CO129-375 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [1-2] — Page 254

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I requested the Consul-General at

Canton to protest at once against these new Regulations and

the proposed increase of the tax. In reply he forwarded to

me a copy of a telegram he had received from His Majesty's

Minister, Peking, of 31st. January, 1911, which ran as

follows:- "Enforcement of new tax should be watched by

"you with care having special regard to rule 9 section 2

"and rule 14 section 5 of the draft regulations forwarded

"under cover of your despatch No. 45 of December 2nd. and

"to the assurance of the Governor-General with reference

"to the non-taxation of raw opium, contained in his

"telegram to the Wai-wu-pu of Uctober 17th., copy of

"which I forwarded to you in my Despatch No. 25 of

*October 22nd. last". I think Sir John Jordan who has

never ceased to protest against the illegality of these

proceedings, and do his best to put an end to them, must

have been under a misapprehension when he despatched this

telegram. Sections II (9) and V (14) to which he alludes

appear on pages 86 and 87 of Mr. Clementi's precis forward-

-ed to you under cover of my Despatch No. 437 of the 28th.

of last December. The former provides that the levy should

be effected only after boiling and that the Chefoo Con-

-vention should not be violated: while the latter requires

that