1957-05-10 — Page 4

[Page 4**

THE CHINATM MAIL," FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1957.

THE WORLD HEROIN PROBLEM

"The solution 'may lie in licensing addicts and selling heroin much cheaper,"

This was the personal opinion of a Government medical officer, He carefully stressed this did not represent Government's view, but was a solution which he and others considered "one answer" to the problem.

"You see, as long as you have a black-

market for heroin, the problem of addiction

will be present and may even grow.

"In order to increase profits, the black

marketeer has to get new addicts.

"Treatment is a very unsound way of dealing with addicts because they go back to heroin as soon as they are released So the solution will lie in from prison. licensing addicts and selling heroin much

cheaper.

"Coupled with this you need very much heavier fines for peddlers."

Opium-seized packages.

I asked a Prisons the position of not only legalising heroin trame, which is opposed Department doctor by practically every civilised entry in the world, but also 'what he thought of subsidising it. No, I don't think the answer lies in that direction. the idea and he said:

"I don't think it is practical Supposing you find the numbers of addiets terewing by making it available to a wider market at cheaper prices.

"Diflcult as it seems I still think we shall have to stop in

portations of the drug, somehow. We need more to search the whips.

"And here is another polit nddjets used "Here are the pros and cous:

to get two weeks' Government would have the gaol for

smoking opium. Now benefit of knowing how many the sentence has been raised to heroin addicts there were in the two months for smoking herein. Colony exactly.

"I don't think "If the plan worked, that pakit in sending is If pople switched to prison. Government-sold heroin, # might put the traflickers out of business-at least temporarily→ until Government decided it was time to reduce nddleton and then the peddlers would im- is essential. mediately start flourishing again.

there is any

mi addict to

"What we need is treatment centre, It should be not only responsible for treatment but also, retabilitation. I think this

"But such

& scheme would "The worst part about it is that need the support of Govern- It would pul Government kito ment,"

A senior Police officer said:

"This will need a long-term pulley. It is a problem that is so vast that it cannot be tackled any other way.

"Admittedly a rehabilitation centre would be a good thing. You notice they have one In Singapore, but their problem is chiefly concemed with oplun whereas ours in berok, which is very different,"

And a senior Prisons official:

"The only answer can be found in higher standards of education. What is needed is a combinati of preventive measures and u rising standard of living.

"Also some awakening of the conscience of the Chinese people is needed. I don't think we've goue nearly far enough with anti-marcolles propaganda."

THE BEST-KEPT SECRET OF THE WAR LEAKS OUT

A

THE SHIP THAT

onoc

by

Robin Hutcheon

ob-

In this Colony

And the Social Wel- This series of articles has 15, is an

been compiled from about viously prefer- fare officer put the 44 pages of notes taken in able objective. problem this way:

the course of a 'fairly ex- The provall- haustive investigation. But ing low 'sland-

"Even if you euro

having reached the end of it ards of living men, ha is in

circulation I am convinced that no one will get in Hongkong knows the again the trade hold of him and coax him solution to this problem.

bbek in'nggin. You see, in a blg country he could be helped by going to work in some other area-but you can't do that in Hongkong; it's too small. You can't even send him to addicts.

Last September, the Civic Association wrote to Goverment urging the establishment of a rehabilitation centre for drug

a

are said to bo

one of the

main reasons why addiction is so high. The Em- high ployment rate

is part of the

same problem.

But it falling

that Hongkong is the funnel for this trude to the US.

But this is a cheap political Jibe without foundation, heroin, oplum or marphine comes .across the China border to this Colony, no official here knows about it. But they do know where it is coming from.

As stated at the outset, this is a story that begins far from Hongkong'o shores. It is also where this story ends.

11

It is a nice, round, ranting condemnation with which to end Baerlen on

thoroughly frustrating and apparently in-

blame countries far beyond your shorès,

As far as I know Island and put him to work, be- cause no island is far enough nothing has been done, possibly living standarda But most smugglers have better luck. away from Hongkong or Kowloon because

comprehensive help to spread addiction, will to prevent him from getting scheme, with the rehablilla rising living standards necessarily most trite but also the cluble problem to back to city surroundings. tion centre as one small part of result in its elimination?

most true remarks made possibly ineffectually.

