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could furnish figures showing the legitimate annual requirements of the country, there was nothing on which to base a figure, in view of the uncertainty whether opium said to be exported to Mexico actually reached that destination. In this connection Mr. Severn pointed out that the Hong Kong farmer had agreed to a reduction of the opium which he could export to ten chests a-month (120 a-year).
Mr. Alston promised to telegraph to the Minister at Mexico, and the meeting adjourned after recapitulating the points on which agreement had been arrived, viz., that the farmer should be allowed to prepare 260 chests a-year for local consumption in Macao, and that the Macao Government would adopt whatever regulations the Hong Kong Government may be able to impose as the result of the negotiations now in progress with Mexico.
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Governmen
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[1749]
No. 1.
214
C.O.
189
RECE [Januar 13 FEB 3
SECTION 3.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received January 13, 1913.)
(No. 517.) Sir,
Peking, December 30, 1912. REFERRING to my telegram No. 270 of the 26th December, I have the honour to transmit herewith translation of the presidential order published in the "Official Gazette" of the 25th instant, affirming the adherence of the present Chinese Govern- ment to their former orders for the suppression of opium, and issuing further orders to all provincial officials to suppress opium effectively in accordance with the treaties.
In my despatch No. 130 of the 4th November, I stated that I had renewed my request to the Chinese Government that instructions should be sent to the provinces reaffirming the explanation of provisions of the opium agreement given in the circular telegram from the Wai-wu Pu of the 15th June, 1911. These instructions have been issued to four provinces-Kiangsi, Anhui, Chekiang, and Kuangtung-not in the authoritative form of a presidential order, but for their information only. The effect of this, so far from lessening, has intensified the campaign against Indian opium in the provinces.
The present presidential order cannot be regarded as satisfactory, inasmuch as it does not include the sense of the Wai-wu Pu's telegraphic circular instructions of the 15th June, 1911, in explanation of articles 3 and 7 of the opium agreement. It appears, moreover, to endorse the action of the various civil authorities who "have been making such plans and putting into effect such measures as seemed suitable." Article 7 of the opium agreement expressly declares that future laws to suppress the smoking of opium and to regulate the retail trade in the drug in general are to be made by the Chinese Government; no reference is made to independent action by the various provincial authorities. The presidential order largely evades the question of suppressing the import of foreign opium in the manner provided by article 3 of the opium agreement and in the telegraphic circular instructions of the Wai-wu Pu to the provinces. These circular instructions clearly lay down that no forcible repressive measures must be taken in respect of the trade in and the movement of foreign or native opium in any province where cultivation has not yet entirely ceased, and there are still a large number of smokers. In accordance with the provisions of article 3, it was agreed ou the 30th August, 1911, that Indian opium should not be conveyed into the five provinces of Fengtien, Kirin, Hei-lung-chiang, Shansi, and Szechuan, but subsequent information shows that Shansi and Szechuan have not fully inaintained their title to this con- sideration.
In my despatch No. 478 of the 5th December, I referred to infringements of the opium agreement in the provinces of Kiangsu, Anhui, and Hupeh. Since that date further information on this subject has been furnished relating to the five provinces of Kiangsu, Chekiang, Anhui, Kiangsi, and Hupeh.
At Shanghai a proclamation was issued by the Civil Administrator, under orders of the Governor of Kiangsu, that all opium shops in the city were to be closed by the 31st December, and that all licences for sales of opium would be withdrawn on that date. A second proclamation stated that the stocks of over twenty wholesale opium hongs in the district were to be investigated in order that the supply might be restricted to the demand. These wholesale hongs are the usual customers of certain foreign opium merchants, and have large outstanding contracts with them. They have notified the foreign opium merchants that, owing to the rigour of repressive measures for the suppression on the 31st December, it is not possible for them to sell Indian opium, and they cannot therefore carry out their contracts. The wholesale dealers in the city have now been ordered to remove all stocks into the settlement area by the night of the 30th December under penalty of imprisonment. The "Hsin Wen Pao," a widely circulated native newspaper at Shanghai, published on the 9th December the text of three provisional laws issued by the Ministry of the Interior, to come into force on the 1st January, 1913. Under these, smokers under forty who do not cease smoking within three weeks will be shot; those between forty and sixty will be given five weeks'
grace,
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