CO129-394 - Governor Sir May & Public Offices - 1912 [12] — Page 14

1

COME

TIAL.

2 Duple

C. 0.

507

Mong ong.

REC2

REGS 4 JAN 17

Government oase.

3 December 1912.

12

sir,

I have the honour to transmit for your

information the enclosed copy of an estimate made by

Mr.R.0.Hutchison, Superintendant of Imports and

Exports, of the revenue which might reasonably be

derived from the letting of the Macao Opium Farm

on & basis of the Farmer being limited to the number

of chests of opium per annum which this Government

considers ample for legitimate requirements. I sent

this estimate recently to the Governor of Macao for

his own information and when he visited me a few days

ago to return official visit I took the opportunity

my of discussing the estimate with him.

2.

M. Sanches de Miranda told me that he

had suggested that the Farm, which expires in July

1913, should be put up to tender with an aumual limit

of 560 chests of raw opium. He considered even that

limit was somewhat small and he expressed the opinion

that the former estimate of this Government of 440

chests was much too small. He argued that the

Hongkong Government was influenced by advice of the

Hongkong Farmer, whose object was to diminish the

trade of the Macao Opium Farmer in order to increase

his own trade.

3. I asked M. Sanches de Miranda to consider

separately the amount which might reasonably be allotted

in