ABSTRACT
As traced in preceding chapters, the influence and coherence of British interests in the Service had been already been significantly challenged by the early 1930s. A much more direct threat came with the culmination of Japanese ambitions in China and the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937. This chapter examines the fate of the Service in these later years leading up to its removal from the mainland. For the CMCS the outbreak of war initiated a struggle for survival in the face of substantial challenges. Through compromise and determination, the Service was able to remain intact, albeit operating under adverse conditions. Moreover the difficulties for the CMCS ran deeper as the Nationalists sought to reduce the independence of the foreign inspectorate, much as it had done to the Salt Inspectorate. Consequently, in 1943 Maze submitted his resignation, thus ending the era of British leadership of the Service. The Service continued to function, in spite of great difficulties, until its removal to Formosa (Taiwan) in 1949. Some Customs staff opted to remain in China to work under the Communist party. The end of the Republic marked the end of the CMCS as a Chinese institution and its role within treaty port China.
