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Copy.
Enclosure /
No.903 P.E.
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Government of India.
Finance Department.
Simla, the 16th August,1916.
From
The Honourable Mr. H.F. Howard, C.I.E., 1.C.3..
Offg. Secretary to the Government of India,
402
To
Sir,
The Honourable the Colonial Secretary, HONG KONG.
I am directed to reply to your letter No.2422, dated the 29th March 1916, reporting that 170 chests of opium consigned to Mexico were detained in Hongkong and re-shipped to Caloutta.
2.
The Government of India understand that the object which your Government have in view in making this referenceis to ensure that their regulations in the matter of opium are not evaded. I am to explain that ordinarily the Government of India accept the declared destination of opium purchased at auction sales and privately exported. They, however, fully appreciate the anxiety of your Government as to the possibility
of opium being aggled into Hongkong, and will be glad to
adopt such precautions as are possible in order to prevent
this. Thus, they will be prepared not to grant export passes to Hongkong in circumstances which imply an intention
on the part of the exporter to disregard the Hongkong Government's regulations, and also to inform that Government
by