mr. J. Clelland. A number of Chinese have also been engaged. Sergt. Wilden, with a staff of Chinese, visited four or five of the incoming steamers from Canton at midnight and early morning and informed those concerned that the
could board
not be landed liquor unless duty were paid. Later in the day the necessary charges were paid. It is satisfactory to know that the law is being administered in a seusible manner, there being no intention to do more at first then merely warn importers, that duty will be collected on the liquor consigued to
them.
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Naturally the promptness displayed is not to the liking of those engaged in the trade, and many criticisms have been heard regarding the stop taken. Our representative interviewed a gentleman of the trade, who, while of the opinion that the Ordinance would be vexatious to them 1. No barrels, casks, cases, boxes, tins, bottles for some time until they got accustomed to all the details of the new procedure to be gone or other vessels containing dutiable liquors shall be opened and no dutiable liquor shall be dim-through, admitted that in the course of time it would work smoothly enough. At the same inished, increased, mixed or altered in any way
time he did not believe that the Government in quantity or quality except in a King's Ware-
would realise the eight lakhs of dollars which He con- house or Licensed Warehouse.
they expected to add to the revenue. tended that little more than the half would be netted, and for the reasons that the shipping trade, the trade done among the vessels which come to the harbour, would receive a blow, while the trade on land would be considerably diminished.
2.-(a.) Whenever any person desires to open any barrel, cask, case, box, tin, bottle or other vessel containing dutiable liquors, or to diminishi, increase, mix or alter any dutiable liquor in quantity or quality he shall give notice of such desire during office hours on the working day previous to the day on which he wishes to commence operations, and shall not commence operations before 6 a.m. of the working day following the giving of such notice.
No such
operations shall be carried on on a Sunday or a
Public Holiday.
(b.) Such notice shall state-
(4) the nature of the proposed operation, and the quantity of the liquors to be
affected
(i) the place where such liquors are
stored;
(iii) the time at which operations will
commence.
6. Every Keeper shall set apart sufficient | 3. All barrels, casks, cases, boxes, tins, pace in a King's Warehouse for the testing, bottles or other vessels intended to be dealt with
Taking the last point first, he argued that people having to pay more for their liquor would naturally drink less. They would endeavour to
koop their bills witly tapusible. Moreover figures, or as nearly those who had acquired the taste for liquor which would not be denied and could not afford to pay more than they had done would resort to cheap liquors, with the inevitable result that the legitimate trade would be killed. Cheap whisky would flood the market, and its injurious effects on the drinkers can be imagined. Dealing with the shipping trade, the speaker contended that mail steamers from America which had previously purchased lavishly here would
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