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contained in my despatch to your Lordship of the 5th May and the evidence of cultivation covers twelve out of the twenty-one provinces, while there is proof of the existence of traffic in the drug in several of the remainder.
The Chinese Government, conscious no doubt that they will in the near future be called upon to meet a serious indictment on the head of opium cultivation, have within the last few days announced the appointment of "opium commissioners charged with the duty of superintending opium suppression in five of the worst of the provinces under control of the Central Government. One at least of the com missioners is, it should be added, an individual notoriously open to corruption.
I have, &c.
Sir,
Enclosure in No. 52.
Sir B. Alston to Dr. Yen.
B. ALSTON.
Peking, June 27, 1921. I HAVE the honour, under instructions from my Government, to address your Excellency on the subject of the cultivation of, and traffic in, opium in this country. His Majesty's Government, while viewing the suppression of the opium trade in China as a matter of universal concern, inasmuch as it affects the welfare of large sections of the population, is bound to regard the question primarily from the point of view of the solemn treaty obligation undertaken by China to Great Britain, and in order to show more clearly how the present condition of affairs presents itself to His Majesty's Government from this aspect, I venture to recall to your Excellency the salient facts of the agreement concluded between the two nations.
In 1907 His Majesty's Government undertook to diminish annually for an experimental period of three years the amount of opium exported from India to China by one-tenth of the average annual amount taken by the latter; the further proviso was added that
"if during these three years the Chinese Government have duly carried out their arrangements for diminishing the production and consump- tion of opium in China, His Majesty's Government undertake to continue in the same proportion this annual diminution of the export after the three years in question."
"if
To this condition China solemnly agreed, and in the 1911 Agreement between Great Britain and China, His Majesty's Government recognised the sincerity of the Chinese Government in their policy of opium suppression in the country, and agreed that the export of opium from India to China should cease within seven years clear proof is given of the complete absence of production of native opium in China." By the end of 1915 all but six of the provinces of China had been declared free of opium cultivation; during 1917 those six provinces were inspected by officers of His Majesty's consular service in China and likewise declared free of cultivation; and at the end of that year the export of Indian opium to China ceased. It is clear, therefore, that His Majesty's Government have faithfully carried out their part of the treaty obligations between the two countries in regard to the opium traffic.
A survey of the existing conditions in the various provinces of China reveals the following state of affairs. Considering firstly the provinces recognised as being under the effective control of the Central Government, reports from a reliable source in Shensi show that opium is being widely grown, especially in the valley of the Wei river. to the south of Han Chung-fu and in the south-east of the province. In the western part of the province the peasants are being subjected to a heavy opium tax which is levied equally on those who do not cultivate the crop, with the result that the peasants find themselves compelled to grow a certain quantity of the poppy in order to furnish them with the means of paying the tax. Opium supplies from Shensi are credibly reported to be smuggled into Shansi with the connivance of the subordinate officials.
In the Jehol territory, in spite of proclamations forbidding opium cultivation, the people are informed that opium growing will be permitted against the payment of 6 dollars per mou. Similarly in the Suiyuan territory a considerable quantity of opium is produced.
The situation in Kansu is particularly bad and it is credibly reported that the Civil Governor recently announced publicly to a meeting of officials, gentry and merchants that in order to replenish the finances of the province he had determined to encourage the planting of the opium poppy generally. In the districts round Ta'inchow, under the control of General Kung, opium had been planted in large
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quantities in the spring of this year, its cultivation being recognised by the imposi- tion of a tax of 6 faels per mou, of which 2 are levied when the seed is sown, 2 when the flower opens and the remainder at the harvest.
The cultivation of opium in the south-west part of Hupeh is reported to be more extensive than ever before, and the same applies to the Foochow district of Anhui.
The southern part of Fukien province, especially the Hsien Yu district, contains extensive areas planted with the opium poppy. The promises made by General Li that after the taking over of the southern districts on the 1st January all opium would be eradicated, have not been carried out and His Majesty's consul reported that the northern troops are well known to encourage the farmers to plant opium in many places. The areas of cultivation include particularly Teng-kou. Kuei-ting, Hsiang ting, Feng-ting and Tzu-hsiao. In the country round Kienning-fu there is a specially plentiful supply of opium. In the eastern and more settled portion of the Marches of Tibet large quantities of poppy are grown and revenue from this source provides a large proportion of the revenue of the Frontier Commissioner, who is directly under your Excellency's Government.
While I have no recent information as to cultivation of Manchuria, it has been prevalent within recent years in the provinces of Kirin and Heilungkiang, as your Excellency's Ministry was informed in a letter from this Legation dated the 6th May, 1919.
The situation in Hsiukiang has already formed the subject of correspondence with your Excellency, my last letter on the subject being dated the 9th ultimo.
With regard to the remaining provinces, I regret that His Majesty's consul- general at Yunnan-fu reports that opium is being grown throughout the province, having himself witnessed the cultivation of the crop in the vicinity of the capital: a regular system of taxation, under the guise of fines for the cultivation of opium, is in force, and the peasants are encouraged, when not compelled, to plant the seed. The province of Szechuan appears to be comparatively free from the abuse so far as actual cultivation goes, except in the districts of Tien-chiang, Liangshan, Nanchiang and Nanchuan, where opium poppy is being grown even in the immediate vicinity of the district city.. At the same time there is a considerable traffic in opium from Yunnan, while the smuggling down the Yang-tsze continues unabated with the connivance of the military authorities.
Reports from Hunan show that the cultivation of the poppy bas enormously increased under the direct encouragement of the military authorities, and in large areas of Kueichow the plant is also abundantly grown.
It has been my painful duty to report the conditions described above to my Government, and I am instructed to state that they are indignant to learn of the gross bad faith displayed by the Government and people of China, who are guilty of direct and flagrant breach of their solemn treaty obligations to Great Britain in this matter. I am at the same time to convey a warning to your Excellency's Government that when the facts become known the whole civilised world will unite to condemn the retrogression of the Chinese authorities in permitting, and, in numerous cases, encouraging, this revival of the opium traffic in China. His Majesty's Government anticipates that this lapse from good faith will not be allowed to pass unnoticed by the League of Nations, who, as your Excellency is aware, have appointed a special commission to investigate into and deal with the opium question,"
I avail. &c.
My. Lord,
No. 53.
Sir B. Alston to Earl Curzon.- (Received September 5.)
B. ALSTON.
Peking, May 30, 1921. WITH reference to the concluding paragraph of your Lordship's despatch of the 8th March, I have repeatedly protested in the strongest terms to the Chinese Government against the failure of the Military Governor of Fukien to take any effective action against opium cultivation in that province, and have invariably been assured in reply that further instructions had been issued to the provincial authorities pressing for more vigorous measures.
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