C
189
Frem
Paraphrase of Cypher Telegram.
Officer Administering the Government,
Hongkong.
To
Secretary of State, Londek,
Date
11th September, 1922,
------
B 75628
For 35787
il
M
Referring to your telegram of the 9th September. At present we have 117 chests of opium in stock. By restrictive measures the legitimate consumption of 45 chests monthly has been reduced to 30.
Then arrangements were made last year to take ten chests monthly from India, they were due to the accumulation of stocks, (as I pointed out in my despatch 215 of June 2nd) and were purely a temporary measure; it was never suggested by the Goverment of Hongkong that the monthly consumption was in any way met by this figure.
It is impossible for us to carry on till next spring unless
there is an incresse, for our stocks would be exhausted
by March: so that it is essential that the mmber of cheste
imported be increased.
I would suggest that a reduction be made from the present
maximum allowance of Indian opium, of 660 cheste per annum,
to a maximm of 400; and that it be allowed to the Colony to arrange privately with India as to the monthly amount
required.
The reason why there is a variation in requirements from time to time is given by the enclosure in the despatch I have quoted.
SEVERN