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curtailment of the lamps in each house, are in general conformity with the suggestions of His Majesty's Secretary of State.
I understand that, while the members of the Council still hold that drastic suppressive steps will introduce conditions no less harmful to the community than those which it is sought to amend, nevertheless, in view of the opinion of His Majesty's Government that they should place themselves on a line with Chinese action in respect to the closing of the opium dens within the Settlement, they are prepared to recommend for the ratepayers' approval at the meeting to be held on the 20th instant a reduction in the number of licences by one-quarter, with effect from the 1st July, and, if the anti-opium movement in other parts should continue to progress successfully, to consider at an early date such further steps as may lead to the total abolition of the opium habit within the International Settlement.
I have, &c.
(Signed) PELHAM L. WARREN,
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Mr. D. Landale to Consul-General Sir P. Warren.
Council Room, Shanghae, February 29, 1908.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 25th February, communicating to the Council certain observations of His Majesty's Secretary of State in respect to the question of the suppression of opium houses in the foreign Settlement of Shanghae.
In reply thereto I have to request that you will be good enough to communicate to His Majesty's Minister the substance of the Minute on this subject published in the "North China Daily News" of the 27th February. Therein it will be observed that the policy which the Council proposes to recommend for the ratepayers' approval at their approaching annual meeting is in general conformity with the suggestions of His Majesty's Secretary of State.
The Council will take leave to address a further communication to you on the subject after this meeting has taken place.
I have, &c.
(Signed) DAVID LANDALE, Chairman.
(No. 26.)
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Inclosure 4 in No. 1.
Consul-General Sir P. Warren to Sir J. Jordan.
Shanghae, March 5, 1908.
Sir,
I HAVE the honour to forward to you herewith a copy of a letter which I have received from the Rev. W. Nelson Bitton, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Shanghae Missionary Association, inclosing copies of correspondence exchanged between his Committee and the Shanghae Municipal Council on the question of the closing of licensed opium dens within the Settlement.
Mr. Bitton has asked me to send you this correspondence so that you may know what course of action is likely to meet with the support of the local missionary body.
As I intimated to you in my despatch of the 2nd instant, the Council have decided to recommend for the ratepayers' approval, at the meeting to be held on the 20th instant, a reduction in the number of licences by one-quarter, with effect from the 1st July. Mr. Bitton states that this proposal would only meet with the approval of his Committee provided it was the first step in a policy which had in view the total abolition of the licences within a period of four consecutive half-years.
I have, &c.
(Signed) PELHAM L. WARREN.
Inclosure 5 in No. 1.
Rev. W. Bitton to Consul-General Sir P. Warren.
London Mission, Shanghae, March 5, 1908.
I HAVE the honour to inclose, for your consideration, a copy of the letters addressed to-day by the representatives of the Local Missionary Association to the Shanghae Municipal Council on the question of the closing of the licensed opium houses in this Settlement. You will see that my Committee has asked the Council to specifically state that its proposal to close a quarter of the licences in the last half of this year is the first step of a policy which has in view the total abolition of the licences within a period of four consecutive half-years.
If you can see your way to send a copy of this to the British Minister in Peking, that he may know what is the course of action likely to meet the support of the local missionary body, we shall be glad.
I should like to say that it was only the assurance of the Council that administrative difficulties effectively barred the way of immediate action that led to the approval of the two-years plan.
I have, &c.
(Signed) W. NELSON BITTON, Chairman of Executive.
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Extract from the "Municipal Gazette" of February 27, 1908.
OPIUM LICENCES.
PARTICULAR attention is drawn to the paragraph in the introduction relating to this subject, and to the policy which the Council proposes to recommend in relation to the question of closing the opium-houses. The Chairman's proposal is adopted to make the levy of opium licences the subject of a Resolution at the ratepayers' meeting, which will precede that relating to the Budget, so that ample opportunity may be offered for its discussion. It will be suggested that the present partial measures of diminution be continued, and that further steps be taken in the same direction, either by reduction of numbers by lot or curtailment of the lamps in each house, in so far as seems advisable in conjunction with and in proportion to a demonstrable decrease in the cultivation and importation of the drug. At the same time stress will be laid on the fact that, so long as opium is imported and grown, its consumption within the foreign Settlement must remain subject to police supervision under licence, since otherwise the coolie-hongs and native lodging-houses will, without doubt, become foci for the dissolute and criminal classes.
Inclosure 6 in No. 1.
Shanghae Missionary Association to Shanghae Municipal Council.
Shanghae, February 25, 1908.
THE inclosed Resolution framed by a Committee appointed for that purpose will, I trust, explain itself. This Committee is desirous of furthering the plans of the Council for the suppression of the places licensed for opium smoking in the Settlement. The members of this Committee are sensible that the closing of these licensed places is but one in a series of reforms planned by the British and Chinese Governments, and not an end in itself. At the same time they are well assured that the effective co-operation of so influential a body as the Shanghae Municipal Council in the accomplishment of this one step must add greatly to the force of the whole movement for abolition. Moreover, they are deeply sensible of the material effect such an action as is here urged will have upon the well-being of the Chinese community under your jurisdiction. Further, they feel strongly that the severance of official connection with
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