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Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
Consul Coales to Li Hou-chi (Military Governor of Fukien).
Sir,
Foochow, October 5, 1920. AS you are aware, His Britannic Majesty's Government, at the request of the Chinese Government, has by various conventions agreed to and enforced the cessation of the importation of Indian opium into China, It was a condition of my Govern- ment's assent that the Chinese Government on its part should prohibit and effectively put a stop to the cultivation of the poppy throughout the Republic. It is a matter of common knowledge and one that was repeatedly brought to your notice by my predecessor. Mr. Combe, that this obligation imposed on the Chinese Government both by treaty and on moral grounds was to a very great extent ignored in all parts of this province, whether under your control or in the hands of the Southern generals. In this dereliction of duty, I regret to say that both the civil and military officials of the province were concerned. In spite of the representations of the British consul and of the local anti-opium society, only half-hearted efforts to uphold the law were made by the officials, these being far more interested in extorting money from the farmers than in uprooting before harvest the plant whose cultivation they had in the beginning encouraged.
The ordinary season for the sowing of the poppy has now arrived, and I under- stand that in many parts of the province the fields are being prepared for that purpose. But I am anxious to be able to report to my superiors that this season at least the province under your control and the officials, both civil and military, have been spared the disgrace of conniving in a branch of agriculture which is so generally condemned and openly infringes the solemn covenants of the Republic. I therefore take this opportunity officially to call upon you to use your utmost efforts to prevent the sowing of the poppy this autumn, strictly to charge all officials, both civil and military, to take every care that the law is not broken, and to inflict on transgressors that punishment which the law provides. Your instructions against the sowing of the poppy having been issued, should the plant hereafter be found growing in any district, it will be easy to affix the responsibility and punish the officials who have been negligent. The south of Fukien having now been evacuated by the Southern troops, the whole of the province is no doubt in your control. But I understand there are certain divisions of Northern troops which are not directly controlled by you. If this is the case I shall be obliged if you will inform me who are the high authorities who control them. I can then request those high authorities to issue the necessary instructions to prohibit connivance in the planting of the poppy in the districts their troops occupy.
I have the honour to request that your instruction may be sent by telegraph and that you will accord me an early reply to this despatch.
I have, &c.
(No. 24.) Sir,
Enclosure 3 in No. 1.
Consul Coales to Mr. Clice.
O. R. COALES
Foochow, November 15, 1920. IN continuation of my despatch No. 21 of the 5th October, 1920, on the subject of opium, I have the honour to inform you that in response to pressure brought by this consulate and the anti-opium society, the Military and Civil Governor, Li Hou-chi. has issued proclamations and instructions forbidding the planting of the poppy in this province and has caused to be drafted a set of regulations, copy and translation of which are transmitted herewith.
The time for sowing the poppy varies slightly in the northern and southern parts of the province, and from the former no reports of cultivation have yet come in. In the south, however, much land is said to be under poppy in the Amoy district. The Amoy society has made frequent appeals for action to be taken here, and two foreign representatives of the Foochow society have now gone to that port to investigate matters for themselves. His Majesty's consul at Amoy will no doubt attend to this question.
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Both His
So far as the Foochow district is concerned, the only part from which I have received reports that the poppy has and is being sown is Hinghwa. Majesty's consul and society have protested to the Governor, but have no news as to what result this has had.
In the Chuanchow and Yung Ch'an neighbourhoods, which are not in my district, missionaries have reported that they find the planting of poppy is very prevalent, and in the latter the magistrate has actually issued instructions that a certain proportion of land is to be put under poppy by every farmer, I brought this natter to the notice of the Governor and delegate for Foreign Affairs, and the latter has demanded an explanation of the magistrate's action.
it should be mentioned that certain internal districts such as Yung Ch'un and Yungan are still largely in the hands of the Southerners, by whom the magistrates in office were appointed. The Governor accordingly says that he has no control over these officials who, together with the troops stationed there, are practically independent.
While it is perhaps too early in the season to attribute blame to the Governor. the general impression is that, being, as he is. in continual financial difficulty, he is really lukewarm in opium suppression. The pay of the soldiers is in arrears and he is unlikely to be very energetic in preventing them obtaining money out of illicit opium-growing.
One cannot but fear that the Governor's regulations will generally be ignored or else be used as a mere means to extort money from the villagers. While continued pressure here and the exposure of each case whenever it becomes known may have good effect. I venture to suggest that it would be of great value if the Governor received an explicit warning from the Central Government.
I have, &c.
Enclosure 4 in No. 1.
O. R. COALES.
Provisional Measures for the Prohibition of the Cultiration of the Poppy in Fukien.
(Translation.)
THE offices of the Military and Civil Governors will issue to the local authorities for publication a joint proclamation prohibiting the cultivation of opium.
2. The Taoyins of the circuits and the General Opium Prohibition Bureau also will issue similar proclamations.
3. The General Opium Prohibition Bureau will forthwith draft an admonitory proclamation in the local dialect and issue it to the general inspectors of the circuits and the opium prohibition deputies of the districts, and the latter will cause it to be explained to the local people. The draft proclamation should be submitted to the Civil Governor's office and sent to the Taoyins' offices for their information.
4. The magistrates, in conjunction with the opium prohibition deputies, will in advance direct the elders of villages and clans to instruct the villagers and clansnien not to cultivate the poppy, and the said elders shall give bonds that no poppy will be sown binding them that if they fail to report any secret cultivation that they know of they will be willing to suffer punishment. These bonds will be kept on record at the magistrates' offices and lists of them will be transmitted through the Taoyins and the Opium Prohibition Bureau to the Civil Governor's office.
5. The magistrates, in conjunction with the opium prohibition depucies, will enter into bonds that they will enforce a strict prohibition, and binding them that if any secret cultivation of the poppy taking place in their districts is not discovered and eradicated they will be willing to suffer punishment. These bonds will be sent to the Civil Governor, the Taoyins and the Opium Prohibition Bureau for record.
6. The general inspectors of the circuits and the opium prohibition deputies of the districts already appointed will be called upon by the Taoyins and the Opium Prohibition Bureau to carry out a regular inspection and enforcement of the prohibi- tion in every district and every village and be warned against laxity. Ea h Taoyin will also depute an additional inspector, who will carry on secret investigations and make reports. His salary and expenses will be paid out of the opium fines collected in the districts in accordance with previous practice. When the fines are insufficient for the purpose, other means, duly sanctioned, may be employed to pay him.
7. The most important business as regards cultivation is to ensure in advance that the seed is not sown. If there is any appearance of growing poppy, and troops
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