[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C. O.
3393
AFFAIRS OF CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL.
[42350]
No. 1.
[December 08, 28]
SECTION 4.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received December 28.)
(No. 528.) Sir,
Peking, November 10, 1907.
REFERRING to your despatch No. 302 of the 29th July last, instructing me to keep you informed of any progress that was being made in the matter of anti-opium measures at Shanghae, I have the honour to transmit to you copy of a despatch from His Majesty's Consul-General at that port, forwarding a communication from the Municipal Council, in which they give expression to their views as to the course of action which should be adopted in the foreign Settlement. A reference to my despatches No. 205 of the 30th April and No. 438 of the 18th September will show you that there are now no opium establishments of any kind in any of the British Concessions in China, and the International Settlement in Shanghae is the only one which has to be considered in connection with clause V of the Memorandum from the Wai-wu Pu, copy of which was inclosed in my despatch No. 524 of the 12th December, 1906.
In a letter dated the 12th January, copy of which formed a sub-inclosure to Inclosure 2 in my despatch No. 73 of the 6th February, the Chairman of the Shanghae Municipal Council authorized the Senior Consul to convey to the Taotai an expression of the Council's sincere sympathy with the movement for the suppression of the use of opium, and an assurance that so soon as there was evidence of bona fide intention on the part of the Chinese Government to give practical effect to its protestations, the active co-operation of the foreign authorities in the International Settlement would follow.
The closure of opium dens in the Shanghae city and the extra-Settlement districts was effected on the 22nd June last, and the Taotai renewed his request that similar steps should be taken within the Settlement.
In their reply of the 22nd July (Inclosure 2 in my despatch No. 377 of the 7th August) the Municipal Council stated that the course which had been adopted in the city—that of converting opium smoking-houses into shops for the retail sale of the drug—if adopted in the Settlement, would not tend to check the opium habit, but would have the result of converting coolie lodging-houses into opium smoking establishments, and increasing the prevalence of the habit amongst private native residents. The Council also suggested, as a condition precedent to their being required to take action in the Settlement, that some endeavour should be made to decrease the large areas in the interior under poppy cultivation.
Since then the Council have been informed of the views expressed in your despatch No. 231 of the 14th June, which stated that if effective measures have previously been taken to close opium shops and dens outside the limits of the various foreign Settlements and Concessions, the Municipal Councils of these localities should be moved to close such establishments as exist within the Settlement or Concession areas before being approached by the Chinese authorities.
These views were officially communicated to the Chinese Government, and it is probable that they will not consider the action of the Municipal Council at Shanghae, as explained in the Chairman's letter of the 18th October last, an adequate fulfilment of the engagement entered into by His Majesty's Government. The Council, it will be observed, do not consider that the closure of the opium dens outside the Settlement is an effective measure in the sense of restricting the use of opium, and this is a view which seems to be very generally held by foreign observers; but it can scarcely be denied, I think, that the Chinese authorities, both at Shanghae and in many other parts of the Empire, have made a genuine effort to combat the evils of opium smoking. Whether they will succeed in eventually suppressing the evil is a point on which few will care to hazard an opinion, but it is, I conceive, our duty to see that failure cannot afterwards be reasonably attributed to any want of co-operation on our part.
In order to enable you to form as just a conception of the question as our limited sources of information will permit, I have instructed His Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae...
[2769 ec--4]
Page 389
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C. O.
3393
AFFAIRS OF CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL.
[42350]
No. 1.
SECTION 4.
...
has been revised to meet the requirements, here is the final output:[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C. O.
3393
AFFAIRS OF CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL.
[42350]
No. 1.
December 28
SECTION 4.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received December 28.)
(No. 528.) Sir,
Peking, November 10, 1907.
REFERRING to your despatch No. 302 of the 29th July last, instructing me to keep you informed of any progress that was being made in the matter of anti-opium measures at Shanghae, I have the honour to transmit to you copy of a despatch from His Majesty's Consul-General at that port, forwarding a communication from the Municipal Council, in which they give expression to their views as to the course of action which should be adopted in the foreign Settlement. A reference to my despatches No. 205 of the 30th April and No. 438 of the 18th September will show you that there are now no opium establishments of any kind in any of the British Concessions in China, and the International Settlement in Shanghae is the only one which has to be considered in connection with clause V of the Memorandum from the Wai-wu Pu, copy of which was inclosed in my despatch No. 524 of the 12th December, 1906.
In a letter dated the 12th January, copy of which formed a sub-inclosure to Inclosure 2 in my despatch No. 73 of the 6th February, the Chairman of the Shanghae Municipal Council authorized the Senior Consul to convey to the Taotai an expression of the Council's sincere sympathy with the movement for the suppression of the use of opium, and an assurance that so soon as there was evidence of bona fide intention on the part of the Chinese Government to give practical effect to its protestations, the active co-operation of the foreign authorities in the International Settlement would follow.
The closure of opium dens in the Shanghae city and the extra-Settlement districts was effected on the 22nd June last, and the Taotai renewed his request that similar steps should be taken within the Settlement.
In their reply of the 22nd July (Inclosure 2 in my despatch No. 377 of the 7th August) the Municipal Council stated that the course which had been adopted in the city—that of converting opium smoking-houses into shops for the retail sale of the drug—if adopted in the Settlement, would not tend to check the opium habit, but would have the result of converting coolie lodging-houses into opium smoking establishments, and increasing the prevalence of the habit amongst private native residents. The Council also suggested, as a condition precedent to their being required to take action in the Settlement, that some endeavour should be made to decrease the large areas in the interior under poppy cultivation.
Since then the Council have been informed of the views expressed in your despatch No. 231 of the 14th June, which stated that if effective measures have previously been taken to close opium shops and dens outside the limits of the various foreign Settlements and Concessions, the Municipal Councils of these localities should be moved to close such establishments as exist within the Settlement or Concession areas before being approached by the Chinese authorities.
These views were officially communicated to the Chinese Government, and it is probable that they will not consider the action of the Municipal Council at Shanghae, as explained in the Chairman's letter of the 18th October last, an adequate fulfilment of the engagement entered into by His Majesty's Government. The Council, it will be observed, do not consider that the closure of the opium dens outside the Settlement is an effective measure in the sense of restricting the use of opium, and this is a view which seems to be very generally held by foreign observers; but it can scarcely be denied, I think, that the Chinese authorities, both at Shanghae and in many other parts of the Empire, have made a genuine effort to combat the evils of opium smoking. Whether they will succeed in eventually suppressing the evil is a point on which few will care to hazard an opinion, but it is, I conceive, our duty to see that failure cannot afterwards be reasonably attributed to any want of co-operation on our part.
In order to enable you to form as just a conception of the question as our limited sources of information will permit, I have instructed His Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghae...
[2769 ec--4]
Page 389