No. 961.
GENTLEMEN,
(8)
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 5th May, 1890.
I am directed by the Officer Administering the Government to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant, and to express to you His Excellency's regret that your letter of the 28th January last should have remained unanswered.
The letter in question was sent in connection with other papers on the same subject, to the Attorney General for consideration, and since then certain circumstances rendered it desirable that the introduction of the proposed measure dealing with the traffic in Opium, should be postponed for a short time.
A Bill on the subject is, however, now in print and will, His Excellency hopes, be introduced into the Legislature very shortly.
I have the honour to be,
Gentlemen,
Your most obedient Servant,
(9)
We respectfully ask that the Government will definitely state its intentions in regard to this important matter.
The Honourable W. M. DEANE,
Acting Colonial Secretary.
We have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servants,
THOS. ARNOLD,
Secretary, The Hongkong, Canton and Macao Steam-boat Company, Limited.
BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE,
Agents, China Navigation Company, Limited.
No. 2750.
W. M. DEANE, Acting Colonial Secretary.
T. ARNOLD, Esq., Secretary,
Hongkong, Canton & Macao Steam-boat Co., Ld.
Messrs. BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE, Agents,
China Navigation Company, Limited.
SIR,
OFFICE OF THE HONGKONG, CANTON & MACAO STEAM-BOAT COMPANY, LIMITED,
HONGKONG, 8th September, 1890.
Referring again to the correspondence which has taken place between our Companies and the Government during the past two years upon the subject of the abuses in connection with the Opium traffic as they affect our trade, we venture once more to remind His Excellency the Administrator that on the 15th October last, we were informed that a new Ordinance was under consideration which, it was hoped, would remove all cause of complaint on our part.
On the 28th January, we wrote to the Government asking for information as to when the proposed Ordinance was likely to be introduced to the Legislative Council, and on the 3rd May we again addressed the Government asking whether the proposed legislation had been abandoned and stating that we had hitherto refrained from bringing our grievance to the notice of the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies upon the faith of the promise contained in the Government letter of the 15th October.
The reply under date 8th May, stated that a Bill on the subject was then in print and would, His Excellency hoped, be introduced to the Legislature very shortly. Since then we have heard nothing more of the matter.
After a cessation of some months, the smuggling of prepared Opium in tins by the River steamers to Canton is now again in full swing, and recently several large seizures have been made by the Customs, with whom we shall inevitably be in conflict again ere long unless the Colonial Government is prepared to redeem its promise (made to us now nearly a year ago) by introducing the legislation which was to bring us relief.
GENTLEMEN,
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE, 12th September, 1890.
I am directed by the Officer Administering the Government to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 8th instant relative to abuses in the Opium Traffic which you allege affect your trade, and upon the subject of which you have frequently addressed this Government.
2. His Excellency regrets no less than you do, the delay in dealing with the question you refer to, and it is his desire that whatever it is possible to do in the matter should be done without delay.
3. I am to state that previous to the death of the late Colonial Treasurer, who was conversant with the intricacies of the Opium Traffic, His Excellency had several conferences with him as to what changes in the law could be made, but that His Excellency had no time, subsequently to Mr. LISTER's death, to introduce a measure before the Legislature adjourned in July last for the recess,
4. I am to add that the question is now under the consideration of the Acting Attorney General, and that His Excellency hopes, as he stated in his closing address to the Council, to introduce a Bill as soon as the Legislature meets.
I have the honour to be,
Gentlemen,
T. ARNOLD, Esq.,
Secretary,
Hongkong, Canton & Macao Steam-boat Co., Ld.
Messrs. BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE,
Agents China Navigation Company, Limited.
Your most obedient Servant,
W. M. DEANE,
Acting Colonial Secretary.
Extract from "The Times" dated London 30th January, 1891, of the proceedings in the House of Commons in the previous day.
THE OPIUM REVENUE.
Mr. WEBB.-Asked the Under Secretary for the Colonies whether the attention of Her Majesty's Government had been directed to the annual increase of revenue derived from Opium...
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