CO129-357 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1909 [7-9] — Page 574

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ROYALTY ON COMPOUNDS OF OPIUM & MORPHINE.

0.0.

36248

!RESS FEG227 De

ديدعي .

The origin of the legislation in this Colony imposing royalty on compounds of opium was a complaint made in December 1903 by the Opium Farmer that owing to the increased price of propared opium there had been a large increase in the consumption

of opium pille and opium wines, originally intended for the cure

Coxfrom

of the habit of smoking opium, but before long used as a substi- tute for it, because, being manufactured outside the Colony

they were Chinese opium, or within the Colony (opiun dross, much cheaper than the Opium Farmer's prepared opium.

Accordingly, after prolonged consideration of the matter, an Ordinance (No.10 of 1904) was passed in September 1904

In this bill the

to amend the Prepared Opium Ordinance, 1891.

of

A

principle imposing royalties on compounds of opium imported for Section 4

use in the Colony was for the first time introduced.

of the bill contained the following provision:- "Every importer

of any Compoånd of opium which is intended for sale or for use "in the Colony shall pay to the Opium Farmer a royalty thereon *calculated at the rate of $3.00 per tael of oplun".

On the 19th June 1906 the Exooutive Council advised that Ordinance No.10 of 1904 should be amended so as "to include such goods sa morphine which are extracts from opium, and do not "contain opium*. A draft of such a bill, prepared and submitted by the Crown Solicitor on the 30th July, 1906, provided that a royalty of $3.00 should be payable to the Opium Farmer both on compounds of opium and also on morphine imported for sale or use in the Colony: but in the first printed proof of the bill dated 8th September 1906 this section was altered to read:- "Every importer of morphine or any compound of opium which is "intended for sale or use in the Colony shall pay to the Opium *Farmer a royalty thereon calculated at the rate of $30.00 per

tael