An additional illicit source of profit was introduced into this trade the other day in the jade-stone smuggling case of which I believe I made some mention before. While the process of repacking the bags of rubber was going on some 30 or more pieces of valuable jadestone, worth $0,000 were distributed among the bags rebably between Rx. 12,000 and Rx. 0 as not to ba capable of detection. In this way the owners of the jade, who doubtless are Yunnan Chinese, avoided the payment of royalty, which aniounts to one-thiel of the value, to the Jade-stone Licensees, who at present are Cantonese Chinese, and so thought to save several thousands of rapees. But alas for all human hopes! Some boatman who saw this nefarious plot carried out, went and made a statement to the Licensee's agent, But the rubber bags had already left Mogoung by train for Rangoon. However, a wire was sent to Mandalay, and the consignment was seized and searched by the railway police, who found the contraband goods; and now the consignor, a Yunnan Chinese, is doing six months' rigorous imprisonment, to which a fine of Rx. 1,000 has been added, and the jadestone has been confiscated. An. appeal is now pending, but except on a technical int, it does not seem likely that it will ye successful.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.