Even before during the course of this beginning investigation beckons:

hypothetical

There are people here who say that it would need an Army of

"If only we could stop men to put the Shan popby consideration heroin and morphine and estates out of existence.

we must ask

what is the

oplum coming in....

That is undoubtedly the crux of the problem.

cconomic uro- apect before us?

Yet it is one that no Govern- At best, a ment seems willing to tackle for small improve purely diplomatic reasons. Any mem may take one connected with the treffle of place over the narcoties knows which countries In are falling down on the job and years. dustrial deve- no one dares to say it. It may lopment

be good diplomacy but it is an absorb some of awfully high price to pay it in

may

But if the world heroin prob en were treated with the sumo urgency and tackled with the

determination that sume

the great powers are devoting to the Middle East question, Hongkong and several other countries today might have one major social problem less on their hands.

Unless imports are stopped # vinced that any step:

am con-

the unemploy the process the root cause of the ed but with drug problem is ignored. the population Even the United Nations this Government increasing

more

70,005

pt

than

is not sufficiently specific In

a year apportioning the true weight takes to alleviate the (a) the im- of the blame for this traffic. plight of addicts can

The nail of this problem

provement can-

not be very needs a whack with a pile- meet with only

driver, not the tap-tap-tap of limited success.

great,

The cination

fas- of

a toy hammer.

one of the the

Soizod equipment, used to reduce opium to deadly HEROIN.

People in America insist that

instigatora are China and

AN END

BLEW UP BOMBAY

MONSOON breeze drifted. lazily across the great city of Bombay. One mile from the docks แก elderly Hindu squatted on the floor of his hovel. Then came a hot gust of ale that touched his face, and with a blinding light that penetrated the darkest corners of his home. A fearful explosion shook the earth. Perhaps a full minule later a 28lb, gold ingot pierced the tin roof of the Hindu's hovel and landed at his feel, Secrecy

This was Colonel Sadler's dilemma: to try to scuttle a burning ammunition ship and lose the £2,000,000 in gold aboard her-or to try to quell the fire before an explosion destroyed the city. He gambled on the fire brigade—and lost.

by Robert J. Edwards

It was just after four o'clock oh the afternoon

of April 14, 1944--the moment of ang of the greatest divasters of the war. Only fragments of the story have ever been told. Warlline tensor -

Au xan docker, reclining of the fire-fighting operation, shlp ckuped down and hid the ugly scene from the public and against a bale of cotton in No. faced a frightfül dilemma, the enemy. But now, from a 2 hold, saw the first hint of the privately circulated American çamage that was to come: a wisp Navy publication and other of smoke rising slowly from the centre of the cotton pile. He

at to the deck.

sources,

cut

A full account be given of the biggest TNT ex- plosion of all time,

The SS Fort Stikene, a British 7,000-ton freighter built less than

a year carller, lay in Beebay's

Alarm blasts

He knew of the 1,700 tons of explosive stowed beneath the Were all the city's fire cotton. appliances, now clanging dock wards through the streets, suff clent to douse the flames?

So the tons of water cascaded into the ship, and she listed heavily under the weight of it. BUL the smoke grew thicker, blotting out the merciless Indlan sun. And the hull of the burning vessel turned red in the heat,

Then the ship went up in a rearing yellow cloud, shooting thousands of feet into the sky Only her boiler remained whole.

It fell, incredibly, on the trom lines in a street half a mile from the docks.

View of the warehouse districh usan effer the exploden. The smoke cloud was soon to ever the city.

the

The spreading fire as darkness fall over Bombay.,

quay,

her

The explusion itself killed 200

Among people.

them were Fundreds of port workers. They ho tried to "escape—bu! were

(Copyright Strictly Reserved)

to Import Forms

::

By WILLIAM HAMSHER

Bonn. four months from now, tid

ERMANS can TOW 30 improve the poll pros

order from any firm in pects of Chancellor. the world-in London, New Adenauer's Christian De- York, Moscow, China or mocrats, Peru-goods up to the value of £8. 109. for cash it every German, especially the on delivery,

womenfolk can buy jerseys

ed

Erhard's advisera

argue that

Foreign sellers are offer from Bond Street, nylons from a German government New York, pertumes from Paris, guarantee that the postman shoes from Italy, and coffee, will collect the cash in Ger- chocolate and tobacco from any man currency and that bank body who sells them, then Ger machinery will then operate to give better

man purveyors will either have

to ensure that he gets paid their prices. in his own coin.

