Canton to check the smuggling of wolfram to Hong Kong

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CANTON TO CHECK THE SMUGGLING OF WOLFRAM TO H.K.

Private Exploiters Active

JAPAN MAKES PURCHASES ON CHEAP CANTON MARKET

(From Our Own Correspondent)

Canton, Yesterday.

With wolfram being sold here as a government monopoly, the Provincial Department of Reconstruction is making every effort to check smuggling of this mineral by private exploiters from their mines to outport buyers.

Most of the mineral resources in Kwangtung are wolfram, which can be obtained by manual labour. Such deposits are found in abundance in northern, eastern and western regions of this province.

As wolfram is useful in connection with the manufacture of armaments, this ore is in good demand by buying agents in Hong Kong on behalf of arsenal works in Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, Great Britain and the United States. Even Japan finds that it is cheaper to buy wolfram from Canton than elsewhere.

The government monopolist does not mine the wolfram, but simply buys it from the exploiting companies, which are therefore trying to smuggle the mineral direct to Hong Kong and sell it at a better price. As a result, the provincial department of reconstruction which operates the national products sales office, is taking steps to prevent smuggling.

DESIGNATED ROUTES

Sellers of wolfram to the government monopoly office are now required to ship their goods along certain designated routes, and those consignments that deviate from the fixed courses are considered as smuggled minerals and are subject to confiscation.

Another way to prevent smuggling is the requirement of a transportation license at a fee of $10 a shipment, and in each consignment the wolfram must not be less than 25 tons.

Further opening of wolfram mines are prohibited by the provincial authorities, because the present stock cannot yet be disposed. Outport buyers complain that the prices are too high, and are waiting for them to come down a little.

The price of this mineral has decreased from $120 H.K. to $60 H.K. a picul.

Source: The Hong Kong Sunday Herald 7th October 1934.

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