કોશન મની એક
March 15, 1909.]
since it co-operates in the duties of search and arrest, while avoiding the odium of employing informers and of making a direct profit by the sale of opium.
AMOUNT DRAWN AND EXPORTED. Under the terms of his licence the Farmer is entitled to withdraw from bond, (in order to prepare" it), 1,800 chests per annum. This may be increased by imports of preparod and dross opium (not of raw) and he may export as well as supply the local demand. It appears to be a fact that in former years the Farmer did import prepared opium from Singapore, and that much was smuggled to China, but he states that none has been imported for 15 years. However that may be Mr. Clementi's examination of his books proved beyond question that none is imported now except opium dross, “halan ", and "tantsingko" which are imported from Canton and Macao to be used in the fi
preparation" of crude opium for smoking.
Although Macao was always a rival in the ex- port trade and secured the greater share of it, the Hongkong Farmer does a certain amount of business in this line. The markets of Australia and Philippines are now closed, and more re- cently (by the prohibiting Ordinance of 1908) that of China also, but it is probable that ho still exports about 12 per cent of his opium. The actual number of chests withdrawn by him from bond, since 1895 is as follows:
1895-1607) 1896 15151 1897-1589
1898-1704
1899 -- 1749 1900-1098
1901---10361
1902-929
1903-990
1904-725
1905-858
1906-497
1907-725
1908-934
The low figures in 1904 and 1906 were due to financial embarrassments of the Farmer in those years, caused by the fact that he had tendered for a larger payment to Government than the monopoly could afford. The payment which
stood at $2,041.940 in 1905 and 1906 fell in the next contract (March 1907) to $1.452.000. In fact in 1906 the Farmer had to suspend the operations of the farm altogether for some months and adulterated opium was sold. The average for the period excluding these two years is 1,253 chests per annum.
INCREASED PRICE AND DECREASED
CONSUMPTION,
Since the year 1901, the farm has been in the hands of Singapore merchants, who have put up the local retail price from $2 per tael (in 1901) to its present rate [$3.37] and by this means,-aided by the reduction in the Govern- ment rent. have succeeded in making it pay. in spite of the cessation of smuggling to China and the loss of the Australian and other markets.
This great increase in local selling price would naturally result in a considerable decrease in smoking, for the poorer classes could not afford to buy so much, but since there are no records of the quantities of prepared opium imported and exported (whether legitimately or otherwise) by the Farmer. it is not possible to gauge the decrease precisely, by the quantities of raw opium drawn from bond by the Farmer. It will, however, be noted t' at this decrease in smoking, together with the abolition of the smuggling traffic, have combined to reduce the revenue received by Government as rental for the Farm by $588.000, since the last contract was made. It will be noted also that the amount of opiam prepared by the Farmer bas greatly decreased since 1898 in spite of the acquisition of the New Territories in that year which added about to the population.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
There is no evidence to shew that the Farmer in any way endeavours to promote the consump. tion of opium. No methods of inducement or advertisement are used. Opium divans are not in any way made attractive by meretricious devices as are public houses in England, and sales are in no way pushed.
I have endeavoured to shew that the system of farming the monopoly of the right to prepare and sell opiwn results in enhancing the price of the drug and thereby restricts the consumption (the average price of the varions grades of the raw drug is only about } of the average retail selling price in Hongkong); that it is a potent and indeed the only means of checking smug- gling either into the Colony or from it to China: and that it produces a revenue that is perfectly legitimate and is expended in pro- viding a Police Service, etc.
The restriction of the export from India will probably enhance the value of raw opium, and this with the restrictions already alluded to, and others to which I am about to refer, will probably still further reduce the tender, in 1910. This in itself constitutes a heavy contri- bution on the part of the Colony to the policy inaugurated by His Majesty's Government, at a time when, owing to a prolonged depression in trade and to other causes, it is in considerable financial difficulties. Any serious decrease in revenue makes it, of course, more difficult to maintain effective Police supervision, without which the Farmer would be unable to protect his monopoly and prevent smuggling of opium into the Colony, or from the Colony into China.
FURTHER PROPOSALS FOR RESTRICTION.
In order to give effect to the policy of His Majesty's Government it is feasible to enhance the restrictions imposed upon the Farmer. Prior to the year 1891 he was allowed to draw 3,650 chests of opium per annum in order to "prepare" and sell it. Since that year the number has been fixed at 1,800, and though it is true that he has not as a matter of fact drawn anything like this amount it is impossible execpt with his consent, to reduce this number, until the present contract expires in March, 1910:
(a.) The number could then be reduced by half, viz., 90 and if China perseveres in her effort it may in future years he progressively diminished. though, for reasons which I will presently give I think it of more than doubtful utility to abolish the supply al- together. Since the population is rapidly increasing this consitutes a very substantial decrease. With the decrease of the export from India and the presumable cessation of the export from China, the supply will moreover be greatly curtailed and the cost proportionately increased. The Farmer is willing to agree to an immediate decrease (from March 1909) to 1.000 chests with 200 extra, if required, for bona fide export to places other than Chiua.
