E 6
masters seem never to have been at a loss to find applicants for the posts of keeper, in spite of the large number of keepers who were deported from the Colony during the year. The number of divans dealt with during the year was 1,572; the number of smokers in divans convicted 5,726. In all these divans illicit opium was being consumed, and in very many cases large numbers of empty illicit opium containers were found, showing the quantities of illicit opium consumed. In all 7,884 persons were arrested by officers of this department and convicted of offences under the Opium Ordinance, apart from a considerable number arrested by the Police. What would be the consequence of creating many new offences under any scheme of registration of smokers can easily be imagined.
VIII. REGISTRATION OF SMOKERS.
As an instance of the difficulty of introducing any scheme of registration of smokers here our experience with holders of annual passbooks for the purchase of Kam Shan, or high grade prepared opium, is worthy of mention. These passbooks are issued annually only to Chinese of the upper classes, who are permanently resident in the Colony, yet every year about 30 per cent do not renew their passbooks, having left the Colony. Merchants who held passbooks years ago are constantly returning to the Colony after an absence of years and applying to renew their passbooks. If such is the case with the upper classes, it is far more so with the middle and lower classes.
IX. SEIZURES OF OPIUM.
The chief seizures during the year were as follows
1. 800 pounds of Persian opium found in a junk in Yanmati harbour of refuge. The information obtained was to the effect that this was only part of a much larger parcel which had entered the Colony. The s.s. "Cochin Chine" was known to have unloaded a large consignment direct from Persia near the waters of the Colony shortly before.
2. 3,150 taels of prepared opium found in tin trunks on the deck of s.s." President Taft" amongst 1st class passengers' baggage. Two Chinese were arrested, whose names corresponded with those on the labels of the trunks, but no sufficient evidence could be found to prove guilty knowledge. They were obviously from their own belongings of a lower class, and would not have travelled first class unless their passage had been paid. The presumption was that they had received a free passage in return for taking the opium to the United States.
3. 3,460 taels of prepared Amoy opium on s.s. "Sui Sang" on her arrival from Amoy via Manila. The opium was intended for Manila, but owing to the vigilance of the Customs could not be landed there, so was brought on to Hongkong.