for
DAVID SASSOON & CO., LD.
To accompany 5.
687
O O P Y.
Hong-Kong 29th September 1910.
Hon. lir. A. M. Thomson,
Colonial Secretary,
Sir,
1. ROA
B00%
Kwangtung Oplum Tax.
Rece REG 28 OCT 0
With reference to your letter No. 1. in 6854/08 dated the
General 27th inst. enclosing translation of a despatch from the Governor, of the Liang Kuang Provinces to H. B. M's Consul General at Canton, we find that is Excellency justifies the levy on the ground that the money is required for the purpose of opium prohibition. He further says that "ir practical suppression is to be taken in hand then the Foreign opium trade must daily decrease until it becomes extinct and under no circumstances can opium suppression go hand in hand with a distribution of Foreign opium". This will be quite correct if the importation of Foretan opium is not restricted but as by the arrange- ment made between H. B. H.'s Government and China the export of opium from India 18 to be yearly reduced until 1917, when it will totally
cease, we do not see the reason for these sweeping measures. In this
connection we cannot do better than quote from a letter dated 20th September 1909 written by sir John Jordan, H.B.M.'s Minister in Peking to our firms in Shanghai regarding representations made to the Val-
Wu Pu;
"I disclaimed any intention of interfering with any re-
gulations which the ohinese Government or Provincial Au-
thorities might think fit to issue to control or suppress
the trade in native opium, but I pointed out that the even-
tual suppression or the trade in Foreign Opium was already
provided for by the arrangement concluded between the two
Governments".
This is quite clear and to the point, and we maintain that China has