EXAMINERS, Merchants Concerned Over Effect of Search Regulations From Our Own Connesronoenr Hongkong, Nov. 2.
Hongkong merchants are cone! cerned at the establishment in Canton of an Industrial Corps for the examination of outgoing and incoming passengers and cargoes, as the proposal affects Hongkong in that most of the passengers and cargoes in question come from or go to Hongkong.
Writing to the British Consul, the acting Foreign Minister said that with a view to protecting the sources of revenue and putting a stop of all forms of illegal activity the Ministry of Finance had established an Industrial Corps for the examination of the goods passengers on all incoming and outgoing trains and steamers in Canton and district.
The Inspection Corps will be under the direct control of the Ministry of Finance for the pursuit of smugglers and the protection of merchants. Its duties are set forth hereunder:—
(1) Matters connected with the searching of outgoing and incoming trains and steamers.
(2) Matters concerning with the examination of passengers' docu ments or passports and luggages.
(3) Matters connected with the examination of all goods imported into and exported from Canton, and of contraband goods.
Should the Inspection Corps discover any illegal documents or passports in the course of examining Passengers, they are to confiscate the articles in question and make a report thereof. Suspicious travellers are to be detained and sent to the Department of Pursuit of Smugglers and the Protection of Merchants for examination, Though inconvenience may ari it is not expected that a protest will be made, What the local merchants desire 's the shipment of foods to Canton without intimidation or discriminatory restrictions by unofficial organs.
Another official act that has given some concern to Hongkong shipping companies is the suppression of opium smuggling. All steamers of whatever nationality are expected to comply with this order for the abolition of this traffic.
Alli steamers of whatever nationality must, on arrival at the examination offices established by the Ministry of Finance, stop for examination before they will be allowed to pass, and they must not attempt to force their way past in contravention to this ruling. A notification to this effect has been circulated. The Ministry of For. eign Affairs is requested to inform all Consular representatives ae-cordingly with a view to the necessary instructions being issued to the merchant vessels of their respective nationalities.
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.