Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-11
RACE DIFFERENCES
CIRCLE OPIUM CASE
Opposing Customs Impede
Probe Into Chinese Snug
Cling Disclosure.
Nv the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press,
A tangle Of racial customs differing
national laws and international diplo-
matte usage today curtailed the imme-
diate future of Wing Kao, suspended
Chinese vice consul at San Francisco,
and his wife, who is accused OF nav
ing attempted to smuggle large guam
tity of opium into the United States
No Action Yet.
The Department of Justice said to-
CAV that no instruction had as yet been
issued to the United States attorney at
San Francisco as to what action to take
In the case of Mrs. Wing Kao. The de-
partment said that its only information
on the case was telegram from the
limited States attorney asking nstruc-
tons.
No reply has yet been sent, the de-
partment said, pending conferences Win
the State Department.
Wing Kao has been attached to the
san Francisco consulate f1ve years.
having been appointed by the former
pel.inS government. AS a result OF the
f1nding of opium in the trunks brought
into the United States by Mrs. 1lng
gao he has been formally suspended
from all duties eonnectSd WITH the
consulate pending further investGa-
fion by Minister G. G. WI, the repre-
sentative here of the new Nankng
government. us 4ho
receipt at the legation OF numerous
MESSAGES from Chinese in the United
states and the dispatch by him OF
preliminary report to Marking. among
The Chinese demands for action against
The former vice consul and his vile was
the demand by the executive commit
tee of the Kuomintang in AmerlcaL.
the party which supports the presenV
Chinese government--for triM Oh MI,
Ving gao under Chinese law, which
&c more drastic in such cases than
American law.
Situation Is Tangled.
That is regarded in some quarters as
Vlacing Mrs Kao and her husoano III
The position of political refugees. Ger
tainly. they cannot be tried IN America
49, Chinese law. and cannot be de-
oorted in the absence Of an extradltlon
freatv Furthermore, the Labor De-
nartnent has ruled that foreign dlpio-
3poatic and consular officials received by
the United States are at liberty TO re-
main after resigning their poSltlonS, al
though they may be excluoeo 'ney
once leave the country: ,r.,
IF American courts should acqult MIS-.
Wing Kao of the charges against her &C.
cantinp the contention that she was noI
sware the opium was in her trunks.
1bat II was placed there by others ana
that She was merely their dupe-sne
md nossibly her husband would sui
he subject to trial in China on the same
charges If they ever returned. ,o,
A complete INVESTIGATION OF tne r, naT,-
dent by Chinese officials at san rTan-
cisco meanwhile, has been oroereo py
the Minister. He is awaiting the results
~ that inquiry and any m1ormatlon
S1,h;ci1 the customs authorities OF the
TresE,rv NAV furnish through the
state Department before making 1uii
renort to the Marking government.
Ramiications OF q purporteo me- .
national open smuggling ring MsrS e.
ing traced by Government omcials nv
San francisco today, according 10 AS
ISOLATED Press dispatches, as Iney
Swaited instructions from washington
regarding Mrs. kao.
Other Evidence Found.
investigators last night announced
.ha4 discriminating evidence" had been
found in Mrs. Kao's personal baggage,
which was opened after the opium mao
haen found. 1t was said to have lmph-
Gated "a high Official In the Cn1nese
consulate here. rat
IInited States Attorney George j. Hat
field said only Mrs. Kao's qtasl-olplo.-
matte standing had prevented ner arresS
thus far. He said he expected 1nstruc-
tions from the Department OF JuslAce
today on the case.
investigators declared they had founo
"indisputable proof of Mrs. Kao's cuipa-
bility" in her personal baggage. she
has insisted that she was unaware OF
the presence of opium in her trunk
and that she had been made the dupe
of Smugglers. la
learned that Mrs. Kao would have re-
ceived $23, 900 If she had been succesS1ul
in getting the opium past the customs
inspectors here. They declared that
nroninent Chinese of San Francisco
and Honolulu as we'll as others in China
have been implicated and that the
names of the rings leaders were known
to them.
John Smith. government agent. de-
clared last night that the price OF opium
here had scared $50 tin since the olS-
closures.
Resentment against Mrs. Keo ran
high in the Nationalist circles OF China
town. Chinese language newspapers
printed an appeal for mass meeting
ito make amends for this insult OF
fered the American people by one OF
our own race"