546
She Ma
but will be detained by magistrate until the disposal
proceeds to the officer who discovered,
osal there
en the
opium.
bey
the
of has been intermined, Governor in Council,
respor
In the copies of
cor
this subject
which have been placed before The Committee of this Chamber I find only the following
ences to the disposal of opium
ferences
after confiscation
a.
letter of 5th June 1891 to Mr. Alfred Webb, M.P. where a
Caje
of the
return of opium to the Farmer
is mentioned; and another in
C
letter dated 14 February 1892
from the Acting Colonial Secretary
to Mr. Thomas Arnold informing
him by direction of His Excellency the Governor the proceeds of certain opium confiscated
were to be paid into the Treasury, and $50 awarded out of such
proceeds.
It is probable that, in many cases there may be difficulty in establishing the origin
of confiscated opiums, whether it has been purchased from a licensed opium shop or otherwise obtained, but without any intention of smuggling or contravention of the Opium Ordinance, it is the opinion of my Committee that if His Excellency the Governor in Council, in the exercise of the discretion vested in him, were
to direct that in no case should opium seized for smuggling, even when covered by the Opium Farmer's permit, be handed over to the Opium Farmer, but that the proceeds of it should be paid into the Colonial Treasury