1. PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
6
Reference :-
THEPLIC.O.882/11
234
Enclosure in No. 210.
CONTROL OF OPIUM SMOKING IN BRITISH DEPENDENCIES IN THE FAR EAST.
1.
"British Malaya
1.
BRITISH MALAYA.
as used here includes:
(a) the Colony of the Straits Settlements (principally Singapore, Penang, and
Malacca);
(b) the protected States of—
(i) the Federated Malay States (Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and
Pahang);
(ii) the Unfederated Malay States, Johore, Kedah and Perlis, Kelantan
and Trengganu on the Malay Peninsula and Brunei in Borneo. Seven administrations are therefore concerned but under the unifying direction of the Governor of the Straits Settlements, who is also High Commissioner for the Malay States and for Brunei, they pursue in relation to opium a common policy, with such slight variations as the varying degrees of development of the individual States
demand.
2. The consumption of Government opium in British Malaya during the last few years has been as follows:-
235
4. In carrying out this policy the Malayan Governments have now reached stage (c). The Governments have everywhere taken over the retail trade in opium (except in a few isolated places in Trengganu, where it is not practicable to estab- lish Government shops). Drastic reductions have been made in the number of shops and saloons, e.g., between 1919 and 1927 these have been reduced in the Federated Malay States from 506 to 172,* and in the Straits Settlements from 808 to 101.† After an experiment in voluntary registration, compulsory registration was introduced in 1929 in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. Johore has already followed their example, and the other Unfederated States are preparing to do so. No attempt has yet been made to confine registration to restricted classes or to ration individual smokers.
5. The Malayan Governments have as stated complete legal monopoly of the import, preparation, and wholesale and retail distribution of opium. In practice raw opium is imported and prepared solely by the Straits Settlements Government which supplies the other administrations with prepared opium for smoking. A system of packing in tin tubes is being adopted on the recommendation of the 1924 Committee with the intention of reducing the smallest amount sold in the hope that this would lead to reduction in the consumption of the poorer classes and also to facilitate the identification of Government opium. This latter object is also facilitated by including small quantities of a harmless simple ingredient in all Government opium.
The raw opium required is obtained partly from India and partly from Persia. The amounts of each imported in the last few years are as follows:-
699
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- | COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
1924
1925
1926
1927
Taels.
2,821,357
3,122,706
3,841,062
3,634,749
3,510,524
1 oz.)
1928 (January-November)
(1 tael =
Consumption is practically limited to the Chinese, but a few Malays smoke, particularly in Kedah where they are estimated to number 10,000. The Chinese adult male popula- tion was 671,000 at the time of the 1921 Census. It has increased rapidly in recent years, being estimated at 753,000 in 1926, 785,000 in 1927, and is still increasing. The consumption per head of the Chinese population has therefore been in the neight- bourhood of 5 taels per annum in the last five years.
3. The present policy of the Malayan Governments in the control of opium smoking is based upon the recommendations of the British Malaya Opium Committee, 1924. Before that time the Malayan Governments had already complete control of the preparation and distribution of opium with the exception of the retail distribution which was in the hands of licensed dealers. The retail price was fixed by the Govern- ment, and a policy had been pursued of successive increases in price which had had some success in reducing consumption,
The following is a summary of the conclusions and recommendations of the 1924 Committee :-
The Committee doubted whether the reduction in consumption would continue under the policy indicated above. They felt that neither further increases in price nor educational propaganda could be relied upon to eradicate the opium habit in Malaya, and that this end could only be achieved by control over smokers individually, that is, by a system of registration and rationing. The Committee, however, con- sidered that an attempt to introduce it before it was possible to make it effective in practice would have the most unfortunate results from the point of view of the good government of the country. They accordingly recommended that the Malayan Govern ments should proceed gradually by a series of stages towards a system of registration and rationing, the whole process being under the supervision of a permanent Advisory Committee.
The stages recommended were :—
(a) the complete substitution of Government for private retail shops and smoking saloons and
a drastic reduction in the number of opium shops;
(5) concurrently with (a) the attachment of an "observer" to each Government shop to "study
the people who come to buy opium and gradually to compile facts as to the number and class of consumer with a view to seeing what the next step should be "";
(c) the introduction of compulsory simple registration of smokers based upon the experience
of the "observer "
system, and so framed as to cause a minimum of friction in order
to avoid antagonizing consumers;
(d) the eventual institution of an individual rationing system towards which, however, no further steps were to be taken until the system of simple registration had been given an exhaustive trial.
1924
1925
1920
1927
1928 (estimated)
(1 chest of Indian opium
(1
Persian
11
Chests.
Indian.
Persian.
3,003
100
1,976
2,400
1,867
2,280
1,000
2,027
900
=
140 lb. approx.)
= 140-160 lb. approx.)
-
The price of Government opium is at present fixed at $12 per tael ($1 Straits 2s. 4d.).
6. The sale of opium to minors is not allowed, and no females or children are allowed to enter opium shops or saloons. In order to check the habit of swallowing dross," which is regarded as the most pernicious phase of the opium habit, the Government is prepared to purchase it at a price as high as $7 per tael, and there are strict regulations forbidding traffic in dross.
J
As a further part of their opium policy the Malayan Governments have given free treatment in Government hospitals for opium addicts; the results, however, have been very disappointing.
8.
7. Copies of the Laws governing the position in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States are attached. Similar provisions are in force in the other Malay States.
A problem in connexion with the suppression of opium smoking to which considerable attention has been drawn in the past, is the large proportion of revenue which Malayan Governments receive from opium. Since the Conference of 1924, in order to meet the financial difficulties which may be expected when the total suppres- sion of opium smoking becomes possible, most of the Malayan Governments have established reserve funds upon which to draw when the opium revenue commences to decline. Tables are attached showing (a) the opium revenue of the various adminis- trations and the proportions which it formed of the total revenues for the year 1927, and (b) the amount of the various reserve funds, together with the estimated opium revenue at the commencement of 1929. In the cases of the Straits Settle- ments and Johore, it has been decided, with the approval of the Colonial Office, that further contributions are not necessary in present circumstances as the funds are already large enough to meet the financial difficulties which may reasonably be anticipated.
9. It has been stated that the Governments have a complete legal monopoly. They have, however, no monopoly in practice, as there is a very considerable amount of illicit traffic. A table is attached showing the seizures of opium made in Malaya
* 111 shops for retail sale only and 61 saloons, i.e., premises upon which opium may be smoked. † 68 shops and 33 saloons.
Not reprinted.