ny
443,088/3.
2nd March, 1927.
150
Sir,
I am directed by Secretary Sir William Joynson-Hicks
to refer to Despatch Confidential No. 2 from the Governor
of Hongkong dated 14th January, and its enclosure, copies
of which it is understood have been forwarded to your Depart
ment by the Colonial office under reference 30049/27 of the
21st instant, and to enclose a copy of a table which has
been compiled from Macao Official Monthly Summaries of the
Movements of Opima for the period 1st January 1925 to 31st
December 1926, which have from time to time been forwarded
by the Goverment of Hongkong. It will be observed that
in the period in question 4511⁄2 'caixas' of Benares Opium
were stated to have been imported into Macao. In the report
by the Portuguese Goverment to the League of Nations, on the
Traffic in Opium and other Dangerous Drugs (circulated to the
Opium Advisory Committee on the 20th January, 1927, under
No.0.0.23 (P)6), it is stated (page 10) with regard to Macao,
that "in 1925 340 cases of opium were imported in order to
be prepared for smoking and for export. These cases were
imported from various sources by the concessionaire, who has
to obtain opium where he could, as India no longer sells
this drug to Macao."
In view of the very unsatisfactory position in the
Far East in regard to opium, especially as regards imports
from India into Indo-China (see correspondence between the
The Under-Secretary of State,
FOREIGN OFFICE.
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