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sold at 14 rupees a viss in Nambkam bazaar. On the other hand, we do nothing to keep faith here.
But 1 have tried to show, that apart from what China does, it is the most urgent duty before us in these States now to put an end in the interests of the people, to all cultivation and traffic in opium in these States.
The trouble with Yunnan is the increasing weakness of administration there, and the entirely inadequate troops they have to maintain order or ensure anything except the officials' personal safety.
We may then expect smuggling from China into these States. A certain amount will no doubt go on, but in the main, if we try, we shall suppress the opium habit in these States, and can entirely suppress cultivation. Thus the demand and smuggling will diminish.
It is not advisable to authorise our local officials to search caravans on our northern borders, or they will make it an instrument of illegal levies or blackmail.
It is almost certain before long, that we shall have to establish permanent military police posts along the frontier. Patrols from these will be able to assist a smail excise establishment to suppress cultivation and smuggling. A small excise establishment would no doubt be required.
15. To carry out the proposals, however, in their first inception, it will be necessary for the present Assistant Superintendent, North Hsenwi, and the Assistant Superintendent, Tangyan, in their respective jurisdictions, to be in charge. To have other officers detailed for destroying crops, &c., until the people knew them, and were accustomed to the futility of resistance, would be simply creating trouble.
any
The Assistant Superintendent. Tangyan, has a lighter charge, and less opium cultivation, and less difficult people to contend with. He could carry out the suppres sion of cultivation in addition to his other duties, as also registration of habitual consumers, and inspection during the current year to see that no new cultivators or clearings were allowed.
The Assistant Superintendent, North Hsenwi, is, however, already overworked in his charge. He would have to be given an assistant, i.e., an additional Assistant Superintendent to help him. This assistant would carry out the routine work of the charge, under the supervision of Mr. Gaudoin, whilst the latter would spend his main time for the first season on enforcing the new policy. No suitable assistant can be pro- vided from present establishment. which is an Assistant Superintendent under strength. If Mr. Smart had been left in these States, we could have managed. An officer will therefore have to be deputed if the opium suppression policy is to be carried out. It is simply not possible for it to be done, in addition to a heavy charge, in a State of the size and character of North Hsenwi.
16. The important question arises as to the amount of resistance to be expected. If the thing is properly managed the risk of serious unrest or disturbance is practic- ally nil. I understand serious unrest or disturbance to mean something like the state of Ireland to-day,
If the local officers, personally known to the people and petty officials, and able to talk to them, are employed, and they are given adequate escorts, I anticipate no serious trouble. The Chinese, especially recent immigrants, and perhaps some of the Kachins might give trouble to a small extent. It is possible a few shots might be fired at one or two places on the earlier occasions of destroying crops that have been raised in defiance of orders. But with an escort of fifty or even fewer men each, for the first season, such trouble would be easily suppressed, and would not be repeated. Too small an escort might invite resistance, but fifty is a maximum escort required. A few days ago sixteen military policemen under a havildar dispersed forty Kachin dacoits on our northern border, with heavy loss, and broke up the gang. The risk is no greater than Messrs. Gaudoin and Korper are cheerfully willing to face. I recommend this suppression policy, and if desired I can be posted to see it carried out, and would personally assist.
The late Mr. Walter Scott suppressed opium cultivation in his charge in the Bhamo Kachin Hill Tracts, aided by a few peons and the power of his own personality only. After the first few cases, we should be able to do pretty much the same.
The ordinary escorts of these officers are twenty-five and eight respectively. I should say another platoon of forty-four men would suffice-twenty-two more to each officer.
17. The above recommendations are outlines. Further details would have to be worked out when the principles were approved.
If the principles are approved the great thing is to issue notices and begin checking existing fields, and preparing registers of consumers at once, and this means
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the very early appointment of an additional Assistant Superintendent for North Hsenwi as stated.
I regard this as the most important matter concerning the welfare of the people in my charge, that has come up in my service,
The recommendations, as well as being approved by the Sawbwas, leading officials and Assistant Superintendents, follow in the main Mr. Thornton's handing over notes on the subject, of which you have received a copy.
E. BUTTERFIELD, Major, I.A.,
Offg. Superintendent, Northern Shan States,
ANNEX 7.
Note by Mr. Webb, Chief Secretary to the Government of Burma.
Letter No. 137, dated the 12th March, 1920, from the Superintendent, Northern Shan States.)
THIS case was discussed with His Honour and with Messrs. Stirling, Thornton and Lister on Monday, the 5th April, at Taunggyi. Messrs. Stirling and Thornton both thought that Major Butterfield's proposals were too drastic, that there was not the urgent necessity for immediate action which Major Butterfield's proposals implied, that it would cause serious unrest to enforce immediate or absolute prohibi- tion in the cis-Salween States, and that the maintenance of a register of habitual consumers would go far beyond the administrative capacity of the various States.
2. They were inclined to adhere to their note of the 28th May, 1919. They recommend an immediate notification that Government intends to control the output of opium in the cis-Salween States after two years from the date of the notification. These two years should be devoted to preparing estimates of the amount of opium required for consumption in the Shan States. The control exercised should be such as to reduce the cultivation in the cis-Salween States to the barest minimum required for the internal consumption of the States. Indeed it might be possible to reduce cultivation below this minimum, as the trans-Salween States would probably always have a surplus for exportation to the cis-Salween States.
3. They doubt for the present whether any attempt at control of cultivation in the trans-Salween States is feasible. A policy of control could only be attempted in conjunction with a considerable increase in the number of administrative officers and in the strength of the military police.
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4. At the end of two years, total prohibition could be effected in many in the cis-Salween States. Where cultivation was permitted in these States, it should be under licence and at a heavy revenue rate, the terms of which could be considered and determined in the notified period of two years. Licensed cultivators should be permitted to sell only to the recognised opium vendors of the various States. Similarly cultivators from the trans-Salween States should be permitted to sell only to the recognised vendors in the various States, and only to the extent needed to complete the supply required to satisfy the ascertained demand.
5. Messrs. Stirling and Thornton express doubts as to the possibility of suppres- sing smuggling or the opium habit in the Shan States as suggested in the last two sub-paragraphs of paragraph 14 of Major Butterfield's proposals. They do not agree with Major Butterfield's estimate of the deleterious effect of opium consumption on the Shans, and consider that the suppressing of smuggling on the frontier would be a gigantic task, necessitating a much larger preventive establishment than Major Butterfield contemplates.
6. Messrs. Stirling and Thornton agree with Major Butterfield as to the necessity (expressed in paragraph 16 of his letter), of utilising local officers and petty officials personally known to the people. Any attempt to exercise control in an arbitrary or unsympathetic manner will lead to serious unrest. They think that Major Butter- field has somewhat underestimated the trouble that would be given by the Chinese and the Kachins. A certain amount of trouble will certainly be caused by opium cultivators of these races, and the more rigid the control, and the more it approaches prohibition, the greater will be the trouble.
7. I think I have placed on record most of the salient points discussed at the conference. Messrs. Stirling and Thornton thought that, though an early declara- tion of policy might be made, no serious action should be taken till after the census operations have been completely closed down.
April 8, 1920.