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42
The situation was fully described in my Secret
+
despatch of the 12th January, 1928, which I beg you
to re-read.
2.
I cannot believe that His Majesty's
Government really desires that so outrageous a state
of affairs should continue indefinitely in this
Colony. I submit, therefore, that, if I cannot be
allowed to purchase enough Persian or Chinese opium
to make effective the policy initiated by me in
September, 1927, by which the opium-smugglers were
for a time driven out of the Hong Kong market, I may
at least be allowed to reduce the present prices of
Government opium in this Colony sufficiently to
make it possible for me to avail myself of your
permission to supplement by Persian opium the
decreasing supply of Indian opium now available.
3.
Accordingly I recommend that I may be now
authorized to purchase in such instalments as local
conditions may suggest and at such times as in my
discretion seems most advantageous, between now and
the end of 1930, Bersian opium to a total quantity
of 146 chests, namely the difference between the
maximum Indian allotment of 220 chests in 1927 and
the allowances of 196 chests in 1928, 171 chests in
1929 and 147 chests in 1930. I further recommend
> the following scale of prices for sale of prepared
opium in this Colony :-
(a) Kamshan, or pure Indian, opium to be raised
from the present price of $50.00 per three-tael tin
first
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