1
t
No. 158-F.E.
Government of India.
Finance Department.
Delhi, the 24th January 1924.
From
To
2
The Honourable Mr. A.C.MoMatters, 0.1.8., 1.0.3,,
Secretary to the Government of India.
The Secretary, Industries and Overseas Department, London.
Subject:- Export of Indian opium to French Indo-China and proposal to conclude an agreement with France on the subject,
sir,
I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Walton's letter, No. 1 & 0 4460/23, dated the 20th December 1923, in which
the Secretary of State for India has invited the observations of
the Government of India on the allegation that the amount of
Indian opium annually exported to the French Colonies on Governman t
account is excessive, In reply, I am to say that the only
French Colony which imports any opium from India is French Indo-
Chine.
The requirements of this Colony on the information supplied
by the India Office in the year 1911 were stated to be 3,000
chests which in the redistribution of the standard of 13,200
chests suggested in paragraph 7 of the Government of India, Finance Department, despatch No. 8 dated the 27th April 1928,
were reduced to 2,500 cheats based on the average exports of the
years 1913 to 1921. The exports to the Colony for the years
following those for which figures were given in the statement
enclosed with the despatch referred to above have been;-
+
1922
1923
1,700 chests
2,975
It would appear that French Indo-China is importing Indian opiun
in varying quantities each year as there is a marked increase in
}
the
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