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to the additional article.
We desire, however, to indicate briefly our objections to Mr Lister's proposal to put a special tax on all Indian Opium at the time of export. In the first place, India does not possess monopoly of the production of opium outside China, Indian opium has to compete with opium produced in Persia, Turkey, and other countries,
a special duty could not with safety be levied on opium in India, unless a duty of equal amount were levied on opium exported to China by countries other than India, or unless the import of such opium into China were altogether prohibited.
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In the next place, Mr Lister proposes that the whole of the special rate should be divided between China, Hong-Kong, and the Straits; this proposal overlooks the fact that there is a considerable export of Indian opium to the Dutch Netherlands, the Philippines, Siam, the Malay Peninsula, French India, Sumatra, etc.; the amount of opium exported to these countries in 1884 exceeded 8,000 chests; and to the special rate on this opium neither China, Hong-Kong, nor the Straits can have any claim.
Finally, the claim of Hong-Kong and the Straits to be treated in the same way as China is not strong; China does not grow opium.