{
I
{
547
143471/08
contribution of about 42 per centum towards that loss. I
trust that the Legislative
Council and the Colony as a
whole may regard this as a liberal interpretation of the
promise conveyed in paragraph 8 of Your Lordship's Con-
-fidential Despatch of 8th. January, 1909: but I venture to
remind Your Lordship (in order that the fact may not be
lost sight of in the correspondence with the Lords Com-
-missioners of the Treasury) that the loss in 1911 and
1912 will be $270,660 per annum, i.e. greater than in
1910.
3
I take this opportunity of report-
-ing that all Opium Divans both in the Colony and the New
Territories were closed on the 28th. ultimo. It is too
early yet to know what the effect of this measure will be,
but as soon as reliable information of the subject is
available I shall address a further report to Your Lord-
➡ship.
4.
I have reason to fear that the rise
t
in the price of Bengal Opium owing to the steps taken by
the Government of India will cause considerable loss to the
new Opium Farmers, who state that their tender for the
Farm was based upon a price of $1,250 per chest of Bengal
Opium, increasing by 10 per centum in each subsequent year.
At