Several other tide-waiters have had'narrow escapes from severe in-Jones at the hands of smugglers in recent weeks. One Chinese, not' so fortunate, however, as his fellows, was stabbed: in the lung, by. aman eaving the Nagasaki: Maru, the ship he was guarding. He-tried: to stop: and question the. smuggler, bat without warning, the man drew Ije-knife and lunged: The officer is reoavering slowly in hospital.
"The. work of the search pasties and watchers has its humorous. and ironical sides. Several. weeks ago, developments in. the' opium situation are expected short ly, when the proposed "investis: tion corps" has been recruited. The corps will assist the Shanghai District Procurator in apprehending. traffickers in the drug.
Some members of local Chinese organizations have gone so far as to suggest that as the authorities have taken no steps to suppress the evil, the public organizations should take the law into their own hands and smash up the shops belonging to the combines. The combines, hearing of the plan, are-said to have recruited the services of large numbers of loafers for the purpose of protecting themselves and fighting the investigators when they arrive.
Chang Tz-ying, the Conmissioner of Shanghai and Woosung. Police, has ordered the immediate suppress sion of secret opium (not "proed") sales agencies and the relzure and confiscation of their contents. The order states that those concerned must observe this order strictly and faithfully, Mr. Chow, the "investigator" sent here by the Ministry of Interior, arrived yesterday and, we understand, has already begun his work.
This Ministry has (ordered the suspension of its Bureau in Shanghai for the Prevention of Opium and Drug Smuggling because certs allegations have been received that the Bureau is aiding the opium com-_ ines. Of course, there is the usual indignant denial' and the Director has asked the Ministry of permit him to continue to operate.
The Chinese newspapers state that the combine have extended their operations to Sungkiang and Quinsan.
At the latter place some 40 shops have been opened, and some 400 opium smoking dens have
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.