The Indianapolis journal., 1890-05-11

chipa Sends None Of II, but n Come from
British India Through Hong sng.


chipa Sends None Of IL, but n Gomez from
British India Through Hong X sng.
san Francisco Chronicle.
n. Ballou Morse. for sixteen years an i'm
portant official in the Chinese customs sery-
Ice. has arrived here on the steamer Rio, en-
route. with his wife. TO his former home In
ooston seven years ago he returned 20
tnis country on O brief visit the present
trip therefore being the second return 10
MS nftIye land In sixteen years.
ME Morse was seen at q downtown notei
IaSf evening by Chronicle reporter. and
Eaye some interesting facts regarding the
cninese customs service. and more espe-
cially the traffic in opium. Among other
things he said:
There is absolutely no opium sent to
america from China. 1t all comes here
from Kong Kong. which. under Engilsn
rule. Is q free port of entry. The Chinese
laws against opium smuggling are even
more stringent than those of the United
Statess The opium imported into Cnlna
from Hong Kong Is charged duty OF Sllo
a pound The native opium product
OF China is difficult to estimate. We have
been trying to solve the problem for twenty
years. There is imported into China. how
ever. each year from India. mostly from
pounds of opinm. At least 1.0OO.0C0 pounds
additional are imported from Persia. al
Though the drug produced in that country
Is of an inferior quality. This is. all raw
IL.
almost entirely in Hong Kong. Three years
age China made a convention with Great
Britain, and the blockade of Hong Kong,
80 called. was removed. Since that time we
have been enabled todlscover just what
quantities or opium are imported into
Chinese ports. either from or through the
port of Hong Kong.
The Chinese customs service is the best
organized in the world. 1t is like an army.
and is under the charge and direction of
Sir Robert Hart, of England, who has oc-
cupied the position of inspector general of
Chinese crstouis for twenty -seven years.
he Il most remarkable man. and has
made the service what il is to-day. Our
chief wields the power of an autocrat. and
very Justly. In the service under him are
two hundred men IN the administrative de-
partment, Six hundred in the preventive
o. search department.. and $500 in the cleri-
cal and labor department. The last named
are nearly all Chinese, and include clerks,
skilled mechanics. laboreTs, boatmen and
servants. My work has really been that or
deputy collector OF customs have been
Etationed all along the Chinese coast, and
port OF Pakhoi.r
What is the average consumption of
opium by the individual Chinese. This
is q matter. Mr.. Morse. that has long been
a subject of discussion in San Francisco.
houseP
We'll. after sixteen years at the busi-
II
pretty good guess. IN China the women
and children smoke tobacco: only the men
use opium The average Chinese Will
smoke one ounce of boiled opium each
week.
lis the consumption OH the increasefn
I'VE have no means of determining that
question as it applies to the native product.
The consumption of opium imported from
Persia and India. of which said about TO-
6o0.0O0 ounces comes to China each year. is
certainly decreasing. We ascertain this
very readily from the records of the Gus
toms service. We cannot get at the figures
on native-grown opium. It only pays nom
Inal taxes. and there are statistics on
the subject. Some months ago the Chronicle
published an article telling how $4,000
worth of opium had been smuggled into
San francisco on an Australian steamer.
can readily understand that large guam.
titles of the drug are shipped to Australia
nom Ceyion and some from Hong Kong
What ere the methods of the Hong Kong
emngsiers IN getting opium into Chinese
portsP'
Ihe most common, however, is to put up the
tir.fg in tins and throw the boxes overheard
IA the river before reaching the port. The
packages are securely lashed to sinkers.
and anchored to floating RATS of bamboo.
Men employed by the smugglers for that
purpose then find the bamboo buoys and
convey the smugeled drug TO shore. The
opium-sniuggiers in Hong Kong are rich and
ROHCAAul. lucy arc III liI&6 JULIUS, anu
under the most perfect organization. If
special search is to be made by the Chinese
customs officers. their servants are pretty
sure 10 give the alarm to the smugglers. If
the drug is smuggled inland over the mount
aims. armed bands are employed at q great
cost. We have the regular Chinese troops
TO assist US IN our customs work, and lively
fights between the troops and smugglers are
constantly occurring. Just before left on
the Rio one of our troop was killed by a
smuggler."
How about opium in Japanf
There is absolutely no opium In the ia
panese empire. In Japan the drug is made
contraba by treaty. and !. is not allowed
IN the country at all. Tue opium trade is
confined almost wholly 70 India. Persia
aud China, in addition to what is carried
on here. The regular imported opinm
brought to China from India il divided
into two parts. One-half of the importa-
tion is landed at Hong Kong and then dis
trlbuted through southern China. The
other half enters the port of Shanghai aud
is sent through northern China. The
opium boilers at Hong Kong supply the
American market. The English city of
Hong Kong, with its open doors and go-as-
you-please methods. is to blame for the
opium. smuggling in America China sends
no opium to this country. Not until Eng
land corrects the abnse at Hong Kong will
the smuggling be abolished here"