#
1
COPY.
No.
ว
Sir,
British Consulate-General C.O
Manila, March 14, 1913.
98
18671
RECO P2 JUN 131
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of
Your Excellency's despatch 4020/1912 of February 10th. enclosing copy of an ordinance (which is about to pass) to amend the opium ordinance of 1909. I shall communicate with the Philippine Govern- -ment regarding the suggestions made by Your Excellency in para- -graphs 5 and 7 of this despatch and report the results later on. Meanwhile I should feel much obliged if I may be favoured as soon as possible with four extra copies of each of the Ordinances for- -warded to me, viz.:- of the Ordinance No. 23 of 1909 and of the
Opium Amendment Ordinance 1913 as I wish to forward copies to the Executive Secretary and to the Foreign office.
I may state that a bill for the suppression
of smuggling, copy of which is enclosed, was brought before the Philippine Commission and was at my special request passed by them on 23rd. January. On being referred, however, to the Philippine Assembly for confirmation it failed to pass the Assembly owing to the plethora of legislation awaiting enactment.
You will observe by comparison with the legisla -tion now in force, as shown by the copies of extracts of laws
forwarded to you in my despatch of 25th. October, 1912, that the
chief and most important amendment now proposed is the provision
for imprisonment for a period of not less than one nor more than
five years, with or without fine in place of a fine only. At the
next session of the Assembly in October next I shall make further
efforts to get this bill passed, which is highly approved of by
Messrs. Smith Bell and Company Agents for the British Shipping
Companies interested in the suppression of opium smuggling.
I have etc.,
lis Excellency
(8d.) A. E. Wileman,
Sir Henry May, K.C.M.G.. Hongkong.
H. B. M.'s Consul-General.