CO129-344 - Public Offices & Foreign Office - 1907 — Page 738

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Paraphrase of telegram from Sir J. Jordan,toC/ Foreign Office, No.159 dated August 9th, 1907.

With reference to your telegram No.87 dated July

18th, 1907, I would suggest the prohibition of the

import and export trade in prepared opium between

HongKong and China and that smuggling should be pre-

vented by each Government taking measures to prevent

its being so conveyed into its own territories.

The opium farmer is entitled by his license to

prepare and sell opium within the colony only and

he would not therefore be prejudiced, while the legi-

timate trade of HongKong would not be appreciably af-

fected, as the customs returns show that under 13 pi-

culs of prepared opium of which 4 came from Macao, were

imported altogether into China last year from foreign

countries and from HongKong.