4
by
Lelion 3
of
the Same Ordinance to grant
licences duly to all proper persons. Th
has been found necessary to exercise the fuller power this year u. Oder Boblasie
a fair revenue from Opium, and to prevent the Government being victimized
by a powerful combination, who appear to have thought that the Government
would make any sacrifice of Revenue
rather than organize
organize a delegation, and deal
with the troublesome details attendant
upon supervising the licensers in work which
had been always heretofore managed by
a
Syndicate of Opium dealers.
535
In order to make the present
position clear it will be necessary
to trace
the history of the Opium Revenue in this Colony
at some length, to shew how the
Monopolists have heretofore worked, and
to state the grounds and reasons which compelled the Government in defence of its Revenue to have recourse to licensing separately, instead of to one or two persons,
to whom the power of granting sub-licenses
was delegated.
From the early days of the Colony the Government granted licences direct
Raw and Prepared
for
the retail sale of
Opium