Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-30
PIRACY IN CHINESE WATERS.
Not Less Rife Today Than in Former
Years
From the Hongkong Telegraph.

From the Hongkong Telegraph.
Residents in Hongkong have become so
Injured to the daily reports of piracies COM
mitted In the vicinity of the colony that TO
large extent the seriousness of the crimes
Is forgotten and the crimes are taken as a
matter OF course.
The other day 1t was reported that Vice
roy Shun had issued order requiring the
authorities at all stations on the Canton
and West rivers to search passing junks for
firearms. 1t IS a notorious fact that steam
launches are engaged to tow junks filed
with armed pirates to any spot where they
fancy a profitable attack may be made
without much danger to themselves.
Writing with regard to trade at Hang
chow p. Won Tanner says: Complaints are
rife as to the insecurity of the waterways,
especially between Hangchow and Haining
and Hangchow and HuchoW. On this lat
ter canal robberies are SO frequent to Sc
riously interfere with the silk trade mer-
chants being afraid to ship by junk, and
launches not being permitted to carry car
go. To all petitions praying that the nu;-
sance be stopped the officials turn a deaf
ear reply that decent people do not
travel at night"
With regard to Kowloon w. r. Parr
writes that the ever-present element OF
piracy in the locality and the consequent
want of security for life and property are
partly to blame for the bad trade of the
year. He tells Of twenty-si cases that
were reported at that station alone 1.-The
presence of foreign gunboats and armed
launches In and around some OF their
haunts seems to have little daunted these
pests. whose ravages In the eastern section
of the district have already diverted the
course of trade to the eastward via Swa-
tow"
The old trick Of boarding vessels as pas
sengers and then holding up the crew is
still in force.
At Lappa L. v. Brennan finds that piracy
has been no less rife than in former years.
and describes a fight between strong
pirates near Naiwanmoon. Although the
pirates were defeated the leader escaped.
Writing from Honeymoon, F. W. Maize adj
mits that the number and intricacy of the
waterways accounts to some extent for the
failure of the authorities to suppress pi-
racy. He proceeds:
"Pirates may be divided into two classes
robbers or banditt, who infest the inner
waters, and pirates properly SO called. who
function In the outer waters in armed sea-
going junks The former gain their ends
by intimidation rather than by actual vio-
lence. and, as a matter OF fact, launches,
junks and villages frequently prefer to pur-
chase exemption from moiestation by pay
Ing tribute sooner than expose themselves
to the dangers and uncertainties OF at
tack"
He adds that in one case junk was at
tackled and seventeen Of her crew put to
death by torture.
Inc same Story ABOUT tne pTeValSuce OF
piracy comes from Wuchow and Samshui.
There was fight with pirates at Loong-
moon, In which the sHsieh-lai was killed
Mr.. Fougerat In dealing with the Lung
chow district, reports that in January last
eighteen cargo boats were attacked and
robbed at Ningmoonehow: more than $10,-
COO worth OF goods were seized and sew
eral soldiers and pirates were killed" In
June fight with 200 pirates took place.
and in July the pirates ranks were aug
mented by the desertion Of 1900 govern
ment troops. A pirate In the present CEN
fury ii an anachronism. ana exists no.
where outside OF China.