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of Bangkok, There was arnsiderable prejudice, to begin with, against the new method of packing; for this reason the sale of opium in this ferm was ocnfined to Bangkok for the first year. But in B.E. 2457 (1914-1915) opium in tubes was sup- plied to all the inner Provinces and in B.E. 2458 (1915-1916) throughout the kingdom.
16. During this transitory period, epium was still seld through sub-Farmers, the person undertaking te dispose of the largest quantity of cpium to be sold in each district and of appointing as sub-Farmer, the person bidding the high- est sum for the sale of the assessed quantity. It was in- tended to decrease the assessment year by year, but the quan- tities fixed wore necus surily not always correct and in con- formity with the real consumption, and towards the end of B.E. 2460 (1917-1918) this method was altogether upset by outside causes, as explained below.
17. At the second Conference at the Hagu Siam posited her ratification of the Convention of 1912.
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18. In the meantime, negotiations between Great Britain and China had rosulted in the former agreeing to lus- son the production of raw opium in British India in conson- anoc with the measure taken by @hina to reduce the cultivation of the opium poppy. A given number of chests of opium wureș accordingly, "curtified" for import into China, and it was declared that the number of artified chests would be do- cruased by 10% animally, so that at the end of 10 yours, the import of raw oplum into China from India would ocasc. China, on her part, took vigorous measures to suppress the cultivation of the opium poppy within her borders, and in 1912, shu declared that it had been entirely stopped. Con- suquently, upon a report from the British Opium Commissioner confirming this dualaration, the Government of India, 1913, cuased to put up for auction any further number of "certified" ohosts and raw Indian opium could thenceforth only unter China as illicit opium.
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19. The stocks of Indian opium in China naturally began to get exhausted and an increasing demand, at high prieus, arcat for opium from other gountrics, The drug, as prepared by this Government for sale, is of a high quality, and the sub-Farmer could not resist the temptation of in- creasing their profits by surreptitiously disposing of some of their assussed quantity (sou para. 16) for export to China. The natural consequence was that the balanoc available for sale in this country was insufficiunt, and as it would have caused great