Fifteen Chinese will appear in. the First Special District Court today. following a police raid on the largest Mlegal "cigarette factory seen Shanghai for many years. The {acory, which manufactured bogus propriciary brands of cigarettes, was: situated at 921 Wuting Road and was raided during the holidays, The raid was carried out by a police party under Detective-Sergeant F. 0. Guess and work was in. full swing when entry was forced. So cleverly concealed was the factory. that false doors and rooms. and. trap doors ave no clue as to the sit ion of the machinery, and Detective-Sergeant Guess fell through tone of the trap doors in the course of the raid, Over 100.000 cigarettes bearing the trade marks of well-known BAT. ie. Ruby Queen were seized along with the fifteen men. who were found operating machinery which produced, fegarettes. at the rate of 300 a minute, In addition nine bays of tobacco, ad-Vertising "matter, copies of BAT. packets and other articles were seized by the police. ugh there are_m Megat sin the one 10 the past fen years and ft rests are Panam Jan, 6.
Questioned as to why the #5. Norge, ying the fag of Panama, had been seized in Tsingtao about December 30, the Japanese. naval spokesman yesterday's press conference stated that the transfer of the vessel's Jownership may have been illegal. The [Japanese authorities were investigating this point. Tt had been stated that the Norge formerly had belonged to the China Merchants Steamship Ca.
In response to a question as to whether the ship and crew had been fiaken to "Dalton, " the spokesman thought that it was probable that Jefficers and crew had remained in the ship and she may have been instructed fio proceed to. Clair A correspondent asked what the procedure would be regarding five other. vessels, formerly carrying the [Chinese flag which had become Panafmanian, to which it was replied 1 might seize them at an opportune time.
The fact that the cargo was con signed to Japanese merchants in [Tsingtao made no difference to the [Japanese navy, the spokesman added; JJapanese and foreign consignees would be treated alike.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.