152
be considered as coming under this
designation have been permitted to continue
since they provide no facility for the con-
sumption of opium other than a room in
which the registered consumer can take his
In Hong Kong, the Straits
dose.
Settlements and the Protected Malay States
it has been considered impracticable to
institute a system of registration; but
steps have been taken to limit the traffic
as far as possible.
In Hong Kong the farm system
has been retained for the present, but the
farmer is only allowed to import a limited
number of chests, (800 for 1911); no
female or person under the age of 16 is
allowed to purchase opium, and the opium
divans which used to flourish have been
entirely suppressed.
In the Malay Peninsula, the
Government has taken over the purchase,
preparation and sale of opium as a Govern-
ment monopoly, and has endeavoured to
restrict the sale by selling at the highest
price compatible with the prevention of the
danger of encouraging the use of morphia
or cocaine in place of opium. In 1910, the
retail price was raised fifty per cent.
Since the annexed print was
prepared the system of Government monopoly
been
j
has extended, not only over the whole of
the Federated Malay States but also over all
the other protected states in the Peninsula
with the exceptions of Kelantan and Trengcam
where it has not yet been possible to cancel
existing farns.
The smoking of opium in brothels,
which was a lucrative addition to the opium
farmers' profits, was forbidden before the
Government
Government