102
CORRESPONDENCÉ.
THE OPIUM QUESTION.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.
August 17th, 1906. SIB,-Owing in part to the remarkable ignorance displayed by Mr. Winston Churchill with regard to the scandals attendant on the system of opium farning, and also in part to the actual scandal which has recently occurred in the Colony in that connection, your columns, and those of your contemporaries, have of late contained not infrequent notions of the present condition of the plum trade. It may therefore interest your readers to know that the following petition, signed by the ministers and senior missionaries of the British churches and missions in Hongkong, was recently sent in to the Government.
H. E. the Governor has kindly promised to give the matter his careful consideration.
-I am, etc.,
88
St. Paul's College.
J. C. VICTORIA.
TO BE SIR MATTHEW NATHAN, K.C.M.G., GOVERNOR. ETC.,
SIE-At a time when the House of Commons has just passed a resolution "That this House reaffirms its conviction that the Indo-Chinese opium trade is morally indefensible and requests His Majesty's Government to take such steps
may
be necessary for bringing it to a speedy close," it seems to us that it will not be inopportune to present a humble address to your Excellency, and the Government of this Colony, with reference to the system on which the traffic in opium is conducted in Hong. kong.
But before we do this we would venture to call your Excellency's attention to the striking consensus of opinion which appears to prevail now in various parts of the world with regard to the use of opium. In China more than one of the high officals of the empire have declared against its use, and have issued, or are about to issue, regulations to obeck it within their own jurisdictions; and the Viceroy of Nankin has undertaken to present to the Imperial Govern ment a petition against the trade in opium, which is now in course of signature by the
missionaries at work in China.
The Government of Japan absolutely prohibits its use by its own people, and has passed stringent laws in order to eradicate its use from amongst the Chinese resident within its do minions. The Government of the Philippines after an exhaustive inquiry into the subject conducted by a Commission specially appointed for the purpose, bas decided to adopt measures with regard to the use of opium in the Philip. pines almost identical with those of Japan.
To pass on to our own Colonies in Australia the Commonwealth Government, acting on the initiative taken by the Chinese community, has issued a proclamation, prohibiting the importa tion of opium into Australia, except for medicinal use, from the 1st January, 1936. The Transvaal has passed a yet more stringent measure of prohibition. In short, on all sides there is evidence of a sincere desire to prohibit, or to limit so far as possible, the traffic in, and use of, opium.
Your petitioners are earnestly desirous that the relationship of the Hongkong Government to the traffic should be amended. For, in our
opinion, the present system of farming, which is in operation in this Colony, tends directly to encourage the use of opium and for this encour agement the Government is responsible. The Government is interested in getting as much revenue as possible, and by calling for tenders stimulates competition on the part of those who bid for the right of farming, to increase their bids for that right as much as possible. The opium farmer must get his money back, and therefore he uses every means in bis power to encourage the use of opium. He pushes his business to the utmost extent. The Philippine Commission, in summing up the conclusionst which it had formed, strongly condemns the system of farming for the following reasons :—- (a) The farmer endeavours to increase his profits by extending his business, and so the use of opium is increased.
|
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
(b) Extensive smuggling also exists ander this system as found in those countries visited by the Committee.
(0) The matter of raising a revenus by such a system exposes the Government to mis. apprehension and detraction.
(d) It is hardly moral to delegats to an in- dividual, not a representive of the people, such authority in the way of supervising, detecting, and policing as the farmer usually exercises. To exercise such authori. ty is a function of the Government only, (Report of Philippine Commission p. 46). Again in discussing the conditions of the trafic in Java, where farming had been tri d and abandoned, as was also the case in Saigon, the Committe write :-
[August 20, 1906.
W. Banister, Archdeacon of Hongkong, Secretary, Church Missionary Society. C. R. BONE, Chairman of the District, and General Superintendent of Wesleyan Missionary So ·iety.
J. H. FRANCE, Seamen's Chaplain. E. J. BARNETT, Warden, St. Stephen's College.
A. J. SEVENS, Chaplain, St. Andrew's Kowloon, and pro tem. in charge St. John's Cathedral.
C. H. HICKLING, Minister of Union
Church.
GEORGE A. BUNBURY, Principal of St.
Paul's College.
