The Butterfield & Swire s, Kingyuan was stopped by the Japanese authorities off Jukong Wharf, on Monday at 1 pin, when she was soiling out of the harbour on her way to Swatow, Hongkong and Indo China ports. Some 30 Japanese gert-Germes went aboard, and conducted a thorough search of the ship. No goods were seized, nor were any arrests reported and the vessel was allowed to continue her journey at 230 p.m. when the search was completed and the gendarmes left the ship.
"There were some 300 passengers aboard at the time of the incident, and it was supposed that the Japanese authorities hoped to find among these persons responsible for the attempt ie remove ingots allegedly belonging to the Chinese National Government Mint. They also searched the ship te ascertain that no ingots were transported. It appears that the examination proved that there were yo ingots in the vessel, Saturday's Search In connection with the stopping of the s, KingyWan, it may be recalled that the Japapese gendarmes interfered in the "loading of this ship, prior to this' voyage, when some 20,000 nickel and copper ingots were being loaded for shipping outport.
The Japanese authorities claimed on Febrüary 25 the ingots in question, as a property of the National Government of China "which they no longer recognise, ahd whose property they claim on behalf of the newly formed "Reformed Government." The French authorities, in whose territory the goods are stored, did not. permit the seizure to take place. It is said that an understanding was reached to the effect that the disputed ingots Were to remain on the concession, until the controversy finally settled, When it was learned that the ingots were loaded into the s. Kingyuan for shipping outport, the Japanese authorities stopped the loading and requested the French authorities to prevent the removal of the metal French Police arrived on the scene and ordered that the ingots be returned to the godown, which was immediately complied with, and the Japanese left the French Bund.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.