23
Inclosure 7 in No. 1.
Proposed Opium Regulations presented by the Shan Hou Chü,
WE have the honour to submit, for your consideration, the following draft Proclamation for the proposed levy of a licence fee on prepared opium ("kao p'ai") :-
Adequate funds to meet the new indemnity charges assigned by the Board of Revenue have not yet been raised in the Canton Province. Again, appropriations have to be made for the training of troops, with a view to making China powerful. In this time of need and emptiness of the Treasury there is nothing more necessary and difficult than the raising of funds. Nevertheless, although additional revenue is so superlatively important, such institutions as the "pigeon lottery," which do most harm to the people, have not only not been increased, but they have been forbidden.
The present difficulties are a matter of serious concern to the Viceroy and Governor. It is evident to everybody that they cannot bear to add to the people's burdens without grave reason.
Now, prepared opium is most injurious to the financial well-being of the people. It is a lasting evil, but as it cannot be prohibited in a day, the best course is to tax it for the public benefit. Moreover, Hupeh, Hunan, Chiangsi, Anhui, Chiangsu, Chechiang, and other provinces all derive an important part of their revenue from an opium licence tax, and the foreign Governments of Hong Kong and Macao raise large amounts from the same source. Canton merchants did, indeed, petition the subject, but in consequence of mismanagement they were ordered to stop their proceedings and devise another system.
Satisfactory Regulations have now been drawn up, and the tax will be under official control.
On every tael of prepared opium a licence fee of 6 tael cents will be raised. The increased price demanded by the opium shops will come out of the pockets of the consumers of the drug, so that the opium dealers will not suffer.
The article is not a necessary of life, and a tax of 6 tael cents per tael is not over much.
In the midst of our efforts to adjust the finances it is still conceived with special consideration for the people's interests.
The Shan Hou Chü has been ordered to make detailed Regulations and establish a Central Opium Licence Office for the province, to be opened on the 7th June,
Retailers of prepared opium must, within the limit of three days, report to the Office and receive licences, labels, and duplicate certificates, and pay duty in accordance with the Regulations.
While memorializing the Throne, and placing the matter on record, a Proclamation is issued to dealers in prepared opium, and all conditions of men in the province, that they may know that this licence fee is officially administered for the purpose of raising local revenue for public needs, and that it is a matter of great moment to the Government and people. Moreover, the tax has been levied in various other provinces with success, and it must be levied here also.
Let all prepared-opium dealers act in accordance with the Regulations below mentioned.
If any one dares to disobey under any pretext, he shall be at once arrested and severely punished.
The orders we issue shall be put into operation.
Let no one treat the experiment lightly, lest he be made regret it.
Let all tremblingly obey.
Inclosure 8 in No. 1.
Regulations in Twenty Articles (abridged).
1. THE Central Office for levying the licence fee on prepared opium ("kao p'ai") will be in Canton, with branch offices in the West Suburb, Honam, and Fatshan. These once established, the system will be introduced all over the province.
All retailers of prepared opium must be provided with licences within three days after the issue of the Proclamation. When thus provided, they shall be allowed to levy the opium licence tax, and their shops shall be regarded as official shops for the sale of prepared opium.
Shops without a licence are illegal, and shall be sealed up as soon as discovered; it is against Regulations to reopen them or remove the seal.
2. The licence tax on prepared opium will be 6 tael cents per tael weight. Retailers of prepared opium must appear at the Central Office within three days of the Proclamation being issued, and request to be provided with licences, duplicate certificates, and stamped labels. They are to hand over their revenue once every ten days, and any delay in doing so will result in their shops being sealed up.
3. Whenever any opium is sold in a prepared-opium shop, the stamped label must be affixed.
The retailer must not fail to report the sale, nor must he report less than the amount actually sold. If no label be used when the opium is sold, it will be regarded as smuggled. The opium will be confiscated and the shop fined.
4. When less than one tael weight of opium is sold, the label is to be used, to show that the transaction is in order; when over an ounce is sold, the duplicate foil of the certificate is to be filled in and issued to the buyer. The foil itself must be kept for exhibition at the Office once every ten days, that it may be apparent how much has been collected as licence tax on the prepared opium. The time limit of ten days must not be exceeded.
5. All retailers of prepared opium must keep books recording the amount of prepared opium sold each day, and also the quantity of raw opium bought daily for boiling. The entries must be exact, and the book sent to the Office for examination once every ten days. If the record be found incomplete and inaccurate, the retailer shall be heavily fined.
Moreover, shopkeepers must in the first instance exhibit their account-books for the last three months at the Office, that their monthly receipts may be examined and compared.
