This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government. 43018
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
(38019)
No. 1.
253 24 NOV 201
[November 2;
SECTION 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received November 2.)
Peking, September 8, 1908.
(No. 405.) Sir,
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith, in translation, a copy of a Memorial by the Board of Laws and the Imperial Commissioners for Law Reform, which appeared in the "Official Gazette" of the 30th July, embodying and reporting on a Memorial submitted to the Throne on the 14th December, 1907, by the Governor of Kiangsu, recommending the enactment of special penal laws against the sale of morphia and the manufacture of instruments for its injection.
According to the Returns of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, the net import of morphia into China in 1902, the year of the signature of the British Commercial Treaty with China, wherein the prohibition, except for medical purposes, of the importation of the drug and of the instruments for its injection was first conditionally agreed upon, amounted to 195,133 oz., and in the subsequent years 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, and 1907 to 106, 148, 128, 54, 419, and 96 oz., respectively. While these figures seem to indicate a decreased import during recent years, there is every reason to believe that the consumption of morphia in China has largely increased, and that the demand is being met by smuggling into the country through various channels, principally Japanese ports. It would appear that Chinese in Japan, whether acting as principals or agents, enter into contracts with firms in that country for large consignments of the drug; that these firms transmit the orders to Europe to Austrian, German, and British houses, and that these houses ship the morphia to Japan, where, however, it is not landed, but transhipped under Japanese Customs permit to vessels bound for China. Being transhipment cargo it is not examined, and, on the assumption that it is correctly described and entered on the ship's manifest when leaving Europe, it must be well known to the Japanese Customs authorities that the drug has arrived in Japanese waters and has not been landed in Japan, and were it correctly described on application for transhipment it would be equally well known that the morphia is intended for China. If, however, the drug were entered on the manifest of the vessel bound for China as morphia, smuggling would be impossible; so that, to escape the vigilance of the Chinese Customs authorities, it must be either unmanifested or manifested under a false description. Whichever the modus operandi may be, there seems to be no doubt that Japanese ports are used as a base for smuggling the drug into China.
The proposal made by Great Britain and accepted by China that, in consideration of the reduction of the duty to 5 per cent, ad valorem on morphia imported under proper safeguards for medical purposes only, the general importation of the drug for commercial purposes should be totally prohibited, has received the adhesion of all the Powers except Japan, whose recusant attitude towards China's repeated invitations to fall into line with the other Powers on this question encourages a continuance of the smuggling due to the high Tariff duty, and impedes the Chinese Government in their desire to take effective measures for the eradication of the evil. It is generally believed here that Japan's object is to obtain a quid pro quo—to barter consent for advantages in negotiations with China in other directions.
I am forwarding a copy of this despatch to His Majesty's Ambassador at Tókið.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
(Signed)
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