54
30049/27
पै 2355
taken by His Majesty's Government can only be
destined to encourage smugglers and to embarrass
governments. In connexion with the appeal made
to me by the Governor of kacao you yourself # telegraphed to me on the 30th June, 1927, that
Fersia was the "normal source" of opium supplies
for kacao, and again on the 19th August, 1927;
that His Majesty's Government had not received
"any satisfactory explanation of the position in
which the Government of kacao represents itself
to be placed, e.g., as to why it has been unable to
supply itself with ersian opium as other subsidized
governments have done". His Majesty's Government,
therefore, considers it right and proper that
the Government of sacao should purchase opium
supplies from the Government of Ferala; and I an
unable to see why the Government of Hong Kong should
not do likewise.
ب.ل
863126
27. There remains, of course, one obvious
alternative, namely, that liis Majesty's Government
should authorize me to obtain direct supplies of
opium from China. That authority may perhaps be
implied in your Confidential despatch of the
A+ 25th January, 1926, which I have already quoted in
paragraph 7 supra. Such purchase could certainly
not be held under present conditions to stimulate"
Chinese opium production; and, if the day should
come when for lack of all external supplies this
Government should have to call upon China to supply
the
5
26
# ho. 6 30049/27 = NO. tit no. b. 30049
30049/27070.
++No. 863/26.
1.417