CO129-367 - Acting Governor May - 1910 [6-7] — Page 127

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additional tax of 15 cents per tael is levied upon it,

I have not so far been able to obtain any reliable in-

-formation. I may, however, point out that the Opium

consumed in the Kuangtung Province is chiefly Indian

but

Opium (Patna) and that there can be little doubt that the

Chinese Authorities, when imposing this tax, anticipated

that the revenue produced by it would in the main be

derived from Foreign Opium.

9.

In these circumstances I tele-

graphed both to Your Lordship and to His Britannic Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Peking supporting the pro-

-test made by the Chamber of Commerce against the monopoly

and the tax, and I trust that before this Despatch reaches

Your Lordship, steps will have been taken to effectively

safeguard the existing treaty rights of British Opium

Merchants.

10.

I am forwarding copies of this

Despatch to His Britannic Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at

Peking and to His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General at

Canton.

I have the honour to be, My Lord,

Your Lordship's most obedient,

humble servant,

Автор

Officer Administering the Govern-

-ment.