This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[53246]
No. 1.
[December 13.]
SECTION 2.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received December 13.) (No. 257.) (Telegraphic.) R.
Peking, December 13, 1912,
YOUR telegram No. 199 of 12th December: Opium. Facts are as stated in your telegram. All the Yang-taze provinces are being closed to Indian opium, and trade is at a complete standstill at Shanghai, where there are now 20,000 chests, valued at from 8,000,000l. to 10,000,0001., stored up without any prospect of a market.
have made endless representations, both written and verbal, but without any effect. This week, accompanied by His Majesty's consul at Shanghai, whom I sum- moned here for the purpose, I had long interviews with the President of the Republic and Minister for Foreign Affairs, and we exhausted every effort to induce them to have the agreement of May 1911 enforced in the provinces. They gave a half-hearted assurance that instructions of 15th June, 1911, would be reissued under the authority of the President, but so far nothing has been done, and the Central Government shows no disposition to check the widespread movement in favour of total prohibition.
I have informed the Chinese Government that unless my last representations produced effective action I should be obliged to place the whole case in the hands of His Majesty's Government.
(Sent to India.).
[2736 n-2]
162
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.