This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
467
SECTION:
[November 25 REC
13 DEC 08
[40919]
(No. 494.) Sir,
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received November 23.)
Peking, October 29, 1908.
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith, in translation, a copy of a Memorial recently presented to the Throne by the Board of Finance, and approved by Imperial Decree of the 4th instant, dealing with the subject of opium.
It appears from this document that on the 11th October, 1907, the Grand Council received an Imperial Decree commanding the Board of Finance to make a searching investigation into the importation, production, and sale of opium, with the view of suppressing consumption by the establishment of an official monopoly for the sale of the drug, and to submit to the Throne within a period of one year a scheme for carrying it into effect. This Memorial is the result; but the Board of Finance, instead of advocating, has submitted a report adverse to the suggested monopoly, adducing as its reasons that the establishment of such a monopoly would give umbrage to foreign countries, and be attributed to mercenary motives; that it would entail the necessity of purchasing all imported opium, a proportion of which, judging from the present rate of decrease in consumption, would be superfluous; and that its enforcement would involve a surveillance which the present incompletely organized police force would find difficulty in carrying out, and which would prove expensive, vexatious, and oppressive.
The recommendations of the Board are that opium shops and smokers shall take out licences, infringement of which shall be punishable by heavy fines; that, to insure speedier suppression, poppy cultivation shall be prohibited within certain time limits to be arranged; that Proclamations shall be issued threatening officials persisting in the opium habit with loss of rank and people with public black lists, and at the same time giving due warning that all avenues to office will be closed to them.
The various conditions prevailing throughout the Empire lead the Board to give prominence to measures for curtailment of cultivation in some provinces, and for suppression of smoking in others, while the opinion is expressed that, under present conditions of import, prohibition of cultivation would open a greater market to the foreign drug in those provinces where its consumption exceeds that of native opium, and that in provinces like Yünnan, Kueichow, Szechuan, Shensi, Shansi, and Honan, where only native opium is consumed, although reduced cultivation will be followed by diminished consumption, immediate and entire suppression of cultivation is impracticable, owing to the fact that the south-eastern provinces draw most of their supplies from Yunnan and Kueichow. This, however, is followed by the statement that in the six provinces-Kiangsu, Anhui, Honan, Yunnan, Fukien, and Heilungchiang (in Manchuria)-total prohibition of cultivation has been proclaimed, and that the entire production of opium in China will thus be reduced by 30 per cent. at the end of the present Chinese year (21st January, 1909). The Provinces of Fengtien and Kirin (in Manchuria), Chihli, Shantung, Kiangsi, Chekiang, Hupei, Hunan, Hsin Chiang (the New Dominion), Kuangtung, and Kuangsi are credited with a small production which, it is stated, can be entirely suppressed at the end of next year, making a further reduction of 10 per cent. in the total output of the Empire. Shansi is declared to be a large producer, but as the output is consumed within its own borders, the entire suppression is left in the hands of the Governor, who will take the necessary measures in due course. As, according to the Board, most of the native opium consumed in China comes from Szechuan, Kueichow, Kansu, and Shensi, the area of poppy cultivation in, and the opium export from, these provinces will each be reduced 20 per cent. annually, as compared with the acreage and export in 1907, and the penalty for excess export will deprive the province concerned of one-half of its share of the revenue derivable from the consolidated opium tax.
The Board concludes its Memorial with the remark that an official monopoly, besides leading to complications, would have to continue for a period of ten years, whereas its proposals will insure the extinction of the opium habit before the end of that period, and the traffic in the foreign drug will then ipso facto cease.
[2020 z-5]
JAKEROINROO
This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL.
467
SECTION:
[November 25 REC
13 DEC 08
[40919]
(No. 494.) Sir,
No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received November 23.)
Peking, October 29, 1908. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith, in translation, a copy of a Memorial recently presented to the Throne by the Board of Finance, and approved by Imperial Decree of the 4th instant, dealing with the subject of opium.
It appears from this document that on the 11th October, 1907, the Grand Council received an Imperial Decree commanding the Board of Finance to make a searching investigation into the importation, production, and sale of opium, with the view of suppressing consumption by the establishment of an official monopoly for the sale of the drug, and to submit to the Throne within a period of one year a scheme for carrying it into effect. This Memorial is the result; but the Board of Finance, instead of advocating, has submitted a report adverse to the suggested monopoly, adducing as its reasons that the establishment of such a monopoly would give umbrage to foreign countries, and be attributed to mercenary motives; that it would entail the necessity of purchasing all imported opium, a proportion of which, judging from the present rate of decrease in consumption, would be superfluous; and that its enforcement would involve a surveillance which the present incompletely organized police force would find difficulty in carrying out, and which would prove expensive, vexatious, and oppressive.
The recommendations of the Board are that opium shops and smokers shall take out licences, infringement of which shall be punishable by heavy fines; that, to insure speedier suppression, poppy cultivation shall be prohibited within certain time limits to be arranged; that Proclamations shall be issued threatening officials persisting in the opium habit with loss of rank and people with public black lists, and at the same time giving due warning that all avenues to office will be closed to them.
The various conditions prevailing throughout the Empire lead the Board to give prominence to measures for curtailment of cultivation in some provinces, and for suppression of smoking in others, while the opinion is expressed that, under present conditions of import, prohibition of cultivation would open a greater market to the foreign drug in those provinces where its consumption exceeds that of native opium, and that in provinces like Yünnan, Kueichow, Szechuan, Shensi, Shansi, and Honan, where only native opium is consumed, although reduced cultivation will be followed by diminished consumption, immediate and entire suppression of cultivation is impracticable, owing to the fact that the south-eastern provinces draw most of their supplies from Yunnan and Kueichow. This, however, is followed by the statement that in the six provinces-Kiangsu, Anhui, Honan, Yunnan, Fukhien, and Heilungchiang (in Manchuria)-total prohibition of cultivation has been proclaimed, and that the entire production of opium in China will thus be reduced by 30 cent.
per at the end of the present Chinese year (21st January, 1909). The Provinces of Fengtien and Kirin (in Manchuria), Chilili, Shantung, Kiangsi, Chekiang, Hupei, Hunan, Hsin Chiang (the New Dominion), Kuangtung and Kuangsi are credited with a small production which, it is stated, can be entirely suppressed at the end of next year, making a further reduction of 10 per cent. in the total output of the Empire. Shansi is declared to be a large producer, but as the output is consumed within its own borders the entire suppression is left in the hands of the Governor, who will take the necessary measures in due course. As, according to the Board, most of the native opium. consumed in China comes from Szechuan, Kueichow, Kansu, and Sheusi, the area of poppy cultivation in, and the opium export from, these provinces will each he reduced 20 per cent. annually, as compared with the acreage and export in 1907, and the penalty for excess export will deprive the province concerned of one-half of its share of the revenue derivable from the consolidated opium tax.
The Board concludes its Memorial with the remark that an official monopoly, besides leading to complications, would have to continue for a period of ten years, whereas its proposals will insure the extinction of the opium habit before the end of that period, and the traffic in the foreign drug will then ipso facto cease.
[2020 z-5]
B
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