}
A
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fest MoKY
573
7
.0:
i boule AO
Plow 000,02
tart pen om
Iera
"Moreover, if the price of prepared opium
is not to be increased, the people will not abandon the opium
habit. The suggestion of the foreigners that the ordinary duties
on opium be increased is a different matter altogether. If the
question of increasing the ordinary duties concerns the whole
empire, the province of Kwangtung is of course included; but if
the ordinary duty is only increased in lieu of the prepared opium tax imposed in the Province of Kwangtung, they (the fore- -igners) will say that a heavy additional import duty has been
imposed. This is only a question of raising revenue: it has
nothing to do with the Anti-Opium question.
"With regard to the question of raising
funds, every chest of opium imported has only to pay a duty of 110 taels including likin tax. Though the sum be doubled, the
amount collected would still be smaller than the tax imposed on prepared opium. Furthermore, if the axapass proposal to increase-
the import duty be accepted and a new treaty made, the duty cannot afterwards be increased, whereas a tax on prepared opium can be gradually increased. Therefore it would be a great obstacle to the anti-opium movement, for opium smokers would
hesitate to abandon the habit. The best plan to stop opium- -smoking is to increase the tax on opium. You say this opportuni- -ty to increase the import duties on opium, should not be miss-
-ed, but I must point out that we can only tell from the Customs returns the quantity of opium imported, and after the
be oplum has been imported one can hardly tell where it is to sent, and so we would be quite ignorant of what quantity of opium is consumed in a particular locality. The law to stop
opium-smoking should be strictly enforced; if there is to be this drawback we shall not get the officials to do their duties in this respect in such a manner as is desired. The tax imposed on prepared opium does not affect the trade of foreign merchants. If we at once abandon the tax on prepared opium and enter into a discussion about increasing the Customs duty,
how
think