6. There is only one charge made at the Office—that for regulation duty. No other expense is incurred. If any one attempts exaction, he must be reported and will be severely dealt with.
7. When the prepared-opium shops hand over their revenue, and the opium divans their contributions, they must both use the 99.5 Government scale for weighing, and also foreign money. The money must not be short, nor mixed with spurious coins. At the same time they shall not be required to pay any charge in connection either with the scale or with the money used.
8. In all cases where it is proposed to remove or change the name of a prepared-opium shop, the fact must be reported to the Office, and registered there; and the licence will then be renewed without charge. If in such circumstances the retailer fails to renew his licence, he will be treated as dealing in smuggled goods, and his shop will be sealed up.
9. Within three days of the Office being established, all prepared opium, no matter whether it is freshly prepared or has been in stock for some time, must be reported to the Office. Labels and duplicate certificates must be obtained before the opium can be sold.
Retailers who are requested to boil opium for some one else will be held personally responsible for reporting the amount of the opium and paying the licence fee.
10. If any officials, gentry, merchants, or rich families, inside the city or out, buy raw opium for the purpose of boiling it privately, they must report the amount to the Office, make the necessary payment ("kao chuan"), and receive a duplicate certificate in proof. No one may boil raw opium secretly. If this Rule is broken, it is open to any one to accuse the offender, who will then be arrested and very heavily fined.
11. If a shop has no licence, or if it practises secret sales, secret boiling, or secret dealing, it may be reported by any one to the Office. If the charge is found proved, the offender shall incur the heaviest fine the Regulations impose. The opium will be confiscated: two-tenths will go to the Government and eight-tenths to the informer. If the arrest be effected through the help of a spy, the spy will receive four-tenths.
12. Merchants and people outside the province are forbidden to smuggle opium in and sell it. Consumers of the drug bringing it in for private use only must inform the Central or a branch Office, whichever is nearer, how much they bring; they will pay the contribution ("chuan") fixed by regulation, and on request will be furnished with a certificate in receipt. If they are caught acting in contravention of this Rule, their opium will be confiscated and they will incur the regulation fine.
13. Men in the same business and spies, when reporting any illegality, should go at once to the nearest police-station or to this Office, and soldiers will be sent to arrest the offender.
But no false accusations must be brought because of personal enmity, or by secretly depositing opium in another man's shop. Such actions will be punished severely.
D
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23
Inclosure 7 in No. 1.
Proposed Opium Regulations presented by the Shan Hou Chü,
WE have the honour to submit, for your consideration, the following draft Procla- mation for the proposed levy of a licence fee on prepared opium ("kao p'ai") :-
Adequate funds to meet the new indemnity charges assigned by the Board of Revenue have not yet been raised in the Canton Province. Again, appropriations have to be made for the training of troops, with a view to making China powerful. In this time of need and emptiness of the Treasury there is nothing more necessary and difficult than the raising of funds. Nevertheless, although additional revenue is so superlatively important, such institutions as the "pigeon lottery," which do most harm to the people, have not only not been increased, but they have been forbidden.
The present difficulties are a matter of serious concern to the Viceroy and Governor. It is evident to everybody that they cannot bear to add to the people's burdens without grave reason.
Now, prepared opium is most injurious to the financial well-being of the people. It is a lasting evil, but as it cannot be prohibited in a day, the best course is to tax it for the public benefit. Moreover, Hupeh, Hunan, Chiangsi, Anhui, Chiangsu, Chechiang, and other provinces all derive an important part of their revenue from an opium liceace tax, and the foreign Governments of Hong Kong and Macao raise large amounts from the same source. Canton merchants did, indeed, petition the subject, but in consequence of mismanagement they were ordered to stop their proceedings and devise another system.
Satisfactory Regulations have now been drawn up, and 'the tax will be under official
control.
On every tael of prepared opium a licence fee of 6 tael cents will be raised. The increased price demanded by the opium shops will come out of the pockets of the consumers of the drug, so that the opium dealers will not suffer.
The article is not a necessary of life, and a tax of 6 tael cents per tael is not over much.
In the midst of our efforts to adjust the finances it is still conceived with special consideration for the people's interests.
The Shan Hou Chü has been ordered to make detailed Regulations and establish a Central Opium Licence Office for the province, to be opened on the 7th June,
Retailers of prepared opium must, within the limit of three days, report to the Office and receive licences, labels, and duplicate certificates, and pay duty in accordance with the Regulations.
While memorializing the Throne, and placing the matter on record, a Proclamation is issued to dealers in prepared opium, and all conditions of men in the province, that they may know that this licence fee is officially administered for the purpose of raising local revenue for public needs, and that it is a matter of great moment to the Government and people. Moreover, the tax has been levied in various other provinces with success, and it must be levied here also.
