CO129-360 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 71

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.

T607

CHINA TRADE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[December 24, 20

SECTION 1.

[44933]

(No. 540.) Sir,

¡No. 1.

Sir J. Jardan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received December 24.)

Peking, December 3, 1908. MY despatch No. 464 of the 21st October last will have placed you in possession of my views respecting the proposal of the Viceroy of Canton to introduce a licensing system for the shops dealing in raw and prepared opium. I considered that while the proposal might be so manipulated as to lead to a monopoly in opium such as was feared by British firms engaged in the trade, no objection could reasonably be raised to it as it stood, and I accordingly informed the Acting Consul-General that it was inadvisable to take any action beyond obtaining from the Viceroy a promise to issue a reassuring Proclamation pointing out that the new Regulations only applied to the retail trade.

I now have the honour to transmit to you herewith copies of two despatches from Mr. Fox detailing his action and the present situation with regard to this matter.

From bis later despatch you will perceive that the issue of a Proclamation in the sense indicated above is rendered unnecessary by the decision of the Viceroy not to proceed with the scheme so far as it relates to the registration of raw opium shops, but to confine himself to enforcing those clauses in the Licensing Regulations which apply to the registration of smokers and the control of prepared opium shops. Mr. Fox also incloses a copy of the new form of licence issued to opium smokers.

I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN.

Inclosure 1 in No. 1.

(No. 53.) Sir,

Acting Consul-General For to Sir J. Jordan,

Canton, October 21, 1908. WITH reference to my telegram No. 20 of the 10th October, I have now the honour to transmit copy and translation of a despatch from the Viceroy of Canton in which his Excellency explains the meaning and scope of the new Opium Regulations. I have also the honour to forward copy of my letter to Messrs. David Sassoon and Co. on this subject.

As I had arranged an interview with the Viceroy for the day following the receipt of your telegram No. 17 of the 14th October, in which you instructed me as to the attitude 1 should adopt towards the new Regulations, I took the opportunity of explaining to his Excellency my reasons for communicating to him the protest of the Hong Kong opiam merchants.

I said that we had no intention of opposing in any way the measures now being taken by the Chinese Government for the eradication of the opium habit in China. Our sympathy with the movement had been demonstrated in a practical form by the restric- tions which the Indian Government were now placing on the export of opium from India. But the Hong Kong merchants feared, not without some show of reason, that the effect of the new Regulations would be not to diminish the amount of opium consumed in the Canton province, but to create a monopoly in favour of an ever-decreasing number of Canton importers. Now that his Excellency had assured me that the new Regula- tions with regard to raw opium shops would not interfere in any way with the wholesale Indian opium trade of Hong Kong, I had the authority of His Majesty's Minister in Peking for accepting that assurance.

I urged the Viceroy to issue the promised Proclamation on the subject as soon as possible, and his Excellency said it would appear in the course of the next few days.

I have, &c. (Signed) H. H. FOX.

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