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of these regulations until I have received your instructions, and I have notified Messrs. Sassoon and Co, accordingly.
It is possible that the regulations now in question are identical in terms with those issued by the Chekiang authorities, which formed the subject of your letter to Prince Ching referred to in your despatch No. 20 of the 14th April. If this is so, I should propose, with your approval, to address the Viceroy with regard to these new regulations making use of the same arguments against their enforcement as those advanced by you in the case of the Chekiang, Hupei, and Anhui cases.
Inclosure 2 in No. 1.
I have, &c.
HARRY H. FOX.
3
Kuangtung Opium Prohibition Bureau Licence.
(Name) of (district, &c.), is hereby licensed to sell opium at (shop and street, &c.)
Should the licensee close his business, the
This licence is renewable once a year. licence is to be surrendered for cancellation: it is not to be sold to another party. No shop is to be opened without this licence.
The above licence is given to (name), owner of the street, this Tung.
day of the
month
shop in
year of Hsuan This licence after issue is to be mounted and hung outside the shop for convenience of examination.
272
Proclamation by the Canton Opium Prohibition Bureau.
(Translation.)
THE suppression of opium is an important measure of Government policy, and a definite term has been fixed for it. For ascertaining the amount consumed the first step to be taken is in connection with opium shops. Under instructions from his Excellency the Viceroy, the police intendant's office has communicated to this office their proposal for a system of licences for opium shops and permits for purchasers of opium, together with a set of six regulations drawn up by them and approved by the Viceroy, designed to extinguish the sale of the drug. This office has therefore, in conjunction with the police intendant's office, issued a proclamation enforcing these regulations.
Under the terms of section 1 of the regulations any shop dealing in raw opium, if situated in Canton, must obtain from this office a licence which shall constitute its authority to carry on business.
Under section 2 of the regulations, when any customer comes to an opium shop to buy opium, the shop must ascertain whether or not the customer holds a permit to buy and a permit to smoke opium; and if he has no permit or his permit is not complete, he is not to be supplied.
It is therefore necessary, in order to facilitate supervision, to announce the date from which these licences and permits will be issued. It has been decided that on the 19th May a special officer shall be appointed to issue them.
This proclamation is therefore made to inform all opium shops and purchasers of opium that from that date they must obtain licences and permits from this office, which is open daily for the purpose from 10 o'clock in the forenoon to 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Licences and permits will be issued in order of application without fee or charge of any kind. Thereafter no unlicensed shop will be allowed to sell opium, and no person not provided with a permit will be allowed to buy it.
Hsuan Tung, 1st year, 3rd month, 29th day
(Translation.)
(May 18, 1909).
Inclosure 3 in No. 1.
Form of Licence to be taken out by Dealers in Raw Opium.
Kuangtung Opium Prohibition Bureau Counterfoil.
Surname of applicant
Name of applicant....
Prefecture, or
Independont sub-Prefecture, or
Independent Department
Department or district
Street
Shop
}
Licence to be detached and this part retained for purposes of reference.
(Translation.)
Inclosure 4 in No. 1.
Regulations governing the Sale and Purchase of Raw Opium.
The General Bureau for Opium Suppression for the whole Province of Kuangtung, and
Wong, Captain Superintendent of Police for Kuangtung.
In the matter of issuing a proclamation for general information. THE important policy of opium suppression has several times been declared by Imperial decree, and the Cheng Wu Chu having submitted regulations to and obtained the sanction therefore of the throne, has informed the Cantonese thereof by despatch and instructions have been issued to all departments to comply with such regulations.
Clause 5 of the regulations says as follows:-
"The local authorities shall enquire into one by one and ascertain the total number of shops which sell raw opium in any city, or town, or country place, or Certificates shall be issued to them by the village, and register and record same. officials as authority ou which they may carry on their business. After the enquiry and ascertainment have been completed no further establishments shall be allowed. Whenever a person comes to purchase raw opium the licence he holds must in all cases be examined, only then cau any sale be allowed to be made. Otherwise no sale shall be made. Offenders shall be heavily punished."
Such being the words of the clause, it is clear that in the matter of registration and granting of certificates both sellers and purchasers of raw opium shall in a uniform manner conform with the regulations.
I, the captain superintendent of police, have drafted certain regulations and submitted the same to his Excellency the Viceroy who, having examined the same, has This bureau (for opium suppression) having been given his approval thereto. established with proper authority, his Excellency has also ordered that the various matters relating to registration and the granting of certificates shall be transferred and assigned to this bureau to carry out with a view to placing the responsibility on a special office.
In addition to printing certificates for sellers of raw opium and tickets in triplicate for purchases of raw opium and sending forth general instructions to have the same issued and taken away, it is expedient that a proclamation should be issued for general information.
Wherefore this proclamation is issued. You, the raw opium shops and purchasers of raw opium are requested to take notice that you must comply with the regulations submitted by the Cheng Wu Ch'u and approved by the throne. After this information has been given to the public all sales and purchases of raw opium shall be conducted All who dare to in accordance with the six regulations hereinafter enumerated. disregard or resist these regulations intentionally, or who openly comply with, but secretly offend the same, or who deal with one another in a clandestine manner, shall, as soon as discovered, be awarded with heavy punishments and arrested and dealt with, and will certainly not he let off lightly.
After the enquiry into and ascertainment and registration of the raw opium shops has been completed this time no further establishments will be allowed, so that there may be a limit (to their number). Let all tremblingly obey and offend not.
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