second interview went on, and expressed his regret at any
prejudice against his firm, which might exist in, or occur
to British official minds en mocount of this or other
transactions.
He referred to Sir Percy Loraine's warning
to his father in April 1925, and said that his father's
statement that he was not dealing in opium was a fact,
not a promise. Since the Hongkong Ordinaroe was promulgated
in the autumn of 1984 neither his father personally nor
his firm in Hongkong had any dealings in opium: in fact
they could not, even if they wanted, because of the Ordinance.
They had applied for a Government license to deal with
Formosa (or Japent) and he was not certain what
•
outcome was. The deal, for which he was now trying
to recover payment in Bashire, was the last made by
his father (his firm in Hongkong?) in 1:24 before the
Ordinance. Since then any business by members of his
family in opium had been by the firm of his oldest
brother (Aqa Ali Namasi) in Bombay and by relatives in
Shiras, Aqa Muhammad Mehdi Hamasi and Aqa Muhammad Ja'far
Namazi (the latter a partner in the Bombay firm). And the
firm of Aqa Ali Samasi in India was anefree under the law
to deal in opium as any other British or foreign merchants
174
in India. Nearly all sales, except those for Delay, were
made for Shanghai, whete the Chinese Governor made
millions of dollars a year from the special tax he levied.
The Chief of Police of the International Settlement at
Shanghai had recently recommended that import there
should be allowed under licence, instead of being
that
amaggled promiscuously. Mr. Hamasi thought that this was
the beat solution for the Persian opium problem
export to China should be allowed under license.
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