萨
on 53213)
299
intended to exclude from the estimate of consumption any
allowance for the lessened consumption of smuggled opium,
III.
629/22
[45629/22
45859/22
47153/22
On the 11th of September, the Officer
Administering the Government replied to the Colonial
Office telegram of the 9th, stating that Hong Kong had
never suggested that the figure of 10 chests per month
which had been arranged to be supplied in 1921 by the
Government of India, had any relation to the consumption
of opium in the Colony; that by restrictive measures
legitimate consumption had been reduced from 45 to 30
cheats per month; that if the increase asked for were
delayed the Colony's stocks would be exhausted by March,
Bo that they could not carry on until the Spring He
concluded by suggesting that the maximum allowance of
Indian Opium should be reduced to 400 chests per annum,
Sir R. E. Stubbs (who was on leave of absence
from Hong Kong at the time) was informed of what had
happened at Geneva; and that if the average consumption were now 30 chests per month(as stated by Mr. Severn) the Colony could not permanently get on with 20 cheste
per month from India after 1923. He replied that 30
chests per month was by no means an excessive figure if smiggling were checked to the fullest possible extent.
The Department did not however feel on sure
ground about these figures, and on the 27th September, adespatch was sent to the Officer Administering the Government stating that in view of fact that the number
of chests of opium boiled in 1920 and 1921 was 228 and
211 respectively, the Secretary of State found it
difficult to understand the figure of 30 chests per
month