[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C.0.
OPIUM.
10008
[May 12.]
REC
CONFIDENTIAL.
Red 16 JUN 11
SECTION 3.
[18029]
No. 1.
(No. 167.) Sir,
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Eduard Grey.-(Received May 12.)
Peking, April 19, 1911. I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith copies of two despatches from His Majesty's consul at Foochow, enclosing the translations of anti-opium regulations issued for the province of Fukien.*
In my reply, of which the copy is also enclosed,* I have explained to Mr. Consul Werner that the regulations contain little to which we can take exception. We have never held that we are entitled under treaty to object to regulations which are devised to control the retail trade so long as the wholesale trade in foreign opium is left unrestricted.
Fukien is one of the maritime provinces which has both consumed foreign opium and produced indigenous opium in past years. It claims, with good reason I believe, to have entirely suppressed the native cultivation, and it now asks to be relieved of the foreign import, which in 1910 amounted to 6,883 piculs. Petitions in this sense, a specimen of which I have the honour to enclose,* have been addressed to the Wai-wu Pu and myself, and to me, I confess, it seems very difficult to resist a demand of this kind without incurring the charge of more or less forcing opium upon China. All restrictions upon the retail business in opium naturally react upon the wholesale trade and evoke protests from the opium merchants, who demand a free and unrestricted market for the large supplies which continue to pour into China in rapidly increasing quantities.
The stocks in China and Hong Kong have risen within a few months from 18,000 chests to considerably over 21,000 chests, and this amount, added to the authorised import of 30,600 chests, will bring the aggregate import for this year up to the 51,000 chests of the time before progressive reduction was commenced.
China, on the other hand, has effected a marvellous reduction in the suppression of the native growth, and will naturally claim that, if the foreign import had been proportionately diminished, the success of her anti-opium campaigu would now have been practically assured.
* Not printed.
[2011 m-3]
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
561