CO129-395 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 445

441

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

C. O.

{trazemory® donde domdet all to rétegurð et al lovmunod alle)

:

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[25092]

No. 1.

Sir Edward Grey to Sir A. Hardinge.

[June 28.]

SECTION 3.

(No. 42.) Sir,

Foreign Office, June 28, 1912. WITH reference to my despatch No. 20 of the 24th April, I transmit to you herewith copy of a letter from the Colonial Office,* urging that representations may be made to the Portuguese Government with a view to inducing them to compel the authorities at Macao to limit the imports of opium into that colony to the amount which is sufficient to satisfy its legitimate requirements.

From the enclosures in the above Colonial Office letter enclosed, you will observe that these legitimate requirements, including the amount needed for export to Mexico, have been estimated by competent authorities at 440 chests a-year.

You should draw the attention of the Portuguese Government to this matter, and urge them to fix the maximum amount of opium which the opium farmer of Macao would be allowed to import annually and to undertake to enforce the restriction.

Copies of correspondence with the India Office on the subject are also enclosed herewith.†

I am, &c.

E. GREY.

* Colonial Office letter, June 11, 1912,

[2519 ee-3]

India Office, May 21; to ditto, June 28, 1912.