I 4
price of prepared opium was raised owing to the rise in the price of raw opium.
Prepared opium was sold before the 1st March at $2.00 per tael. The new farm raised the price on March 1st to $4.00 a tael and on August 1st reduced this amount to $3.50. No opium dross, dross opium or opium pills are sold in the District. Prepared opium of two varieties is on sale:
1 pot containing 3 candareens of Patna,
1 pot containing 5 candareens of Malwa,
both selling at 27 cents and 20 cents. 10
The enhanced price of prepared opium was responsible for an increase in the number of cases heard under the Opium Ordinance. In 1910 there were 137 cases affecting 150 persons and fines to the amount of $810.04 were imposed. In 1909 there were 101 cases affecting 107 persons and the fines amounted to $476.80.
VIII. LIQUOR.
On the 1st of January, Ordinance 27 of 1909 was enforced in the District and a duty of 5 cents a gallon was collected on all liquor distilled in the Territory for local consumption. Regulations were also made to prevent the smuggling of liquor from Chinese territory and it was laid down that liquor could only be brought in at certain specified places and that no liquor could be brought in without prepayment of duty unless certain conditions were complied with.
There were 101 distilleries in the District and the duty on the liquor distilled is collected as follows: 1 distillery in the Au T'au district (the San Hing Lung) and 11 distilleries at Ts'un Wan pay their dues in Hongkong or the dues are collected from Hongkong.
The Land Bailiff at Au Tau collects dues from 23 distilleries in the Western portion of the District while a Revenue Officer stationed at Tai Po is responsible for the 66 distilleries in the Central and Eastern portions of the District.
In the District a distillery is always an adjunct to a grocer's shop and it is impossible to deposit the wine after distillation in a bonded warehouse as the wine is sold in small quantities direct from the still and the distillery is part and parcel of the shop. Regulations have been made under which each distiller has to enter the amount of wine distilled in his distillation book within two hours of the distillation. It was found that in many cases the distiller postponed making any entry until the end of the day. If a surprise visit were made and three jars of wine were found he would explain that he had been too busy to write up his book and would then proceed to write in three jars. But if no surprise visit were made he would write in one only. Under the new regulation the entry has to be made within two hours and as distillation takes place early in the morning the entry must be there by at least ten o'clock. If the distiller now makes a false entry he runs the risk of being caught by the revenue officer. The revenue officer makes frequent
I 4
price of prepared opium was raised owing to the rise in the price of raw opium.
Prepared opium was sold before the 1st March at $2.00 per tael. The new farm raised the price on March 1st to $4.00 a tael and on August 1st reduced this amount to $3.50. No opium dross, dross opium or opium pills are sold in the District. Prepared opium of two varieties is on sale:
1 pot containing G candareens of Patna,
}
"9
27
1
3 5
27
20 cents. 10
Malwa, 10
The enhanced price of prepared opium was responsible for an increase in the number of cases heard under the Opium Ordinance. In 1910 there were 137 cases affecting 150 persons and fines to the amount of $810.04 were imposed. In 1909 there were 101 cases affecting 107 persons and the fines amounted to $476.80.
VIII. LIQUOR.
On the 1st of January, Ordinance 27 of 1909 was enforced in the District and a duty of 5 cents a gallon was collected on all liquor distilled in the Territory for local consumption. Regulations were also made to prevent the smuggling of liquor from Chinese territory and it was laid down that liquor could only be brought in at certain specified places and that no liquor could be brought in without prepayment of duty unless certain conditious were complied with.
There were 101 distilleries in the District and the duty on the liquor distilled is collected as follows: I distillery in the Au T’au district (the San Hing Lung) and 11 distilleries at Ts'un Wan pay their dues in Hongkong or the dues are collected from Hongkong.
The Land Bailiff at Au Tau collects dues from 23 distilleries in the Western portion of the District while a Revenue Officer stationed at Tai Po is responsible for the 66 distilleries in the Cen- tral and Eastern portions of the District.
In the District a distillery is always an adjunct to a grocer's shop and it is impossible to deposit the wine after distillation in a bonded warehouse as the wine is sold in small quantities direct from the still and the distillery is part and parcel of the shop. Regula- tions have been made under which each distiller has to enter the amount of wine distilled in his distillation book within two hours of the distillation. It was found that in many cases the distiller post- poned making any entry until the end of the day. If a surprise visit were made and three jars of wine were found he would explain that he had been too busy to write up his book and would "then proceed to write in three jars. But if no surprise visit were made he would write in one only. Under the new regulation the entry has to be made within two hours and as distillation takes place early in the morning the entry must be there by at least ten o'clock. If the distiller now makes a false entry he runs the risk of being caught by the revenue officer. The revenue officer makes frequent
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.