CO129-349 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [10-12] — Page 114

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22.

In all the circumstances set out

in this Despatch and its enclosures, I venture upon the

unanimous advice of my Executive Council in which the

matter has been very fully discussed to appeal to Your

Lordship to allow me to accept the Farmer's offer to

reduce the number of chests he draws per annum from 1,800

to 1,200 on January 1st. next on condition that no other

steps are taken till the expiry of his contract on 28th.

February, 1910, and that from that date onwards there

should be a progressive decrease in the number in each

successive contract so long as the Indian Government is

satisfied with the action in China and continues its

progressive decrease in exports. I would, however, for

the reasons given in my Memorandum deprecate the entire

extinction of supply of Opium on the grounds that the

abolition of the Farm will deprive this Government of its

most effective weapon for preventing the illicit import of

Opium to the Colony and of export to China, and the grave

fear that a more pernicious substitute may replace it. In

addition to this limitation of supply there are the

further measures for controlling the Farm and checking the

consumption of Opium Compounds and of Morphia for eating

and for hypodermic injection to which I have referred and

which