[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.j
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[F 3506/330/10]
No. 1.
[September 20.]
SECTION 2.
Sir B. Alston to the Marquess Curzon of Kedleston.-(Received September 20.) (No. 447.) My Lord,
Peking, August 5, 1921.
WITH reference to the last paragraph of my despatch No. 364 of the 30th ultimo, on the subject of opium traffic and cultivation in this country. I have the honour to report that up to the present the following opium commissioners have been appointed by Presidential mandate :-
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For Fukien, Rupeh and Anhui : Wang Ta-chen.
For Shenai Sung Lien-k'uei.
For Kansu, Hsinchiang and the Suiyuan territory: P'an Ling-kao.
For Kirin and Heilungchiang: Juan Chung-chih.
For Jebol: Yao Chih-yuan.
I have been unable to obtain information as to the careers or qualifications of the Jehol and Shensi commissioners. The rest are men of the old style, having been officials under the Manchu dynasty. Juan Chang-chih's brother was a confidential literary secretary of President Yuan Shih-k'ai, and practically killed himself by opium- smoking. P'an Ling-kao has been for many years an official in Kansu province, and according to a letter addressed to me by a number of persons, who sign themselves as representatives of the citizens of Kansu," he was the subject of complaint during his tenure of office as Kanchow Taoyin, on account of his compelling the people to grow poppy, and levying a tax in respect of it; this information must, of course, be accepted with reserve. The commissioner originally appointed for Fukien was Adiniral Liu Kuan-bsiung, formerly Minister of the Navy. A notoriously corrupt and opium- smoking official, he is the man who made a loan for the supply of Telefunken wireless apparatus through a Danish go-between at a time when his country was at war with Germany. He, however, resigned the post. Admiral Liu's successor, Wang Ta-chen, is a former Aufu Member of Parliament, who owed his position to the assistance of the Military Governor of Fukien. It can be taken for granted that any report presented by him will not be such as to incriminate his patron, who has collected a large revenue by permitting and encouraging the planting of the poppy. Wang's brother recently made a visit to Fukien for the purpose of inspection of opium poppy cultivation, and, if common report be true, made a large sum by collecting "hush money from the cultivators.
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None of the commissioners have yet started for the provinces to which they have been appointed, nor have they yet obtained the necessary funds from the Ministry of Finance.
The reason for making these appointments is undoubtedly the fear of action by the Opium Commission acting under the League of Nations; in the event of the latter recommending the appointment of inspectors or the carrying out of inspection it is desired to say that this has been or is being done. In any case, it is impossible that, in the greater part of the opiun-producing area, inspection should be attended this year by any appreciable result; the opium has already been harvested in all but Northern Manchuria, and, possibly, the Jehol and Saiyuan territories.
I enclose copy of a despatch from His Majesty's consul at Amoy, dated the 16th July, and translation of a letter from the Chinese Students' Anti-Opium Association, dated the 22nd July, which throw light on the facts concerning the above appointments, and ou the manner in which they are regarded by Chinese not connected with Government, opium trading or militarist circles respectively.
I have, &c. (For the Minister),
R. H. CLIVE.
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