CO129-384 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 552

بهتریم

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[35070]

No. 1.

со

30841

Wrat 21 SEP

[September 6.]

SECTION 2.

549

(No. 326.) Sir,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received September 6.)

Peking, August 17, 1911.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatchi No. 234 of the 26th ultimo, transmitting for my observation a copy of a despatch from the India Office enquiring on behalf of the Government of India, and in view of clause 5 of the additional article to the Chefoo convention, how much of the increased consolidated duty of 350 taels per picul imposed on opium imported into China represents import duty and how much represents li-kin.

During the negotiations which led up to the conclusion of the opium agreement of the 8th May, 1911, no reference was made to the apportionment of the increased consolidated duty between import duty and li-kin, and as complications and delay would have occurred had the question been raised, I considered it advisable to close with 350 taels as one consolidated duty, especially as the traffic in native opium has largely ceased and clause 5 of the additional article to the Chefoo convention has no longer the importance it formerly possessed. On the assumption, however, that the Imperial Maritime Customs interpret the views of the Chinese Government, a customs notification issued at Swatow under instructions from the acting inspector-general, and since alleged to have been issued to cover the two months subsequent to the 8th May, but dated the 17th July, imposed a tax on prepared opium imported of 200 taels import duty and 500 taels li-kin per picul, and, as the tax on prepared opium prior to the 8th May was double the then consolidated duty of 110 taels (import duty 30 taels and 80 taels li-kin), it would appear that the new consolidated duty of 350 taels is held to be made up of 100 taels import duty and 250 taels li-kin.

I have, &c.

J. N. JORDAN.

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