VIA .abtawtsita noitqwienoo to eder gut galatstreous eteðillont
moldaşitrovai ķe noitaluger altid enatržal of bawot el odv sno
.be.intang xiivsed ed £Ilw
(asiðhortum eft) Transeɔed ed notalvar yna bivore
OP Y.
15.
Enclosure 4.
H. B. M. Consulate-General,
Canton, June 8th., 1910.
212
.AL
ea oa nottefed to moltibbe zna oskodtus of benoitizeq od IIlw
.yromried bma moltostxeq te sytris of
sir,
mulqo oil to aɔitto Estoned odi yď obem YIIutto@qeek
.gout anowX to sontwor¶ elodw end to cloqonoli consola
As I have no doubt that you will be ap-
-proached, by those interested, in the matter of the newly
instituted tax on boiled opium, which formed the subject of my
despatch No. 13 of May 11th., I have the honour to report the
result of conferences I have had with the farmer of the tax, and
with a representative of Messrs. Sassoons from Hongkong.
The tax, which is at the rate of 30 cents
on every Chinese ounce of prepared opium, came into force
yesterday (the first day of the 5th. Moon), and works out
roughly to $300.00 per chest on the equivalent of raw Opium.
Seventy per cent of the proceedings go to the Provincial Govern-
-ment and 30 per cent to the farmer for collection expenses.
I received last night a streng telegram of protest against
its imposition from the British Opium Firms in Hongkong, who
stated that deliveries had been stopped in consequence, and
today their representative discussed the situation with me at
great length. I endeavoured to impress upon him that by Treaty
we have no grounds of protest unless taxation were differential.
In the present instance the tax being levied on the actual
weight of prepared opium, and collected from the boiler who
recovered from the smokers, I pointed out to him that I could
not reasonably interfere. Part of the procedure laid down is
the furnishing by the wholesale dealers of periodical statements
of their stocks and sales, and to this also I said that I could
not raise objection. Stress was laid on the point that, in
the opinion of the opium firm, it was my duty to press for the
abolition of additional taxation of any kind, on the plea that
it tended to strangle trade. With this ** view I refused to
concur