OPIUM SMOKERS FINED

Southland Times, Issue 24602, 26 November 1941, Page 6

OPIUM SMOKERS FINED

Chinese On Overseas

Ship

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, November 25. Two Chinese seamen, travelling as passengers on an overseas ship, were arrested on the vessel and were subsequently charged before Mr J. Morling, S.M., with being found in possession of prepared opium. The Chinese, Chin Wan, aged 30, and Bing Sun, aged 37, both denied the charge. A constable said he boarded the vessel and, looking through a hatch into the Chinese quarters, saw four men, including the two accused. Chin Wan was smoking opium. With a detective

he later returned and entered the quarters when Bing Sun attempted to hide an opium pipe. Both men were arrested. Andrew Chong, acting as interpreter, said the accused came from Hong Kong, where opium was sold openly under Government licence and they did not know possession of the drug was an offence in New Zealand. He considered the master of the ship could have conveyed the position to the men. In the past two months about 200 Chinese had passed through New Zealand because of war conditions, so the matter should receive attention. The Chinese were doing good work, mostly on merchant ships, and would be drafted to other vessels on reaching their destination. There was no suggestion of trafficking in the drug. The Magistrate said the circumstances were unusual, but he could not treat the matter as trivial. The minimum fine for the offence was £25. The accused said they would plead guilty to a charge of smoking opium, for which the minimum penalty is £l2/10/-, but stated that they had only 10 dollars (Hong Kong) in their possession. The charge was accordingly amended and the minimum fine imposed in each case. In default they were sentenced to one month s imprisonment and ordered to be placed on board the ship before it sailed.