[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government
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CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
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(No. 117.) Sir,
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SECTION 2.
srGP 27 MAY OS No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received May 1.)
Peking, March 16, 1909. THE issue of certain regulations to control the opium traffic by the authorities of Hupei elicited a protest, towards the middle of last month, from the Shanghae agents of Messrs. Sassoon and His Majesty's Consul-General at Hankow, who had been asked to intervene, accordingly referred to me for instructions.
I told Mr. Fraser what I had done in the cases of a similar nature which had arisen at Canton and Shanghae, and furnished him with the views which I have expressed in my despatches to you Nos. 12 and 13 of the 6th January last, and which I considered should guide his action pending your instructions.
From the despatch, copy of which I have the honour to inclose, you will perceive that Mr. Fraser does not consider that the Iupei Regulations are such as to justify an accusation of breach of Treaty stipulations and that he has consequently replied to Messrs. Sassoon that their complaint does not appear to him to be well founded.
I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.
Inclosure 1 in No. 1.
T
(No. 21.)
Consul-General Fraser to Sir J. Jordan.
Sir,
Hankow, March 8, 1909. BEGGING reference to your despatch No. 12 of the 23rd February, I have the honour to forward copies with translation of notes exchanged with the Iukuang Viceroy on the subject of the Hupei anti-opium rules in consequence of the complaint of Messrs. D. Sassoon, Sons, and Co., reported in my letter of the 18th ultimo.
The Hsiak'ou Tring has also handed me specimens of the printed forms brought into use on the 27th February. These are a transit pass, a delivery certificate, a resident smoker's buying permit, a traveller's buying permit and a purchase permit. Of these documents copies and translations are forwarded herewith.
The rules seem to suffer from no worse fault than the unworkable complexity common to Chinese codes and I have, therefore, replied to Messrs. Sassoon that their complaint does not appear to me justified.
The dealers and retailers of the three cities, disliking having to keep a register of sales for official inspection, attempted a general strike a week ago. The Viceroy sent 200 soldiers to keep order, and the Ting notified each shop that once it closed it would never be allowed to resume the opium business. The new system was, there- upon, accepted without further demur.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
E. H. FRASER.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
Your Excellency,
Consul-General Fraser to Viceroy of Hukuang.
Hankow, March 1, 1909. THE British opium-dealers, Sassoon and Co., complain that the new licence and rates system which, with your Excellency's concurrence, has been introduced here, goes beyond the Agreement between our two Governments for the gradual cessation of the import of the Indian drug, and tends to confine the wholesale trade to a few dealers, and so constitute a monopoly.
Messrs. Sassoon and Co. further allege that, before being finally prepared for consumption, a ball of foreign opium is split into many parts in its passage through
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