(b.) If the Farmer for the purposes of his operations should import any prepared opium he must declare it (as also opinm dross, dross opium, and halan", and an equivalent deduction will be made from the quantity of raw opium he is allowed to draw.
(e) le may similarly be called upon to report his monthly sales of prepared and dross opium, whether in the Colony or exported and in the latter case their destination.
(d.) He would be prohibited from selling any opium to women or children, whether for their own use or not.
These restrictions would of course decrease the value of the farm, and thereby involve a loss of revenue to the Colony, which would how ever be expended in a practical effort to give effect to the policy of the Home Government.
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divans as some 14,465 persons which only gives an average for each divan of 76. Therefore if each person remained 3 hours the averago occupants would only be 13 or 14 instead of 30, since divans are only open from 6 a.m. to midnight. A personal inspection showed them to be quiet and orderly. The smokers appeared generally to be friends engaged in animated conversation, smoking tobacco, eating fruit and drinking tea with an occasional whiff from the opium pipe. There were none in a state of stupefaction though the visit was between 10 and 11 p.m.
There are other important steps which have been taken by this Colony to control and re- strict the use of opium, both as regards the question of divans, and (most important of all) as regards the importation, sale, and use, of morphine, and compounds of opium (for eating). as well as eocaine, including moreover recent action with a view to controlling the transit trade in the former to prevent smuggling to China. These matters are, however, best dealt with under the subsquent paragraphs relating to Divans, and Morphia, &c.
DIVANS.
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So much prominence has been given of late to the subject of opium divans, (or
Dens" as they are called in England), that I think it may be useful to add a few observations on them.
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NATURE OF DIVANS.
The Colonial Secretary, Mr. May, with 9 years' experience as Head of Police, who had constantly visited the divans at all hours of the day and night, stated that he had never seen & man here the worse for the drug. He himself; though very susceptible even to tobacco, had smoked many pipes in succession with no result. Dr. Ayres who studied the question for 20 years smoked 3 mace (174 grains) consecutively, viz., as much as a confirmed smoker would smoke in a day-without feeling any result at all.
A divan licence in Hongkong costs $10 (£) per annum and is renewable annually, and the place is comparable to our public houses in Eng- land, in so far as it affords a resort where the tired coolie may rest and enjoy his tobacco and fruit with a little opium, or where friends of the better classes may meet and discuss affairs, but it contrasts strongly with a Public House in that it is quiet and orderly. Women and chil- dren are absolutely excluded.
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ALTERNATIVES FOR DIVANS.
Men who have homes of their own will, in the absence of divans, smoke in their women's quarters as they are now reported to be doing in Canton. Thus the evil hitherto excluded from domestic life will be introduced into the home, where women and children will probably become participators. The idea therefore that smoking at home is less harmful than smoking in a public divan is based on a misconception of the nature of a divan as it exists at any rate in Hongkong. It is true that the criminal classes frequent the divans, because they are often smokers, but they go there for no vicious purpose other than smoking, the place is too open and public for discussing secret plans, and there is no immorality.
is The alternative resort of those with': money the noisy theatre or the restaurant where much money is wasted, and which is more or less asso- For the coolie the ciated with the brothel. alternative is the street, or if he desires to smoke and has no home in which to indulge he must pay some rich man's servants for the privilege of them. It is indeed anticipated that abolition of divans would lead to introduction of bad characters into the quarters of the Chinese servants of Europeans, and may even extend instead of curtailing the habit. Divans are a concomitant, and result of the habit of opium smoking rather than an inciting cause, and they serve a useful purpose in concentrating smokers, and thus bringing them under control and supervision. They also tend to dim- inish smoking of opium in private houses, and to confine it to adult males, and are a check on dross eating since neither the keeper nor the - smoker may retain the dross. Their complete abolition would not improbably produce many evils not contemplated by those who have no actual knowledge of the circumstances.
EXTENT TO WHICH USED.
It is to be noted that in Hongkong, where the adult male population (who alone smoke) is nearly equal to the total of women and children combined, the number who smoke in divans is only in the proportion of about 7 to 5 who smoke outside. This proportion would be great- ly less in rural districts. The closing of divans in Shanghai and the neighbouring city is said to have led to no apparent diminution in the sale and consumption of the drug.
CLOSING OF DIVANS IN CHINA.
Divans, which must not be confused with opium shops whose rôle is the preparation and sale (or sale only) of opium--are places where opium is sold for smoking on the premises, or China has not hesitated to adopt the closing where a fee is paid for the privilege of smoking. | of divans, but her ideas of justice and vested There is of course no means of preventing per-rights are not those which obtain among our- sons from preparing and smoking both opium and | dross in their own houses if they wish to do so. In Hongkong there are 190 divans. They are under the control of the Police and Sanitary Department and the Protector of Chinese. A divan consists of a single room which if quite full might accommodate 30 persons at a time, Mr. Clementi estimates the total who smoke in
selves and to which expression was given in the recent debate on the Licensing Bill, nor has she to deal (as Hongkong has) with the question of the rights of a Monopolist. The result, how- ever, is reported to be very unsatisfactory, though owing to her defective Police Force any such order can only be partially operative. The 'hardship and injustice is proportionately greater
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