:
435
taxes imposed on importations of opium into the Kwangtung
Province are admitted by the Viceroy to be for purposes of
Revenue only. In his telegram in reply to the orders of
the Wai-wu-pu to withdraw the Regulations he states "this
is only a question of raising revenue, it has nothing to
do with the Anti-Opium question" (enclosure to Despatch
of 13th. September, 1910) and he goes on to show that he
anticipates an increase in the Revenue of his Province
from this source of some $4,400,0
* 000
£400,000 annually.
He points out that a proposal to increase the import tax
on Foreign Opium hy 30% would not be nearly so lucrative,
even he says "though the sum (now paid) be doubled the
amount collected would still be smaller than the tax
imposed on prepared opium", e.g. the present illegal tax.
These large increases in the Viceroy's revenue are admitt ally
to be made at the expense of Hongkong merchants, the
discussion you will observe is based solely on the best
means of doing so and has as the Viceroy says nothing to
do with Opium suppression. I may add that the Indian
Government will by these measures be also involved in
heavy loss in addition to the sacrifices voluntarily
made on the assumption that China would act with equal
bona fides.
In