CO129-395 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 438

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observance of treaty. In the meanwhile opium merchants recommend, in order not to further aggravate the situation, Indian Government should temporarily suspend sales in Calcutta of certified Bengal, and in Bombay of Malwa, permit for shipment to China until all illegal prohibition and restrictions are withdrawn. From our point of view the important point is violation of treaty rights and inability of Peking to control provinces in this respect.

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

C

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[26708]

No. 1.

16 JUN 12:

[June 24.]

SECTION 1.

(No. 246.) Sir,

Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.--(Received June 24.)

Peking, June 6, 1912. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 143 of the 18th ultimo, in which you suggest the desirability of obtaining from the Chinese Government a declaration of their intention to continue the work of suppression of opium cultivation and smoking.

In a memorandum, dated the 24th ultimo, from the Wai-chiao Pu, requesting from me further particulars respecting a complaint which I had made of obstruction to the foreign opium trade at Canton, and alluding to my comments on the recrudescence of poppy-growing in Szechuan and Shansi, the following statement is made :--

"At the present time of change in the situation in China, while confusion is rife throughout the country, the local officials have not the leisure to attend to this question, and it is impossible to obviate all possibility of evil-disposed people taking the opportunity to resume the cultivation of opium. The Chinese Government. however, have not changed the smallest degree their attitude towards the policy of opium suppression. Some time ago orders were issued by the President to persevere in this policy, and, now that the situation is becoming settled, strict suppression has again been enjoined. The peculiar conditions which have made their appearance cannot be stigmatised as entire failure in the fulfilment of treaty obligations."

This statement of the settled policy of the Government is in full accord with declarations repeatedly made to me by Yuan Shih-kai, Tong Shan-yi, and other authorities. Only yesterday Yuau Shih-kai again affirmed to me his unalterable resolve to carry the opium programme to a successful conclusion. There would be no difficulty in obtaining similar declarations in any form that might be sugges ed, and there seems to be no reason to doubt the sincerity of the President and other members of the Government in making such declarations. The reproaches which we have to make, however, to the Chinese Government for contravening the agreement by stopping the import of Indian opium while allowing the cultivation of native opium are based upon their failure to impose their will upon the provinces. A declaration of intention, however explicit, is of little practical use so long as the provinces are allowed to interpret the opium agreements in their own way, and the Central Government are either unable or unwilling to take measures for the observance of treaty obligations.

I have, &c.

J. N. JORDAN.

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