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i
Advisory Committee, as it was felt that the people
on the spot were in a better position than the Colonial
office to prepare it.
The despatch does not mention, or does not
deal adequately with (e. g.) :-
1. The obvious desirability of as great a proportion as
possible of the opium consumed in the Colony, being
Government opium, and therefore subject to Government
control.
2. The desirability of encouraging the use of Government
chandu which is of a far superior quality, and has less
deleterious effects than the smuggled variety.
3. The virtual impossibility of completely preventing
smiggling into Hong Kong owing to its geographical position and the consequent ease with which the staff can
be smuggled in, in small quantities, on the innumerable
jinks which use the port.
4. That so long as opium can be obtained from any
source, there will be a demand for it, and if Government supplies are restricted, the consumers will fall back on
the smuggled article. The price of this will go up to an extent that will make smuggling so profitable that the
preventive service will be unable to cope with it, result being that more opium than ever will be smoked and the position will be worse than before; the only people
to profit being the smugglers.
5.
The
That the figures of seizures prove that there is practically no smuggling of Hong Kong Government Chandu
pat of the Colony; the bulk of the opium seized being
Chinese from Amy clear evidence of the existence of
in the Colony.
an
ansatisfied demand
6.