It is a pet scheme of

Federal Germany's Econo-

mics Minister, Professor

value or cut

Good money

Theoretically, Germans", could ·.

world.

Ludwig Erhard. He has already buy anywhere in the Their currency is good the been pushing it for two enough.

Now, "suddenly, he had to

100g

Keep your sugar dry!

One 5,000-ton coaster was lifted

into Soldiers marched

But, until now, they from the water and fung chosen area. The Inhabitants years.

the go

long, over

back were ordered to leave. Then has obtained Cabinet ap- bureaucratie way round to do it... broken. Nine other vessels were suppers and demolition experts proval for a tryout — in First, they had to get an import severely damaged.

blew up their homes and every time, he hopes, to bring buy the foreign currency, and permit, then fill in 'a form to other building in the vicinity.

down shop-prices in Ger- anally tackle all the customs Demolition

many before the election formalities. For a

night and a chy the The rest of the Fort Stikone held up by a zealous police demolitions continued. Then at Or should ho order the Fort disintegrated into Al 2.18 p.m. the Fort Stükene's

slcel frag man, who insisted they show last there was nothing left of Fall his ments strewn

Many over the harbour their passes. crowded Victoria and Prince's whistle blew a series of short, Eikene's captain to

hundreds the strip but rubble. It was Docks. Her cargo: dried 11sh piercing blusts, Then the vessel along the tortuous route and the city. The 18 fire engines more suldiers, sullors and clvl barrier the flames could not from Hull and Grimsby. 3.000 whistles of every vessel in the to the outer harbour and there, and their crews vanished. Not a lians were missing, and 3,000 cross. They devoured all that tons of cotton, 155 gold ingots harbour did likewise. It was the deep water, scuttle her, gold trace of them remained. Every were injured. But Bombay's was left to them, and after worth nearly £2,000,000, and sort of cacophony that greets or no gold? 1,700 tons of ammunition and visiting Presidents and the birth

mile was shattered. Fifty ware- Famine debris from the ex- extinguished. American experta high explosives.

of new ships. But dread, not joy, Ship listed

plosion set fire to was in every heart. The red flag

Puldings. Gradually the fres But moving the woving on the Fort Silkene told

ship would

How much of the gold was j merged lato one raging con- the story. Ammwaltlon Ship on

take her from the fire engines

flagration. Then the conflagra- recovered has not been revoal- Fire.

lined up along the quay. Then The damage in the harbour tion

2. And no one knows for cer moved northward. The only the ship's few hoses and

toin whether A tidal wave next

Colonel Sadler day a large sector of

would steam injectors could be used. swept through the basin, snup- Bombay seerned doomed.

have saved the city if And she might explode on her ping hawsers, and pounding the

he had taken the second cholen With the fire brigado obli- open to him-the deep sea In- way to the outer harbour. ships against the quays. Elever scrated only one way remained stend of the fire engines. Ari

Colonel Sadler made his deci- vessels totalling 50,000 *ODS, to save the city. A path must alon. The SS Fort Stikene would were twisted, burned-out be out ahead of the fire stay at her moering.

wrecks. They were a total loss. wide for the flames to cross.

Priority

.

According to the rules, the am- munition should have been un- loaded first. But only the fish would deteriorate throug storage, So the dried fish had the priority.

States Naval Institut

*United Proceedings.

"Cummings

Down to the harbour raced two of the city's fire engines, Streams of water were poured into the hold. Still the fire spread. The port superintendent, Colonel J. i. Sadler, the man in commend

building within a quarter of a trial had only begun.

houses were fattened.

Tidal wave

appalling was

SEZONA KARERA HENG !'”

SCOIT'S

0.

fortnight the last embers were

estimated the damage nt billion dollars.

efficiat inquiry afterwards · said. 100 he should have chosen the sea.

London Express Service.

PEACE

EVEN IN THE

DAMPEST WEATHER

“By hoaven, suppose we really meant it! What word would we use then?”

PEACE

Fine granulated sugar is now available in new 5 lb. plastic bags

TAIKOO SUGAR

REFINED SINCE 1884

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