(c) Amoy opium was rarely encountered during the last half of the year, Chinese report had it that the trade in opium there had been upset by some new regulations, and it was difficult for the time being to procure opium in any quantity. The seizures were mostly of opium in transit to the South and were at the beginning of the year.
(d) Macau opium was seized in greater quantity than in 1927, when for the last six months, owing to shortage of supplies of raw material, the newly established Government monopoly had restricted supplies to dispose of. During the latter part of the year when ample supplies of Persian opium became available, the import of Macau opium became prominent amongst the smaller seizures, one Macau brand made partly from Persian Opium fetching in Hong Kong about $3.50 per tael tin. The opium seized did not bear any indication that it was produced by the Government Monopoly other than the word Macau in Chinese, or any maker's name, though it is generally said in the Colony that the opium coming into this Colony from this source is not the product of the Government Monopoly, but of a company called the Yau Shing Company.
(e) China continued to be the chief source from which raw opium was derived, and even the Persian opium seized came from Amoy. Most of the Chinese opium bore the usual revenue labels issued either by the Kwong Sai or Kwong Tung Treasury Department.
(f) No Indian opium was seized during the year, and it was reported that the price of Indian opium in Shanghai had risen to extraordinary heights, as high as $25,000 per chest was mentioned. The reason given was that it was now very difficult, if not impossible to obtain Indian opium from the licensed dealers at Kwong Chow Wan.
3.-General.—The staff formerly devoted to raiding opium divans solely was diverted to more profitable occupation in the general work of the department, and it is to be noted that sales of Government opium are about the same as when 1,600 divans were being convicted a year. The cessation of this work accounts for the greatly decreased number of individual seizures, although the total amount seized is much about the same.
Only three seizures were made of opium in transit to the South and one to U.S.A. Very little information reached this department with regard to opium being shipped here for Canada and U.S.A. Though two large seizures were made on the other side of the Pacific of opium which had been actually shipped here amongst other cargo, it is probable in these cases that the shippers here only acted as innocent shipping agents for firms elsewhere.
No evidence was obtained that this Colony was now being used, as formerly, as a centre for large opium deals.