CO129-373 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 284

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I regret to have to add my opinion that, if timely action had been taken in Canton when the Viceroy's proposals were first mooted to His Britannic Majesty's consul- general, these losses would have been avoided, and those concerned in the trade would not now he struggling to escape from a financial dilemma which, unless removed, may yet cause the ruin of some of them.

I am sending copy of this despatch, except the last paragraph, to His Majesty's chargé d'affaires at Peking and consul-general at Canton.

I have, &c.

F. H. MAY, Officer Administering the Government.

Enclosure 2 in No. 1.

Sir F. May to the Earl of Crewe.

(Confidential.) My Lord,

Government House, Hong Kong, September 5, 1910. WITH reference to my telegram of the 12th ultimo, I have the honour to forward the enclosed copy of a letter dated the 31st ultimo from the acting secretary to the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, and to endorse the recommendation of the chamber that, in view of the fact that the opium interests of British merchants in Shanghai and Hong Kong are largely identical, His Britannic Majesty's consul-general at Shanghai should be requested to obtain the views of the British merchants at that port on any settlement proposed, before a final decision is arrived at.

2. In continuation of my confidential despatch of the 25th ultimo, I forward the correspondence as per enclosed schedule, and I would invite your Lordship's special attention to the joint letter dated the 29th ultimo from four local firms dealing in raw opium. In this connection, I would also refer to paragraph 3 of my confidential despatch of the 16th July last. I have asked the local firms in question to furnish me with proof of the accuracy of their statement that opium consigned to, and sold by, MM. Sales et Cie. at Canton escapes the new levy when sent into the interior, and I would now refer your Lordship to their reply of the 3rd instant, marked VII on the schedule which I have communicated to His Majesty's consul-general at Canton.

I have, &c.

F. H. MAY, Officer Administering the Government.

C

Sir,

Enclosure 4 in No. 1.

Joint Letter addressed to Mr. Thomson,

Hong Kong, August 29, 1910. WE have the honour to bring to the notice of his Excellency the officer administering the Government that opium is now being shipped by Chinese merchants and consigned to a French firm, MM. Sales et Cie., at Canton, under the protection of the French consul at that port. Opium sold by this firm goes into the interior without the payment of the new levy, whereas all the complaints that we have made to our consul against the imposition of the new tax on raw opium have proved futile, and all purchases made in Canton, excepting those from the French firm, continue to bear this illegal tax.

As regards the release of the opinn which was seized at Swatow, we may add to what we wrote in our letter of the 26th instaut, that this seizure was identical with those made in Suntong and Samshui, and we cannot help contrasting the attitude of His Britannic Majesty's consul-general at Canton with that of his colleague at Swatow.

We very much deprecate Mr. Jamieson's attitude throughout this trouble. He refused from the outset to give his assistance for the protection of our interests, which we, as British merchants, have every right to expect and we feel that, but for the unfortunate stand that he took up, the Kwangtung authorities would not have dared to enforce the new tax and regulations, admitted on all sides to be violation of treaty rights, and the loss of millions of dollars suffered by those in the opium trade would have been avoided.

Wo have, &c.

DAVID SASSOON AND Co. (Limited),

(R. H. Josera, Manager), E. D. SASSOON AND Co.

A. J. RAYMOND (per pro. S. J. David

and Co.)

E. PABANEY.

Sir,

Enclosure 3 in No. 1.

Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce to Mr. Thomson,

Hong Kong, August 31, 1910. I AM directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13th instant enclosing a copy of a telegram from his Excellency the officer administering the Government to the Secretary of State for the Colonies urging suspension of new opium tax and regulations pending result of a discussion at Peking which Lord Crewe intimated in his telegram of the 11th instant was to take place on the whole question.

I am to add that the committee of this chamber strongly support his Excellency's suggestion that, before a final decision is arrived at, reference will be made to the Government of Hong Kong aud that the Government will, if possible, also give this chamber an opportunity of learning what is being done in the matter as well as to His Britannic Majesty's consul-general at Shanghai, in view of the fact that the opinm interests between that port and this are largely identical,

I have, &c.

A. R. LOWE, Acting Secretary.

Sir,

Enclosure 5 in No. 1.

Consul-General Jamieson to Sir F. May.

Canton, August 30, 1910. IN reply to your despatch No. 65 of the 27th August, I have the honour to hand you herewith translation of a communication I have received from the Acting Governor- General regarding the two seizures of opium at Samshui and in the Tseng ch'eng

district.

It therefrom appears that the individuals in whose charge the opium was found had not complied with the prescribed regulations, and it was for that reason they were pubished. That Messrs. Sassoons have protested against the regulations in question does not render them any the loss binding on Chinese subjects; and I would call attention to a fact that is constantly being overlooked, namely, that from the date of their coming into force they applied to the whole province of Kwangtung irrespective of whether or not the Kuang yuan office had opened a branch for the collection of the levy at any particular point."

Messrs. Sassoous say that the Tseng ch'eng opium was in transit from a foreign port, meaning, presumably, thereby Hong Kong. Such was not the case. transit from the Chinese port of entry--Kowloon.

I have, &c.

It was in

J. W. JAMIESON,

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