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(This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[90983]
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Earl Curzon.-(Received June 19.)
[June 19.]
SECTION 1
385
40534
ALCO REDE IN JUX 19
Peking, April 30, 1919.
No. 176.) My Lord,
I HAVE sought to keep you informed in previous despatches of such general data ith regard to the cultivation of opium in the provinces as reaches me from time to time.
I have just received a letter from Mr. Eastes, now on his way from Tengyueh to Bake up his duties as acting consul-general at Chongtu, which is of distinct value from this point of view. Mr. Eastes is making the journey across country, and has s travelled through a large part of Yunnan and of Szechuan on his way to his new t. Writing from Li-Chou-Kai, in Southern Szechuan, on the 19th March, he ords that during his 33 days' journey through Yünnau it was only on the last half- day that he saw any poppy fields at all, and then only five. But once across the Yaug-tsze and into Szechuan and it was a very different story. Poppy was to be seen on all sides, planted without the smallest attempt at concealment. It was in evidence all along the road, in huge patches stretching up the terraced slopes as far as the eye could reach.
Mr. Eastes states that so far as he has been able to discover there never has been any real effort at eradication along the route which he has just followed. In eight-and- a-half days' travel in Szechuan he has covered over 150 miles, mostly up the Chiench'ang valley, which the local Taoyin's proclamations-none more recent than Mr. Eastes estimates the 1917-admitted to be famous for poppy production.
proportion of fields under poppy at anything up to 30 per cent., on some areas certainly As much as 50 per cent.
This information is exceedingly unsatisfactory, and only adds cogency to the representations which, in accordance with the instructions in your telegram No. 183 of 5th April, I am just addressing to the Chinese Government, calling attention to the recrudescence of cultivation in the provinces.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN,
[2909 t-1]