471
argument founded upon such reasoning is fallacious unless the Opium Farmer boils the whole of the contents of the 300 Chests allowed and disposes of them at his prices.
that
27 V
Jo
prove to
Your Excellency
: your petitioner is in
he states that practically
way exacerbating when
the duty payable to the Hongkong Government is larger than that paid on raw opium to the Chinese Government
Petitioner
Your
is willing to modify the terms of the present Grant by paying, instead of the fixed sum of $39,800 each month, a sum of $400 per chest or licence for the amount charged by the Chinese Government for raw opium provided he is not bound to boil a larger number of Chests than he can dispose of profitably;
should the system of paying for each chest appear to be objectionable your Petitioner would suggest to Your Excellency that the number of Chests he be permitted to boil, without extra fee, be reduced to 125 Chests per month and that the monthly rent be reduced to $30,000.
In the event of Your Excellency releasing your Petitioner from the engagement into which he has entered, the Government could take over the farm and work it