CO129-357 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1909 [7-9] — Page 572

No.

Hongkong.

My Lord,

36

0.

352483

RECE Rre? 27 OCT 09

Government House,

Hongkong, 24th.September, 1909.

Lov 25975

In reply to Your Lordship's

Despatch No. 160 of the 18th. ultimo, I have the honour to

forward the enclosed memorandum which explains the

circumstances in which this Government decided to reduce

the royalty payable to the Opium Farmer on morphine from

$30 to $10 per tael, and the precautions taken to prevent

the sale of morphine in this Colony except for legitimate

medical purposes.

2.

As Your Lordship will have noted

from the printed Memorandum enclosed in my Confidential

You 72837

Despatch of the 15th. of last March, I hold the view very

strongly indeed that the sale of morphine, and of opium

for eating, which is rapidly increasing in China con-

-stitutes a more serious danger to the welfare of the

Chinese nation- and also to the Chinese population of

than the smoking of the drug. I would

this Colony

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE EARL OF CREWE,

&C. 1

800-

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&C...

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