The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-09-06
UNCLE SANS MEN
PRESSING OPIUM
sMUGGLERS
Irowing Of the Poppy Is Ordered
Stopped in China On Jan. I, and
Importers Are Trying To
Make q Cleanup
With Only Five Months Left Gov
ernment Agents viii Be Kept
On the Tip-toe.
BY r. ". MADISON.

BY r. ". MADISON.
SAN FRANCISCO. Cal. Sept. g.
Two years and half ago CHINA, with
the other powers. declared that opium
raising must stop. Uncle Sam, to lelp
China in its reform, branded opium
az contraband and destroyed the prod
uct wherever found In this country.
On Jan. I. 1912, opium poppy rails
ing In China will be entirely abolish.
ed. The intervening two and a hall
years has given the growers time TO
plant their fields with some other
crops.
Goyernment officials In China, who
are caught smoking opium and who
will be dismissed This Is to open
the way for a new class Of ofiicials
who win gradually take the place OF
the old mandarins who grained. and
smoked hop" and kept the poor in
poverty In their different provinces.
This adjustment OF opium smoking
was the first big step toward the
awakening OF China
Tut between now and Jan. /, 1912,
greater efforts than ever win be made
to ship big quantities. Of the drug plant
past the customs Officers Of the Paci-
&c coast ports. Today the opium ring
Of Hong Kong Is planning smuggling
campaign on far greatest scale than
ever before. for with opium poppy
owing stopped. II means the death
OF smuggling. and the end OF the huge
profits The ring must make its big
cleanup between now and Jan. 1. This
Is the word that has reached the Gus
toms oflcers at the different Pacific
coast ports.
The smuggling has been going on
for tw0 years and half. At first,
using the coolies employed on the
trans.pacific liners as agents, the ring
srnugg.ed successfully without much
EFFORT Tighter and tighter Uncle Sam
drew the guards until smuggling be-
came an art. As Uncle Sam got onto
his tricks, John Cinnamon worked out
otAers
One day, .as a steamer neared Homo
lulu. passengers saw an old mattress
showed into the sea through a port
hole. II was Immediately taken aboard
BY fishing boat which raced away.
Two days later the price OF opium
dropped The mattress had contained
thc drug. Special belts. holding q
dozen or so OF tins OF opium, have
been found on men who visited the
ship I, meet friends" The friends"
were haifpound tins OF opium.
In pickle barrels, In freight, In bag
gage and slowed away in pockets, hat
boxes and IN every available place In
freight shipped over the Pacific, opium
hzs been found
But San Francisco isn't the only OBJ
3ectiFe point OF the smuggiers. The
northern Pacific coast ports are prov
ing Gne stamping grounds for them.
Slipping the drug into Canada and
then over the line r. comparatively
easy matter. This has been going on
for some time Then there ID the
Mexican border. II II easier to dodge
Mexican customs officers than Ameri-
cans. 90 the opium In first smuggled
there and then slipped across the line
into the United States for distribu-
ton.
Once handed over to the agent OF
the Kong Kong ring In a Pacific coast
port, distribution Of the drug through
out the country II easy. Il can be
mailed. shipped, expressed. labeled as
1crchandise," or carried east, north
and south in suitcases by agents who
hand II over to the agents In the diff
ferent cities md who, In turn, sell II
to keepers OF the opium dens.
The real class A opium IL Ii Yu
Yen, or 'Lion brand" This is scarce
and extremely valuable. IL In rarely
smoked. John Chinaman guards Il
just as y0u guard government bond.
He CANDLES In II az brokers gamble
in stocks. A man who owns ten
pounds Of Ia Yu Yen has bonds worth
$3.50, for the opium 10 rated at SIS
pound.
Sometimes q Chinaman starts to
boost the II Yu Yen market. He
buys al he can get his hands on and
g he corners the available supply,
the price scars. Then he suddenly
dumps the whole lot on the market
and takes his profit. Some day Ii
w Yen will go to fabulous price,
because 90 very little 10 refined now
and no effort Ia made to smussle n
IN II Is too valuable. All the snug
Eied opium bears the label "IA YuI
YEN but II is false label and
TIE opium 10 Of an inferior grade.
THE next story will tell OF some NJ
the exciting chases after opium SNUG
Elers. and OF q night patrol fight with