CHINA PROTESTS TO JAPAN

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 200, 21 May 1936, Page 9

CHINA PROTESTS TO JAPAN

Great Growth of Smuggling GOVERNMENT FINANCES THREATENED By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, May 19. The ‘■Sun-Herald” news agency states that the smuggling situation in North China is regarded in London as rapidly becoming worse and that the breach between China and Japan is becoming wider, endangering international relations. The Japanese have taken no steps to curb the evil, merely again disclaiming responsibility and simultaneously insisting on the local Customs officials being disarmed, which make it impossible for the officials to intercept smugglers. Meanwhile a clear profit accrues to Japanese trade and the Chinese Central Government’s finances are threatened with imminent collapse. The Chinese Government's protest to Tokio says that Japanese and Korean smugglers have taken advantage of the serious impairment of the Customs preventive service and have employed large numbers of junks and motordriven vessels for smuggling. While smuggled goods have been landed and transported without fear of Customs seizure, illicit goods have been taken sou til ward and dumped on various markets. Japanese and Korean smugglers have attacked Customs officers with impunity, and forcibly recovered goods from the Customs.

The Chinese Government has asked Tokio to restrain the militarists, withdraw the protection which the Japanese and Korean smugglers enjoy, and to immediately dissolve companies which have been formed to carry out smuggling.