COPY.
No.2578/11.
63
C O 32419
Government House,
OCT !!
Hongkong, 14th. September, 1911.
{
toe.
Sir,
I have the honour to forward for Your Excel-
-lency's information copy of the correspondence noted in the margin which has passed between the Colonial Secretary and the Consul for France on the subject of importation of opium into Kuang-chou-wan. It has not been possible to obtain a definite reply from the Consul to the question whether Kuang-chou-wan should be added to the list of countries which prohibit the import of raw opium, prepared opium, dross opium, and compounds of opium. But it appears that the Kuang-chou-wan Opium Farmer's contract expires at the beginning of 1912, and that the French Authorities then propose to enforce regulations as to the trade in morphine and compounds of opium.
2.
I shall be glad if Your Excellency can give
me definite information as to the French policy with regard to the opium trade in China.
3.
I may observe that an individual giving the name of "Piry* recently endeavoured to obtain a permit from the
Superintendent of Imports and Exports to export Morphia to
Kuang-chou-wan which he said was a free port, but he admitted
that the Morphia would not be consumed there. The exports of
opium to Kuangchouwan from Hongkong in 1910 were 959 chests and
for the last 12 months (July 31st., 1910, to August 1st., 1911)
they reached a total of 1,537 chests, the last three months
June, July and August being alone responsible for an export to Kuang-chow-wan of 739 chests practically all uncertificated. The most liberal estimate of the consumption in that small place is
about
His Britannic Majesty's Minister,
Peking.
N