60
.
conclaves of the officials.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
!
1893 1894 1895
piculs
piculs piculs. Szechuén Opium 2,513 5,280 10,791 Yunnan
85 739
988
control exercised by the Legislative Council king, in the province of Szechuen, for over the details of public works and finance. "distribution among the ports, though this Two unofficial members are to be placed on the "quantity is only a moiety of what leaves Executive Council, and that is a concession" that westernmost port by other routes the value of which we estimate very highly, and conveyances." This is a consider but it must be remembered that the Ex-able amount and it is a marked increase ecutive Council is a secret body, and that the upon that of previous years, being about members are solemnly bound not to disclose 35 per cent., due to the profits made what transpires at its deliberations. This is the preceding year, and an increased necessary, having regard to the general area has been planted. A small portion of character of the work of the Executive this opium, 988 piculs, came from Yunnan. Council, but it places limits on the useful. The following comparison will sufficiently ness of the unofficial members in regard illustrate the progress of this export from to municipal matters, in which there ought Chungking :- to be no secrecy. Mr. CHAMBERLAIN, unfortunately, has not been able to give a very close attention to the conditions pre- vailing in this colony, or he would have made larger concessions than merely placing two unofficial members on the Executive
2,598 6,019 11,779 Council, valuable as that concession is in This of course does not represent all that itself. If the right hon. gentleman had was, carried down the river in junks in pictured to himself Birmingham under addition to the above. The total export is official rule, the Mayor a permanent official estimated at about 25,000 piculs. At Ichang to be styled his Excellency, the Town the import of foreign opium in 1895 was, Clerk, Borough Surveyor, Borough Trea- owing to the quantity of Szechuen and surer, and the other heads of municipal Yunnan drug received, nil. Formerly there departments all dubbed “honourable and
was a small import of the foreign drug, but endowed with full control over all municipal that has ceased for some years, and the affairs, including expenditure and taxation, export of the native drug goes on steadily with only a few humble citizens to sit at increasing, and now not only are the river the foot of the table as the representatives ports supplied by it but also parts of of the ratepayers, always liable to have their Kiangsi and Chekiang, which get it through views overridden by the official majority-Shanghai. A good deal of opium, Mr. if the hon. gentleman had placed a picture SCRJOTH tells us, is also grown in the west of that kind before his mind and taken it ern part of the Hupeh province, but this as accurately representing, as it would have product naturally finds its way to Shasi done, the actual state of affairs in Hong-along the old established land routes through kong, we think he would not have been Shih-nan-fu and I-tu. satisfied with it, even as ameliorated by the kiang, Wuhu, and Chinkiang a steady At Hankow, Kiu- admission of two unofficials to the secret decrease in the import of Foreign opium is recorded, the reason in all cases given being the plentiful supply and lower price of the native drug. Mr. LLOYD PALM, Commissioner of Customs at Wuhu, mentions that there It may interest the anti-opium agitators in
a fine opium crop in Anhwei in the United Kingdom to learn that the 1895, and the proportional consumption of Chinese are every year increasing the quan- the different kinds of native opium in tity of native grown opium, and that the im- Wuhu was as follows:-Anhwei opium 70 port of foreign drug is steadily declining in percent.; Szechuen, 20 per cent.; and consequence. No doubt they will feel much Kiangsu, 10 per cent. Szechuen drug is, gratified by this interesting fact, but how however, gaining ground on account of its ever exultant they may be over it the quality. The increased consumption of the victory is certainly of the Pyrrhic order. native drug at Chinkiang caused a talling The opium smoking habit is in nowise off of 30 per cent. in the import of the abating in China because an increasing pro- foreign drug. It is a question of cost; the portion of the supply is home grown but Indian drug is still greatly preferred, only there is a danger, on account of its lower in 1895 the price ruled very high, varying cost, of the trade for the stimulant consider- from Tls. 595 to Tls. 660 per picul. The ably extending. Of course there will be price of Hau-chow opium was, on the other some satisfaction to the pious minded that hand, only abont Tls. 256. This drug, the drug does not come from India, and they however, we learn from Mr. Commissioner will no doubt dwell with unction on the LAY, is much adulterated. He says:- fact that the Chinese are poisoning them- "The stock on hand of Hau-chow opium selves and not being poisoned by the agency "manufactured in 1894 is said to be still of British merchants. The Customs Re-" turns for 1895 show that the marked falling “
