CO129-377 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [5] — Page 39

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Sir,

British Embassy,

Toko 24th December, 1910.

18650

RECA

&

With Feference to my Dospatch Confidenti.

REP 7 JUN 11

-al of the 26th. ultimo in regard to the alleged purchase by tho

Japanese Covernment of a large supply of Turkish Opium in Cons- -tantinople and its subsequent shipment to Formosa, I have tue honour to inform Your Eycellency that I am now in recipt of a reply from His Lajesty's Cons.1 at Tansui, whom I instructed to

he make enquiries into the matter, to the effect bias as for a37as been able to ascertain no unusual quantities of opium neve bean recently imported into Formosa, that the import to wet island is solely for local consumption and that none is expected to be exported.

The following, is a table of bie Cuntos Returns of the Import of Opium into Formosa for the past three

years.

Countries whence

1908.

1909.

1910.(1st. 10 months.)

imported.

British India

Turkey

rersia

lbs.

133,919

7,500

200,605

lbs.

141,547

lbs.

106,987

504

210,212

82,8u6

114,518

Total

342,024

352,263

304,393.

The above table shows firstly that the

import for the first ten months of 1910 is practically at the

same rate as for the last two years, an secondly that Turkish

opium hes largely taken the place of Indian opium.

Er. Consul Rentiers states that this is

the first year that Turkish opium has been imported in consider-

-able quantities to Formosa, that it is cheaper than either

Indian