CO129-258 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1893 [1-4] — Page 448

4

447

i

such as

Chinese labour, I

large employers of

I have n

now

the honour to report that I am firmly of opinion that the abolition of the : opium farming system would from every point of view be the gravest - possible mistake.

3.

It would serve no

me

to

useful purpose for attempt to argue

the general question of the morality of the traffie in opium, or to

discuss

discuss the smaller but

important question how far it is either right or expedient to interfere with the liberty of the subject with a view to restricting the consumption of opium by the Chinese residents in Hong Kong within

HongKong the narrowest possible limits. The devotion of not a little of my

time and

attention to a study of the

general question has resulted

in the conclusion that the

balance

:

!