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in his memorandum of the 9th August) after payment in full of duty and li-kin. One of the chests was destined for Tsang Sheng and the other for Longmoon, so it cannot be claimed that Suntong was the place of consumption. The owner was arrested and fined 1,850 taels, whilst the opium was retained by the Kuang Jung office at Suntong. Towards the end of July there was a similar seizure at Chin Isan, near Macao, but the opium was released on the intervention of the Commissioner of Customus at Lappa.
The above instances of seizure have, as already stated, formed the subject of representations from His Majesty's legation, both written and verbal, but further instances of similar illegal action have lately been brought to Mr. Max Müller's
notice.
At Sanshui, on the 4th day of the 7th moon (8th August), the Pofung and Poyik hongs were fined 350 dollars each for selling 116 balls of raw Patna opium, bearing the Customs transit certificate, without reporting the sale to the Kwong Jung general office and collecting the tax from the buyers. They were also made to sign a bond on the 14th August undertaking to pay the tax within three days. It is asserted by the above two hongs that the sales of these 116 balls were effected before the 11th day of the 5th moon (18th June) the date of the enforcement of the new regulations at Samshui. Again, at Shin fling, on the West Itiver, the Choku hong has been threatened by the Kwong Jung general oflice with the withdrawal of their licence and the closure of their long, and also with imprisonment of the manager, unless they pay the new tax on eight chests of Patna opium sold by them prior to the enforcement of the new regulations, this too in spite of the fact that duty and li-kin on these eight chests were paid at Samshui.
There have now been four separate cases in which opium under transit pass has been illegally seized, and in one case, at Samshui, the opium has been confiscated; moreover, in the last two cases the opium has been sold prior to the enforcement of the new regulations.
The attitude of the Kwangtung authorities was therefore brought to the notice of His Majesty's Government, and Mr. Max Müller bas received telegraphic instructions from Sir Edward Grey to state that His Majesty's Government strongly deprecate the nction of the Chinese officials while the general question is still under discussion. Mr. Max Miller is also instructed to press for the release of the opium that has been seized and the remission of the fines inflicted.
W. G. MAX MÜLLER.
The favour of an early reply to this memorandum is requested.
Peking, September 6, 1910.
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instructed by Imperial decrce to suppress opium, suppress it he will. Prepared opium in Chinese hauds is an article which he has a right to tax, and indirect treaty obligations do not concern him. In the face of this attitude it was in vain that I cited arguments previously brought forward here and in Peking, or pointed out that this was a question for the two Governments concerned, and that we could only treat it in our capacity of subordinates. Eventually one of the foreign secretaries, seeing the futility of further discussion, asked if some modus vivendi could not be suggested, so, without committing myself officially, I said that an extension of the time limit would to some extent remove from the levy the stigma of being, in effect, nothing but a direct impost on foreign raw opium. They then went away prepared to consider an extension of the boiling-down time to six months.
Argue as one may, nothing will make the local authorities recede from the position that they have an inherent right to tax prepared opium, and to take any steps they please to suppress smoking, so long as their reading of the additional article to the Chefoo Convention is not technically infringed.
I have, &c.
J. W. JAMIESON.
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
Consul-General Jamieson to Mr. Maz Müller.
(No. 29.) Sir,
Canton, August 18, 1910. AS I had the honour to report to you by telegraph this morning, have had a long talk with the head of the Opium Prohibition "Bureau, Hsu Taotai, who came in company with two of the Acting Governor-General's foreign secretaries to clear up what were termed misunderstandings.
According to them, the various cases of seizure and interference with transit pass opium which I have had occasion to bring to his Excellency Yüan's notice have arisen out of the fact that those in whose charge it was were not holders of the requisite permits authorising them to handle opium, and proceedings were taken against them on that ground. Against this principle, that the officials can say who shall and who shall not handle opium, and under what conditions, I could not see my way to raise objection. It was once more reiterated that raw opium was exempt from the levy, and that the time limit of ten days within which to boil down was only to commence on arrival at destination, which might conceivably mean thirty days after leaving treaty port of entry, Stress was laid on the necessity of keeping a careful check on all imports, as in the matter of opium the Cantonese standard of fair dealing is apparently very low, and efforts have to be made to guard against the import of Turkish and Persian opium. Hsü Ta-jên, who is an irascible old gentleman, with a certain amount of European experience, is thoroughly in earnest in his anti-opium campaign, and stoutly maintains that, having been
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