very large, as the opium is unsaleable, owing to the excessive adulteration which off in-the import for 1894 was not arrested "it underwent. People who usually smoked in 1895, but on the contrary the decline in "the local drug lost all confidence in it and the trade was even more conspicuous in the "turned to the Foreign article to appease latter year. The reduction is set down to. "their appetite. The new opium put on the restricted production in India greatly "the market is pronounced to be fairly enhancing the cost, and thus curtailing the demand, combined with the improved qua-
good, vendors in the interior having "learnt that too much adulteration means lity and cheapness of the native drug. financial ruin. rather than profit." At Only 51,306 piculs of foreign opium (Indian, Ningpo the same story is told of a serious Persian, and Turkish) were imported in falling off in the import of Foreign opium 1895. as compared with 63,125 picals in and the increased export of the native 1894, showing a decline of 11,819 piculs in article. Mr. LESLIE, the Acting Commis that year. Mr. KOPSCH, Statistical Secre- sioner, says that an old smoker at Ningpo tary to the Imperial Maritime Customs, told him that "it requires 31 mace in when referring to this falling off in the im-weight of Szechuen opium to afford him port of foreign opium, remarks:-"By a "the same pleasant sensations as 3 mace of singular coincidence this deficit corre Indian, which, considering their relative sponds closely with the total shipment-❝prices, would allow of his enjoyment at a “11,779 piculs of native opium from Chung-cost of about 30 per cent. less by using the
THE OPIUM TRADE.
Was
KE
14
•
}
July 22, 1896,
Kers med
the
“native article." He adds that the there are gradually becoming to the native article. In all the ports, from Wenchow to Pakhoi, one exception of Hoihow in Hai decline has been marked, and in Canton the native drug is now in ing the Foreign product. In formerly supplied with Foreign dru Swatow about 2,000 piculs of native were consumed in 1895. At Canton kinds of native drug compete with Indian, namely, the Szechuen, Kweichow, and Kwangtung opium, which are necessarily inferior in poi quality and value to the Foreign artic The poppy is rarely met with in Kwangtung and as the soil and climate are not favour able it is not likely to e extensively. cultivated there. It will not do well in Hainan, and the only native opium that finds its way there is from Yunnan and that is all smuggled. At Lungchow, where there is no foreign opium imported, Szechuen drug is making headway, driving out the inferior product of Kweichow and even competing with the Yunnan drug. From Mengtszu in Yunnan 603 piculs of native opium were exported to Tonkin, and small shipments of Szechuen drug have even been made to the Straits Settlements. It will thus be seen that the consumption Foreign opium everywhere in China decidedly on the wane, not because habit of opium smoking is declining, because the native production of the drug has immensely increased. The official prohibition of the cultivation of the been suspended, and, at any rate in Western poppy, always a farce, has practically China, it is now one of the most pro- fitable crops. Considering that ten years ago the import of Foreign opium into Chi reached 96,164 piculs and that last year it only amounted to 51,306 piculs, there seems reason to believe that the trade is likely to be reduced to a small compass, the supply of a superior luxury for the benefit of the opulent and well-to-do.
but
CONTEMPT OF COURT.
With regard to the ruling of the Acting Puisne Judge in the Sanitary Board case as to an alleged contempt of court on the part of this journal and of Mr. HASTINGS, the solicitor conducting the case, we have now had an opportunity of referring to the authorities on the matter, not only those
quoted by Mr. SERCOMBE SMITH, but the later authorities, which he does not appear to have consulted, and with due deference to His Honour we find that the cases do not support the opinion expressed by him. But before referring to the authorities, in detail we must take exception to the procedure adopted by the Acting P
Puisne Judge. The usual way for such a matter, as this to be. brought before the courts, and, we sub the only proper way under the circum is for the party who considers hims judiced by the publication Judge to commit the off
subje
newspaper owner or oth of court, and then the argued and the person tenipt has an opportun self and of arguing true view of the law on guilty of a contempt or not
In this case, however, the Acting, Puisne, Judge, upon himself to decide the question wil any motion to commit having been This, we submit is unusus venient, besides being cont principle that every person