ANOTHER WEST RIVER PIRACY.
once
"The old system of farming out the sale of opium, in fact, not only was counteracted in practice, as
Another of the numerous piracies committed far as the gradual reduction of the consumption of that
on native craft on the West River took place drag was concerned, but it was also a source of been flying the British flag, was attacked on Friday, when a steam launch, said to have corruption and bribery of government em- ployees on the part of Chinese farmers, who Sainam the pirates embarked in the guise at Tang Chiok. As in the case of the were tempted to extend the sale of the drug to of passengers, but when challenged by the persons who were unauthorized to buy it. It was also the cause of frequent disturbances, in military, guard on board, they at
produced revolvers. The six robbers who cases where it was employed by unprincipled persons as a means of revenge. These persons others who had boarded the vessel at Wuchow. embarked at Tang Chiok were joined by thres would surreptitiously place opium in the houses of private persons, and then maliciously and They fired on the soldiers, one of whom was killed and fell overboard, while four were injured. falsely accuse them of possessing opium Then the pirates took charge of the launch and clandestinely. The principle reason for the
ran her down stream to a spot where other men abandonment of this system was that the farmer, in order to push his business, exhaustedceeded below Wachow and landed their booty and came on board with rifles. Afterwards they pro- all available means to extend the sale of his made off, the crew then taking the launch back merchandise." (ibid. p. 38).
to Wuchow, where the matter was reported.
The experience in Hongkong has not bien very dissimilar to that in Java.
Your petitioners are not prepared to make a recommendation to the Government with regard to what alternative system of dealing with the use of opium, whether by high tariff. or high license, or prohibition, or government nionopoly (which last is recom- mended by the Philippine Commission), it would be best to adopt in Hongkong. To do so would be beyond our province. What we do most earnestly desire is this: that our Government should be oleau handed in this matter, and
should use its great influence and authority to check rather than to encourage the use of this injurious drug. With this end in view we would conclude with two definite petitions to your Excellency :
(1) That your Excellency will cause careful inquiry to be made, by Commi sion or otherwise, as to what may be the best method by which the Government may check and, if possible, in time entirely abolish, the use of opium, except for medicinal purposes, in this Colony.
(2) That your Excellency will give instruc- tions that the pupils in the public schools of this Colony shall be taught the evil and debasing results of the opium habit; and that the primers of hygiene, used as text books in the said schools, shall include the necessary information on this matter.
With regard to this matter of education, we would beg leave to add a quotation from the evidence of a Japanese pastor, resident in Formoss, which is supported by the evidence of many others.
"There is no one factor that more strongly influences the young generation against the opium vice than the instructions given them in the public schools regarding the poisonous and pernicious effects produced by the drug. The Chinese youth are slowly learning the Japanese language, and with it are acquiring Japanese ideas and ideals, among which the idea moet deeply inculcated is the perniciousness and disgrace of the opinm vice, for which, they are taught to have an abhorrence." (ibid” (63).
At the same time, however, we woudpoint out, and we doubt not that your Excellency will agree with us, that so long as the Govern. ment encourages rather than checks the opium vice instruction in the schools will be of little avail.
Therefore, your petitioners would humbly pray, etc.
We have the honour to be,
Bir,
Your Excellency's most obedient servants.
J. C. VICTORIA,
THOMAS W. PEARCE, Senior Missionary
in Hongkong of the L.M.S.
INTERPORT CRICKET.
WHOM TO SHANGHAI ?
Shanghai Cricket Club it has been decided to In response to a pressing invitation from the send an XI. to Shanghai about the end of September to play Shanghai and probably
Tientsin.
No actual sailing date has been fixed, but at the moment the P. & O. Nile leaving Hongkong on 30th September seems to be the most con- venient. The committee, however, hope to be able to arrange for the team to arrive in the wishes of the Shanghai Cricket Club who Shanghai on Saturday, 29th September, to meet would like the games to commence on Monday and Tuesday, October 1st and 2nd, as both these days are public holidays.
The following players are requested by the committee to practice at the nets on the Cricket Ground on and after Monday, 13th instant, and to inform the secretary at once whether they are able (if selected) to go with the team :-
W. C. D. Turner 12 Maj. Chichester, T. E. Pearce
D.A.G.G.
13 Dr. H. E. Stanger- Leathes, 119th Inf.
14 Lt. Hope, R.A.
1
2
3
C. H. Mackay
4
R. E. O. Bird
5
Capt. H. W. Smith,
R. A.
W. H. Woodward
15 H. W. Arthur
7
Walter Dizon
9
8
Lt. Lucy, R.A.
17 Lt. Col. Price
Lt. Ussher, 119th
Inf.
10 G. E. Morrell 11 H. R. Phelips
16 W. A. Pwell
18 W. J. Daniel
19 Walter Daniel
20 Lt. 1. M. U. Doran,
A.B.C.C.
The committee will be glad to receive
suggestions for additions
to the selected list.
A. R. LOWE, Secretary, Hongkong Cricket Club.
The net profit for last half-year of the Kobe Gas Co. was Y6,128, out of which the preference shareholders received a dividend of 4 per cent, which absorbed Y5,049, the balance going to the reserve. The company has not been a success so far. Its working capital has been twice increased, and now stands at Y350,000; and recently the proposal was approved to further increase the capital to Y700,000, which will permit of a grest extension of business. Seven thousand new 12 per cent. preference shares, each of Y50, are to be issued and will be allotted to shareholders at the rate of one for each old share.
Page 10Page 11