[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
) OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
thect Pas 28 JUN 21!
[June 4.]
44
SECTION 1.
F 2075/15/10]
No. 1.
Sir,
India Office, June 3, 1921.
India Office to Foreign Office-(Received June 4.)
I AM directed by the Secretary of State for India in Council to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated the 18th April last, regarding the control of morphine, cocaine and derivatives thereof in the island of Formosa and the supplies of raw opium imported into Formosa through the colony of Hong Kong.
Mr. Montagu does not desire to offer any observations regarding the possible effectiveness of the Formosan regulations, as the question of the entrepôt trade in Persian and Turkish opium at Hong Kong seems to be one primarily for the consideration of the Colonial Office, concerning which he is not in a position to express any opinion,
As regards the transhipment trade in Persian opium at Bombay, I am to invite attention to the letter from this Office dated the 3rd October, 1919, on the subject of the opium policy of the Government of India, transmitting copy of a despatch from the Government of India, in which they stated that in their view any attempt to establish control over Persian opium shipped to Bombay for transhipment would be ineffective. In this opinion the Secretary of State concurred.
I am, &c.
L. J. KERSHAW.
[6386 d-1]