CO129-368 - Acting Governor May - 1910 [8-9] — Page 464

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TRANSLATION.

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Enclosure in Acting Governor General's despatch

of 27th August, 1910.

466

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REPORT by Opium Prohibition Burgau.

The recent institution of licenses was due to the fact that

at the present time the use of opium is being suppressed. On more

than one occasion we have reverently received Imperial Rescripta

instructing us to make enquiries sa to the true number of opium

smokers in every place within our jurisdiction. We have, accor-

dingly, drawn up strict regulations, which enact that, in con-

formity with the Board's regulations, every raw opium hong must

obtain a trading license before being allowed to import and sell

raw opium. Similarly, every prepared opium shop, which purchases

raw opium and boils it down, must report the number of balls it is

proposed to buy and obtain a *boiling opium" certificate before

being allowed to prepare opium. Any infraction of these rules

was punishable by heavy fines. The original object of these re-

gulations was mainly to further the work of supervision, in the

hope that, within the prescribed period, prohibition would be

complete. At the time a proclamation was issued and posted up

no as to bring when regulating to the knowledge everywhere of the most distant villages and the most secluded

districts.

According to a report by Liang Chao-t'any, or the Kuang yuan office, after its establishment, on August 8nd (VI. 27)

twenty balls of foreign opium were seized at the mouth of the

river at Samehui. They had been bought in Hongkong and had not

passed through the Samshui Customs, but had travelled by a devious

route to Wuchow in Kuang hsi, at, which place, after having passed through the Customs, the original packages were broken; the opium

was then brought into Kuangtung and there retalled.

With regard to this case, we find that, although the Wuchow Customs had stuck on sealed labels, they did not issue a transit

oertificate