JUST IN TIME.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 138, 14 June 1938, Page 13

JUST IN TIME.

CUSTOMS' BIG HAUL.

STEAMER WAS SAILING.

300,000 CIGARETTES SEIZED. SYDNEY, June 0. In the biggest raid of its kind in Sydney, Customs searchers discovered approximately 300.000 cigarettes and cigarillos, concealed ill a hold of the steamer Taiping. The seizure was made right on sailing time. The contraband was loaded in Double Bay into the Customs launch, and brought to the King's Bond at Circular Quay. The Taiping arrived from Hongkong the day before, and 10 searchers went aboard some time before she left No. 1 East Circular Quay for Melbourne.

Their initial search revealed nothing, but, almost on sailing time, 11 a.m., they came upon the contraband.

Working through the liner, they had gone into one of the afterholds. For a time nothing aroused their suspicions, but, as they flashed their torches around in the darkness, they saw a bulky object, separate from other cargo, and in a corner where it was likely to escape all but the most astute observers. The opening of some of the packages revealed the cigarettes. In fact, there was a deluge of cigarettes, as some of the brown paper wrappings were torn. Chinese Look On. Rather than delay the liner at the wharf the searchers decided to go down the harbour with the vessel and take the contraband off by launch. The bridge was informed, and, as the Taiping cast off, the pilot cried from the of the bridge to an official on the wharf: "Tell the Customs we will anchor in Double Bay, and that the Customs launch will be needed."

The contraband was lowered over the side and piled on the deck of the big new launch, until her top-hamper wae almoet hidden by the brown-paper parcels.

When the launch returned to the quay the searchers had to make several trips, each man with his arms full of parcels, across the road to the bond.

Jn the rush to get the contraband stored, the seizure was not counted, but it is believed that there were well over 100 large-sized parcels, each containing about 3000 cigarettes or cigarillos, in addition to many hundreds of looee cigarettes.

It is easily th« biggest seizure of its kind made in the port. The previous record was 90,000 cigarettes.

Members of the Chinese crew, with bland faces, watched the seizure being taken from the Taiping. They gave no indication as to who was responsible for the smuggling effort.

One theory for the size of the haul is the Japanese attack upon South China. It 5e thought that the Chinese, realising that their source of supply may soon be cut off, had risked a big coup.