2
Chinese-a practice which unbiassed observers must, as far as this Colony is concerned, pronounce innocuous.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
H. F. MAY, Officer Administering the Government.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Representative Heads of British Churches and Missions in Hong Kong to Governor Sir M. Nathan.
"
Sir,
Hong Kong, July 1906. At a time when the House of Commons has just passed a Resolution "that this House reaffirms its conviction that the Indo-Chinese opium trade is morally indefensible, and requests His Majesty's Government to take such steps as may be necessary for bringing it to a speedy close," it seems to us that it will not be inopportune to present a humble address to your Excellency and the Government of this Colony with reference to the system on which the traffic in opium is conducted in Hong Kong.
But before we do this we would venture to call your Excellency's attention to the striking consensus of opinion which appears to prevail now in various parts of the world with regard to the use of opium. In China more than one of the high officials of the Empire have declared against its use, and have issued, or are about to issue, Regulations to check it within their own jurisdictions; and the Viceroy of Nanking has undertaken to present to the Imperial Government a Petition against the trade in opium, which is now in course of signature by the missionaries at work in China.
The Government of Japan absolutely prohibits its use by its own people, and has passed stringent laws in order to eradicate its use from amongst the Chinese resident within its dominions. The Government of the Philippines, after an exhaustive inquiry into the subject conducted by a Commission specially appointed for the purpose, has decided to adopt measures with regard to the use of opium in the Philippines almost identical with those of Japan.
To pass on to our own Colonies; in Australia the Commonwealth Government, acting on the initiative taken by the Chinese community, has issued a Proclamation prohibiting the importation of opium into Australia, except for medicinal use, from the 1st January, 1906. The Transvaal has passed a yet more stringent measure of prohibi- tion. In short, on all sides there is evidence of a sincere desire to prohibit or to limit so far as possible the traffic in and use of opium.
Your petitioners are earnestly desirous that the relationship of the Hong Kong Government to the traffic should be amended, for, in our opinion, the present system of farming which is in operation in this Colony tends directly to encourage the use of opium, and for this encouragement the Government is responsible. The Government is interested in getting as much revenue as possible, and by calling for tenders stimulates competition on the part of those who bid for the right of farming to increase their bids for that right as much as possible. The opium farmer must get his money back, and therefore he uses every means in his power to encourage the use of opium, He pushes his business to the utmost extent. The Philippine Commission, in summing up the conclusions which it had formed, strongly condemns the system of farming, for the following reasons :-
(a.) The farmer endeavours to increase his profits by extending his business, and so the use of opium is increased.
(6.) Extensive smuggling also exists under this system, as found in those countries visited by the Committee.
(c.) The matter of raising a revenue by such a system exposes the Government to misapprehension and detraction.
(d.) It is hardly moral to delegate to an individual, not a representative of the people, such authority in the way of supervizing, detecting, and policing, as the farmer usually exercises. To exercise such authority is a function of the Government only (Report of Philippine Commission, p. 46).
Again, in discussing the conditions of the traffic in Java, where farming had been tried and abandoned, as was also the case in Saigon, the Committee writes :--
"The old system of farming out the sale of opium, in fact, not only was counter- active in practice, as far as the gradual reduction of the consumption of that drug was concerned, but it was also a source of corruption and bribery of Government employés
3
on the part of the Chinese farmers, who were tempted to extend the sale of the drug to Gersons who were unauthorized to buy it. It was also the cause of frequent disturbances in cases where it was employed by unprincipled persons as a means of revenge. These persons would surreptitiously place opium in the houses of private persons, and then maliciously and falsely accuse them of possessing opium clandestinely. The principal reason for the abandonment of this system was that the farmer, in order to push his business, exhausted all available means to extend the sale of his merchandize (ibid., p. 38).
"
The experience in Hong Kong has not been very dissimilar to that in Java. Your petitioners are not prepared to make a recommendation to the Government with regard to what alternative system of dealing with the use of opium, whether by high tariff, or high licence, or prohibition, or Government monopoly (which last is recommended by the Philippine Commission), it would be best to adopt in Hong Kong. To do so would be beyond our province. What we do most earnestly desire is this: that our Government should be clean-handed in this matter, and should use its great influence and authority to check rather than to encourage the use of this injurious drug. With this end in view we would conclude with two definite petitions to your Excellency:
1. That your Excellency will cause careful inquiry to be made by Commission or otherwise, as to what may be the best method by which the Government may check, and, if possible, in time entirely abolish, the use of opium, except for medicinal purposes, in this Colony.
2. That your Excellency will give instructions that the pupils in the public schools of this Colony shall be taught the evil and debasing results of the opium habit, and that the primers of hygiene used as text-books in the said schools shall include the necessary information on this matter.
With regard to this matter of education, we would beg leave to add a quotation from the evidence of a Japanese pastor, resident in Formosa, which is supported by the evidence of many others:-
"There is no one factor that more strongly influences the young generation against the opium vice than the instruction given them in the public schools regarding the poisonous and pernicious effects produced by the drug. The Chinese youth are slowly learning the Japanese language, and with it are acquiring Japanese ideas and ideals, among which the idea most deeply inculcated is the perniciousness and disgrace of the opium vice, for which they are taught to have an abhorrence (ibid., p. 63).
"
At the same time, however, we would point out, and we doubt not that your Excellency will agree with us, that, so long as the Government encourages rather than checks the opium vice, instruction in the schools will be of little avail.
Therefore your petitioners would humbly pray, &c.
[2542 p-1]
We have, &c. (Signed)
J. C. VICTORIA,
THOMAS W. PEARCE, Senior Missionary in Hong Kong of the London Missionary Society.
W. BANISTER, Archdeacon of Hong Kong,
Secretary, Church Missionary Society.
O. BONE, Chairman of the District and General Superintendent of Wesleyan Mis- sionary Society.
J. H. FRANCE, Seamen's Chaplain.
E. J. BARNETT, Warden, St. Stephen's
College.
A. J. STEVENS, Chaplain, St. Andrew's,
Kowloon, and pro tem. in charge St. John's Cathedral.
C. H. HICKLING, Minister of Union
Church.
GEORGE A. BUNBURY, Principal of
St. Paul's College.
B 2
353
f