Let all prepared-opium dealers act in accordance with the Regulations below mentioned.
If any one dares to disobey under any pretext, he shall be at once arrested and severely punished.
The orders we issue shall be put into operation.
Let no one treat the experiment lightly, lest he be made regret it.
Let all tremblingly obey.
Inclosure 8 in No. 1.
Regulations in Twenty Articles (abridged).
1. THE Central Office for levying the licence fee on prepared opium (" kao p'ai") will be in Canton, with branch offices in the West Suburb, Honam, and Fatshan. These once established, the system will be introduced all over the province.
All retailers of prepared opium must be provided with licences within three days after the issue of the Proclamation. When thus provided, they shall be allowed to levy the opium licence tax, and their shops shall be regarded as official shops for the
9
Shops without a licence are illegal, and shall be sealed
up
ssle of prepared opium. as soon as discovered; it is against Regulations to reopen them or remove the seal.
2. The licence tax on prepared opium will be 6 tael cents per tael weight. Retailers of prepared opium must appear at the Central Office within three days of the Proclamation being issued, and request to be provided with licences, duplicate certificates, and stamped labels. They are to hand over their revenue once every ten days, and any delay in doing so will result in their shops being sealed up.
3. Whenever any opium is sold in a prepared-opium shop, the stamped label must be affixed.
The retailer must not fail to report the sale, nor must he report less than the amount actually sold. If no label be used when the opium is sold, it will be regarded as smuggled. The opium will be confiscated and the shop fined.
4. When less than one tael weight of opium is sold, the label is to be used, to show that the transaction is in order; when over an ounce is sold, the duplicate foil of the certi- cate is to be filled in and issued to the buyer. The foil itself must be kept for exhibition at the Office once every ten days, that it may be apparent how much has been collected as licence tax on the prepared opium. The time limit of ten days must not be exceeded.
5. All retailers of prepared opium must keep books recording the amount of prepared opium sold each day, and also the quantity of raw opium bought daily for boiling. The entries must be exact, and the book sent to the Office for examination once every ten days. If the record be found incomplete and inaccurate, the retailer shall be heavily fined.
Moreover, shopkeepers must in the first instance exhibit their account-books for the last three months at the Office, that their monthly receipts may be examined and compared.
6. There is only one charge made at the Office-that for regulation duty. No other expense is incurred. If any one attempts exaction, he must be reported and will be severely dealt with.
7. When the prepared-opium shops hand over their revenue, and the opium divans their contributions, they must both use the 99.5 Government scale for weighing, and also foreign money. The money must not be short, nor mixed with spurious coins. At the same time they shall not be required to pay any charge in connection either with the scale or with the money used.
8. In all cases where it is proposed to remove or change the name of a prepared- opium shop, the fact must be reported to the Office, and registered there; and the licence will then be renewed without charge. If in such circumstances the retailer fails to renew his licence, he will be treated as dealing in smuggled goods, and his shop will be sealed up.
9. Within three days of the Office being established, all prepared opium, no matter whether it is freshly prepared or has been in stock for some time, must be reported to the Office. Labels and duplicate certificates must be obtained before the opium can be sold.
Retailers who are requested to boil opium for some one else will be held personally responsible for reporting the amount of the opium and paying the licence fee.
10. If any officials, gentry, merchants, or rich families, inside the city or out, buy raw oplum for the purpose of boiling it privately, they must report the amount to the Office, make the necessary payment (" kao chuan "), and receive a duplicate certificate in proof. No one may boil raw opium secretly. If this Rule is broken, it is open to any one to accuse the offender, who will then be arrested and very heavily fined.
11. If a shop has no licence, or if it practises secret sales, secret boiling, or secret dealing, it may be reported by any one to the Office. If the charge is found proved, the offender shall incur the heaviest fine the Regulations impose. The opium will be confiscated: two-tenths will go to the Government and eight-tenths to the informer. If the arrest be effected through the help of a spy, the spy will receive four-tenths.
12. Merchants and people outside the province are forbidden to smuggle opium in and sell it. Consumers of the drug bringing it in for private use only must inform the Central or a branch Office, whichever is nearer, how much they bring; they will pay the con- tribution ("chuan") fixed by regulation, and on request will be furnished with a certificate in receipt. If they are caught acting in contravention of this Rule, their opium will be confiscated and they will incur the regulation fine.
13. Men in the same business and spies, when reporting any illegality, should go at once to the nearest police-station or to this Office, and soldiers will be sent to arrest the offender.
But no false accusations must be brought because of personal enmity, or by secretly depositing opium in another man's shop. Such actions will be punished severely.
D
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476
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