[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
reference to certain objections against the new method of issuing licences to opium- smokers and to shops, which I had occasion to lay before your Excellency's predecessor in office.
Whilst noting the explanations offered by the bureau, I must take exception to the charge of irrelevance and misapprehension against myself. In the course of antecedent correspondence I have repeatedly placed on record the fact that His Majesty's Government consider any taxation on foreign opium in a treaty port, whether it be in broken or unbroken packages, as an infraction of treaty. I have also given the reasons on which this contention is based. In terms of the treaties, payment of import duty frees all foreign imports from further charges in the port of entry, and accordingly opium destined for consumption in the port of entry should pay nothing but the 30 taels regular duty. His Majesty's Government, however, as a matter of friendly accommodation, consented to allow the extra 80 taels, representing commuted transit li-kin, to be imposed on foreign opium, even although it did not leave the port of entry, and it is in return for this concession that they claim, therefore, absolute immunity from any additional charges whatsoever. The bureau in quoting the treaty is absolutely correct: Opium packages on arrival at their destination in the interior (nei ti') on being broken up can be dealt with (conditionally) by the authorities." But have they the hardihood to maintain that the port of Kuangehou can be considered as "nei ti"? Again, the bureau say that foreign opium, having been converted from its raw to its prepared state, is purely a Chinese article. Did prepared opium consist of equal proportions of foreign and native drug, I might be disposed to admit the force of this argument, but when, as is well known, the prepared article consumed in Canton is practically entirely composed of foreign opium, any taxation levied thereon is in effect taxation levied on raw opium.
Your Excellency concludes by confessing inability to issue instructions for the withdrawal of the regulations on the ground that to do so would prejudice the policy of opium suppression. When, however, I see openly discussed proposals to devote the revenue thereunder collected to making good the deficit in the provincial exchequer which would be incurred by an abolition of the gambling monopoly, perhaps I may
be permitted to draw other inferences.
On an agreement between two parties it is surely not admissible to place a one-sided ex parte interpretation, and as His Majesty's Government have expressed their willingness to discuss the whole question with the Chinese Government in a friendly spirit, I would once more beg your Excellency to suspend the regulations under discussion until a mutually satisfactory agreement shall have been arrived at. I have, &c.
J. W. JAMIESON.
K
[B]
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[6277]
Co
7235
[February 20.]
PICO
Prat 6 MAX
SECTION 3.
No. 1.
Board of Trade to Foreign Office.-(Received February 20.)
Board of Trade, February 17, 1911.
Sir,
I AM directed by the Board of Trade to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23rd January, with its enclosures, relative to the enquiries which His Majesty's Government have undertaken to make with regard to the trade in morphia and cocaine in this country.
In reply, I am to state that, as explained in the Board's letter of the 14th November last, reliable information as to the exports of these drugs, and the firms exporting them, has only been obtainable since the beginning of this year, and they doubt whether, in the circumstances, adequate particulars will be available at a sufficiently early date to enable the British delegates to take part in the proposed conference on the 1st July.
If, however, the conference could again be postponed, until the autumn, the Board would hope to be in a position to furnish the necessary figures and other information in respect of a period of six months, which might perhaps be regarded, in view of the pressing nature of the matters to be discussed, as sufficient for the purpose.
I am, &c.
GEO. J. STANLEY.
[1897 u-3]
429