CO129-301 - Governor Sir Blake - 1900 [9-12] — Page 82

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the Bill by the Government, the principal being, that the legal size of samples was increased to six taels, the clause as to the payment of duty in Hongkong was struck out, & the forfeiture penalty done away with;

the question of the Bonded warehouses not being settled

for the present.

But as this Government were pledged, through the

action of the legation at Peking, to collect the duties

on opium for the Chinese, it was decided to address

Peking upon the subject with a view to ascertaining the

exact wishes of the Chinese Government, & how far these

were compatible with the views of the Chamber of Commerce,

A Despatch was therefore sent to the British Chargé

d'Affaires (28 Aug 1899) containing a copy of the Bill

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of 8/6/99, minus the amendments suggested by the Chamber

of Commerce (though these were also enclosed in the Desp.)

& asking that the views of the Chinese Government might be

ascertained, pointing out that it would be necessary to

obtain a guarantee that if the amount collected in

Hongkong did not come up to the cost of collection, the

Chinese Government would reimburse the Colony.

To this Mr Bax Ironside replied by telegraph, 15th

Sept 1899, that he thought there was no chance of the

Chinese Government giving the guarantee asked for,

more especially as they had been informed in the previous

February that the Hongkong Government would collect all

duties upon Opium for them. He thought however that

they would be satisfied if the duties on opium, destined for non-treaty ports, in junks, were,collected, as the Imperial Customs could see to all steamers,

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