4
Inclosure 5 in No. 1.
Proclamation.
THE Financial Bureau of Kiangnan, in the matter of issuing this Proclamation for public information, state----
We have received a despatch from the Viceroy to the effect that, in compliance with the Regulations concerning the superintendence of opium prohibition furnished by the Board of Civil Administration, wholesale houses in the opium trade shall be established in the various provinces. They shall undertake the making of investigations in opium and the imposition of taxes. Any opium not purchased and resold by such wholesale houses shall be considered private and smuggled opium. Licences shall be issued to all the wholesale houses as well as opium shops at a cost which shall be decided upon, and new licences shall be issued once a-year; those not having obtained licences shall be prohibited from trading.
We are also in receipt of a despatch from the Viceroy, forwarding the revised edition of the Opium Prohibition Regulations of Kiangnan, and he has further instructed us to co-operate with the Bureau of Self-Government, the Bureau of Li-kin Taxes, and the Bureau of Police to carefully discuss the question of the fees to be charged the wholesale houses and retail shops for the licences and for the privilege of carrying on the trade.
Accordingly, in obedience to the above instructions, we have decided the various points in co-operation with the said offices, and submitted a report to the Viceroy who has, in his Rescript thereto, given instructions that we should superintend the collection, We shall therefore proceed with the matter.
In addition to our giving instructions to our various subordinates to take steps accordingly, and appointing officials for the purpose of carring on investigations, we deem it necessary to issue a Proclamation.
This Proclamation is therefore given for information to all those dealing in opium. All the firms, "hongs," or shops dealing in the purchase and sale of opium, whether large or small, shall at the time of investigation give an actual report of the quantity of opium sold yearly by each of them for the purpose of calculation, with a view to issuing licences as permits to carry on their business. The imposition of licence fees and taxes for the privilege of carrying on the trade shall commence from the 1st day of the 12th moon of this year, and all firms, "hongs," and shops, shall pay their respective dues according to their respective classes to their respective yamens, bureaux, or other places for remittance.
We, in consideration of the great urgency of carrying out the prohibition of opium, further order that any licensed house venturing to conceal the actual amount of sales, or give a smaller report than the actual business, shall be fined and dealt with in the severest manner when detected.
Be it obeyed by every one implicitly; urgent is this special Proclamation. The following are the Regulations :-
1. Wholesale houses shall be established in all the different prefectures, sub- prefectures, and districts, as centres to undertake the making of investigations in opium and the imposition of taxes. Retail shops are only allowed to purchase opium from those wholesale houses for resale, and not from farmers, or outside their respective limits, or to purchase opium on a large scale from abroad,
2. The number of wholesale houses is limited to ten only in a provincial city. In prefectures, sub-prefectures, districts, and prosperous market towns and villages the number shall be decided upon by local officials, but shall not exceed six in each place.
3. Such wholesale houses shall be opened by the more substantial persons in the opium trade, with the option of running one individually or in co-operation with several others.
4. Such wholesale houses and retail shops shall apply to their officials for licences to carry on the trade. We shall design licences with sales duly affixed, and send them to the respective yamens for distribution. If in any of the pretectures, sub-prefectures, and districts there are branch offices of the Opium Tax Departments, the local officials concerned shall communicate with such offices and co-operate with them in discussing the establishment of wholesale houses for which licences shall also be issued by us,
5. Wholesale houses, having obtained licences, are allowed to purchase opium from outside their respective limits, and to sell also on behalf of merchants coming from
abroad and dealing on a large scale, but shall not be allowed to purchase from farmers or other shops by retail.
6. Every two months, wholesale houses shall submit a report regarding the actual quantity of opium purchased and resold by them to their respective yamens, bureaux, or other places for the purpose of inspection and verification.
7. Wholesale houses shall reduce their business by one-eighth every year, starting from the actual quantity of opium purchased and resold this year, and are not allowed to deal more largely than allowed. If any of them be detected making false reports they shall be severely dealt with and fined.
8. Wholesale houses, being required to undertake the duty of making investigations and the imposition of taxes, are exempted from paying any fee for their licence, but they shall renew their licences once a year, also free of charge.
9. The licences for retail shops shall be divided into three classes, viz., 1st, 2nd, and 3rd classes, and the fee shall be charged according to the amount of business done every year--
1st class licence: 6 dollars per year; yearly quantity of opium sold, 1,500 to 3,000 taels in weight.
2nd class licence: 4 dollars per year; yearly quantity of opium sold, 600 to 1,000 taels in weight.
3rd class licence: 2 dollars per year; yearly quantity of opium sold, 200 to 400 taels in weight.
The above fees shall be paid at the time of obtaining the licences.
be renewed every year when the fees shall be paid accordingly.
Licences shall
10. Wholesale houses as well as retail shops shall pay taxes for carrying on the trade. Each of the three different classes shall be subdivided into three, viz., high, middle, and low, these making up a total of nine classes :-
(high) Scale per month above 3,000 taols in weight
(low) (high) 2 (middle)
"
14 (middle)
57
,,
2,000
"
:1
13
1,500
>
31
1,000
3:
1
800
!!
600
1
71
400
+1
200
*
77
below 200
34
(low) [(high) 3< (middle) [(low)
"
Dollars per month.
12
10
8
6
4
#
2
1
0.50
11. Retail shops selling both raw opium and prepared opium shall, in addition to the paying of licence fee and tax for carrying on the trade, also pay permit fees in accordance with the standing regulations governing fees that should be paid for permits Those for the sale of prepared opium. No advantage is to be taken in any case. having obtained no permits to sell prepared opium are not allowed to do so, as the regulations for permit fees are distinct from those for licence fees.
Be it known to all.
Dated the 10th moon in the 34th year of Kwang Hsü,
Your Highness,
Inclosure 6 in No. 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Prince Ch'ing.
Peking, January 4, 1909. WITH reference to previous correspondence regarding the measures taken in various provinces by the high authorities for controlling the sale and consumption of opium by a system of licences, I have the honour to present to your Highness the views of the principal importers of foreign opium upon the effect which the Regulations intro- duced in Kwangtung and Kiangnan will have on their trade.
These importing firms consider that any regulation which seeks to confine the wholesale trade in foreign opium to a limited number of Chinese "hongs" is equivalent to granting a monopoly to those establishments, and therefore a contravention of Treaty. They submit that the importation of foreign opium is still a legitimate trade, which can only be restricted under agreement between the Governments concerned, and
C [2090 dd--2]
350
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.