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But different reasons contributed to make the well-meant efforts fail. Firstly an Archipelago such as the
Further little Dutch Indies is particularly suited for smugling. cooperation for decreasing the use of opium was to be expected from the farmers. Of course these men cared only for greatest possible profits. A decrease of the sale clashed with their
And thus interests, but an increase gave them extra profits, it will be quite
comprehensible that they tried to encourage the use. With regard to the means to that end, they were not always very particular. Then, for instance, the raw opium was furnished to them by the Government only in limited quantities or at high prices, they often had recourse to smuggled opium.
Further the opium-farm-system had not only the same imperfections as every other lease-system, but had also other abuses. For coping with the smuggling it required the aid of the Police, and often the latter was obtained in less decent ways. It had also engaged many spies, who often abused their The Opium-farm power to have their personal foes condemned, was a state within the State especially in Javs in different districts and the maintenance of the monopoly often led to diverse provoking situations.
II.
It was especially these and other abuses,
to be mentioned afterwords, attaching to the Farm-system, which were the cause of a strong movement against this system,
After a long controversy it was resolved to take the opium directly under Government management, as an
$1 'Opium-regie". This rogie was experiment, underthe name of : first established in the island Hadurs in 1894, and in the eastern
As it appeared that the Regie worked well, parts of Java in 1896.
it was introduced gradually throughout the Dutch Indies.
After 1st April 1913 no opium-farm uxisted in
these Indios any more.
From the beginning of the experiment it hes
which that, under the Regie all been the desire of the Government could oxtend the use of opium among the population, should be repressed, so that not only the above-mentioned abuses of the farm should cease but also various other evils, which word unknown before to the Goverment or against which it was powerless to act from wont of officials.