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"This Vocument is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
C 61005
556
REC
Rrr 24 ACT 19
[October 11.]
SECTION 1.
[139974)
(No. 390.) My Lord,
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Earl Curzon.—(Received October 11.)
Peking, August 27, 1919. I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith copy of a note which have addressed to the Wai-chiao Pu entering a further protest against the general recrudescence of opium cultivation which has taken place of recent years in China, and more especially this
year, in Shensi and Szechuan, in violation of the agreement of 1911.
I am instructing His Majesty's consuls to report fully on this subject during the coming winter and spring, so that a comprehensive survey of the amount of cultivation
opium may be available.
during the next only of the opinion that and when a strong central Government is
again established in this country the opium poppy will be once more eradicated. The present recrudescence of cultivation, though undoubtedly on a comparatively large scale, is, generally speaking, confined to remote provinces, which, whether under the niual control of the Northern Government or not, pay little attention to the remonstrances of the Wai-chiao Pu on the subject.
Enclosure in No. 1.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
Sir,
Sir J. Jordan to Wai-chiao Pu.
August 27, 1919. I HAVE the honour to refer your Excellency to my numerous previous communications protesting against the recrudescence of poppy cultivation in China in violation of the Agreement of 1911. Thus, in my memorandum of the 29th March I drew the attention of your Excellency's Ministry to the case of Shensi, which, jointly inspected and found clean in 1917, resumed cultivation immediately afterwards in 1918, and has this year been producing large quantities of opium under the open encourage- ment of the provincial authorities. Again, in my note of the 29th April I made mention of the reliable reports of widespread cultivation and traffic in more than half the provinces of China; and in my letter of the 29th May I referred to the case of two, British consular officers who had recently travelled for days in Western China through countless fields of opium poppy in full bloom. Finally, in my letter of the 7th July I informed your Excellency of the cultivation being carried on along the Chinese Eastern Railway in Kirin Province.
I have recently received further reports of the cultivation of the poppy in Szechuan and Fukien. In both cases cultivation is openly encouraged by the officials, who make large profit by taxing the opium produced. There would appear to be no difference in this respect between the officials of the Northern and Southern Governments, the offending districts being partly under the control of the former and partly under the control of the latter.
I regret to have to point out to your Excellency that the evidence of widespread recrudescence of poppy cultivation above referred to shows conclusively that China is not at present carrying out her obligations under the Agreement of 1911, and I have the bonour therefore to enter a further formal protest with your Excellency's Government on the subject.
I avail, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
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