Though not so lucrative as opium, the business of gun-running offers a very nice margin of profit for those engaged in it. The demand is always good, is particularly good at the present time, and there are signs that the number of people ready to meet it is increasing. Several seizures of arms and ammunition have been made by Customs officers during the past week, the two latest being from the President Grant and the French mail steamer Porthos, in which latter instance it is understood two men concerned have been handed over to the French naval authorities. The time appears to be opportune for suggesting that considerably increased powers should} be given to the Customs and Police in dealing with this very dangerous traffic. At present the number of Qustoms officers engaged on this special work is quite inadequate, and they are further, handicapped by the fact that even in the event of discovering the smuggler they have no power to make an arrest, merely seizing the arms and ammunition as contraband. The Municipal police have also very limited powers in the matter. Arms and ammunition are "usually smuggled ashore in small parcels, and the best they can do upon arresting an offender is to charge him with being in possession of arms without a licence or with
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.