MINUTES.
MINUTES NOT TO BE WRITTEN
ON THIS SIDE.
No-184.
བ
27354
8 JUN 22
GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
HONGKONG. 29th April, 1922.
593
Pea
7148 WHUI
Sir,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your despatch No.76 of the 4th March regarding the purchase by this Goverment of opium seized at Weihaiwei on board H.M.S. "Cairo".
�•
In a despatch to me dated 7th July, 1921,
the Acting Commissioner, Weihaiwei, asked various questions regarding samples of opium which he enclosed, including a request for information as to the value of each kind. He made no suggestion as to the disposal of the opium in
question.
3.
To this I replied on 12th August in a despatch of which I now attach a copy. My seventh paragraph made it olear that this Government did not require the opium but was willing to pay for it the sum which would normally have been paid in rewards had the seizure been made in Hongkong.
4. The "firm offer" which the Acting
Commissioner in his letter dated 10th December states that he received, coupled with his inability to accept it, bears out the contention in the eighth paragraph of my despatch of 12th August that it is impossible to fix a market value for a commodity so restricted in its movements as is opium at the present time. My remark that "double the reward price
would
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
WINSTON CHURCHILL, M.P.,
$0.