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localities to which neither our party nor the numerous Chinese inspectors found their way.
The mountainous character of almost the whole of Kansu Province, and the badness of the tracks which serve as roads, render all travel off the few main trade routes extraordinarily difficult and arduous. But the amount of opium produced secretly in this manner would be quite insignificant.
When travelling in the south of the province I heard rumours of the poppy being cultivated in the mountainous country west of Minchow and T'aochow inhabited by semi-independent Thibetan tribes. These reports applied more particularly to a lawless tribe living south of the Minshan mountains on the Szechuan border, whither it was impossible for me to penetrate without abandoning the inspection of more important poppy-growing_centres in the west. It was, however, evident from our journey from Taochow to Labrang and Hochow, when we travelled by an unfrequented route through country inhabited solely by Thibetans, that the latter had not taken to growing the poppy. In spite of the elevation of most of this part of Kansu we passed through many deep sheltered valleys, warm and fertile enough to grow good crops of corn, without fiuding a trace of poppy cultivation.
CL
An enormous crop of opium worth many millions of taels was harvested in Kansu in the summer of 1913. It was heavily taxed, so that both the cultivators and the provincial revenues benefited. The people were at the same time given to understand that they would not be permitted to grow the poppy another season This prohibition, though hindered by the unsettled state of affairs brought about by the presence of the White Wolf" rebels in the south of the province, was largely carried into effect in 1914, and practically complete suppression arrived at this year. Any infraction of the prohibition of cultivation is now punishable by death. Successful suppression within so short a period as two years is due to the energetic and determined attitude of the present Governor, General Chang Kuang-chien, towards the opium question. He appears to have been on the whole well served by his district magistrates, with whom rests the responsibility of seeing that the prohibition is really carried out. Unfortun- ately the suppression of poppy growing has not been unaccompanied by abuses and extortion on the part of small officials and Yamen underlings in outlying districts. The people complained in many districts of soldiers and Yamen runners searching the fields for solitary heads of poppy growing as weeds amongst the other crops, and in some cases even of planting poppies secretly on the land of innocent farmers for the purposes of extortion.
An acre of irrigated land in Kansu will produce a crop of opium worth ten times as much as a crop of wheat grown on the same plot; while owing to its high value and small bulk opium is a particularly suitable commodity to handle for purposes of trade and export in a province without proper means of communication, either within its own borders or with the rest of China. The poppy is being replaced by cereals, hemp, and tobacco; but enough cereals are already grown tor local consumption, while their bulk renders them unsuitable for purposes of trade; and the cultivation and manufacture of the latter are confined to certain localites. Opium suppression entails therefore particular hardships for the purely agricultural population of Kansu, and in view of this, and of the large number of confirmed smokers in the province, the greatest vigilance will be necessary to prevent recrudescence of cultivation during the next few years, more especially while the lax conditions at present prevailing in the adjoining Province of Shensi are permitted to continue. The people have doubtless kept stocks of seed which in that dry climate will remain fertile for
years.
Consumption of native opium in Kansu continues without any restrictions, and the number of confirmed smokers in the province is very large. I was informed by the provincial authorities at Lanchow that the matter would soon be taken in hand, and that they were at present engaged in enquiring into the number of smokers in each district with the idea of introducing some scheme of progressive reduction in the con- sumption of each individual smoker leading to complete cessation in a specified period according to age. Nothing, however, is likely to be done in the matter, as the people of Kansu, submissive and patient by nature, have been so bullied by the officials during the past two years over opium suppression and the collection of innumerable new and vexatious taxes, that the latter do not consider it safe to make a serious attempt to prohibit opium smoking. Further, local consumption is not likely to be effectively suppressed until the large stocks of native grown opium at present in the province are exhausted. In the meantime the high price of the drug-2,600 cash (about 2 dollars Mexican) per Chinese ounce in Lanchow-tends to discourage consumption except amongst the confirmed smokers. While the provincial authorities in Lanchow admit that no attempt is at present being made to interfere with consumption, the attitude of the local officials in some of the outlying districts is very vague on the subject.
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This, while at Ch'inchow, the seat of a Taoyin (Superintendent of Circuit), the streets reeked of burning opium after nightfall and smokers could be seen through half-closed doors enjoying their pipes, in the district of Li Hsien, forming part of the Ch'inchow Circuit, proclamations were posted announcing that anyone sowing, selling, or smoking opium would be shot. Such notices were, of course, meaningless and posted for our benefit.
No definite scheme exists for regulating the trade in native opium which is still permitted to continue, in some places under taxation by licence, in others without any restrictions, according to the ideas of the local officials on the subject. Its transport through the province is taxed by means of special opium li-kin offices which reap a rich but declining harvest. The result of such legalised trade in native opium is that large quantities of the Kansu grown drug are smuggled into the other provinces of China. This secret export follows three main routes; through Mongolia to north China and Manchuria; viâ Sianfu and Tungkuan into Honan (in which province, owing to strict suppressive measure, the profits on smuggled opium are enormous); and via the Han Valley to Hankow. Our arrival in Kansu gave rise to much talk about suppressing all traffic in native opium, and I was informed by the provincial authorities that they were about to bring the trade to an end. But in the meantime it furnishes a means of getting rid of the stocks in the province. These stocks are very large, and if left to be consumed locally would last for decades.
Our itinerary was as follows: from Miench'ih (the railhead in Honan) to Sian, the capital of Shensi, 205 miles; from Sian via P'ingliang to Lanchow, the capital of Kansu, 470 miles; from Lanchow viâ Titao and down the Wei River valley to Ch'inchow, 240 miles; from Ch'inchow viâ Li Hsien and Minchow to T'acchow in the Thibetan border country, 225 miles; from T'aochow via Labrang and Hochow to Lanchow, 220 miles; from Lanchow via P'ingfan to Liangchow and Chenfan on the edge of the Alashan desert in north-western Kansu, 250 miles; from Chenfan to Yungchang and thence through the Nanshan mountains and along the Kokonor border to Yungan, Tatung and Sining, 328 miles; from Sining to Lanchow, 148 miles. From Lanchow we travelled by raft and boat on the Yellow River to Ninghsia and Paot'ou; and from Paot'ou by road again to Kueihuach'eng and Fengchen (the rail- head of the Peking-Kalgan Extension line in northern Shansi). The journey was made on horseback with a small caravan of pack mules. We entered Kansu from Shensi on the 23rd May, and left the province again for Mongolia on the 11th Sep- tember.
A sketch map showing the route followed is attached.*
Sir,
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
I have, &c.
ERIC TEICHMAN.
Sir J. Jordan to Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs.
October 6, 1915. WITH reference to your Excellency's note of the 30th August, and my reply of the 1st September, I have the honour to inform you that I have now received a report from Mr. Eric Teichman, on the tour of investigation for opium poppy cultivation recently made in Kansu Province under the terms of the 1911 Opium Agreement.
Mr. Teichman reports, that no cultivation was found by the investigation party, and 1, therefore, have the honour to inform your Excellency, that I propose to prohibit the importation of Indian opium into Kansu from the 1st November.
I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to your Excellency the assurance of my highest consideration.
I have, &c.
• Not reproduced.
J. N. JORDAN.
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