9
Opium.--The clearances of certified opium from the Colony during the past year were much reduced. After the first two months of the year the disturbances that took place in the Kwong Tung Province appear to have prevented the carrying out of the Agreement which the Opium Combine entered into on October 1st, 1915. The actual imports and exports of certified opium during the year are as follows:
Import,
Export,
Of these however the imports all came from Shanghai, and of the total export of 263 chests 180 went to Shanghai. Very little was therefore done to reduce the actual stock of uncertified Indian opium held in Hongkong and Shanghai.
Six hundred and forty-one (641) chests of Persian opium were imported during the year and 734 chests were exported, of which 29 chests were exported to London and the remainder to Formosa.
One thousand and thirty (1,030) chests of uncertified Indian opium were imported. 360 chests were imported by the Government Monopoly, 500 chests were imported for the Macan Opium Farmer, and the remaining 170 chests were nominally intended for Mexico but owing to suspicious circumstances connected with the shipment they were returned to Calcutta.
The table below shows the total imports and exports since 1908:
1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 Stock in hand on 1st January, 1,706 1,873 3,059 9,108 12,361 21,286 31,743 35,734 41,821 Imported during the year, 1,803 2,256 4,580 7,587 7,123 1,509 5,808 4,707 Total, 3,509 4,129 7,640 14,668 19,948 28,409 36,252 41,542 46,528 Boiled by Opium Farmer, 30 667 1,113 761 782 1,041 864 Boiled by Government, 365 340 413 Spurious Opium destroyed, 17 19 2 14 51 247 Missing or stolen, 4 9 Exported during the year, 1,667 2,469 4,911 9,419 13,264 20,061 28,333 35,938 39,609 Total, 2,032 2,826 5,383 10,088 14,388 20,822 29,129 37,033 40,720 Stock remaining on 31st December, 977 1,803 2,256 4,580 5,560 7,587 7,123 4,509 5,808General Cargo.—The large decrease of 255,423 tons is due to shortage of supplies from manufacturers at home, on account of war conditions.