CO129-405 - Public Offices - 1913 — Page 520

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.1519

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arms, the powers of regulation possessed by the local officials concerned were correctly used. The smuggled opium detained and the price of the opium sold have been confiscated according to regulation and cannot be returned.

(Seal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.)

Peking, March 28, 1913.

Enclosure 2 in No. 1.

Memorandum communicated to Wai-chiao Pu by Sir J. Jordan.

SIR JOHN JORDAN has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the memo- randum from the Wai-chiao Pu of the 28th March, conveying the report of the Kiangsi tutu in regard to three cases of opium seizures, and upholding the action of the local officials concerned on the ground that the detention had occurred either on account of illicit selling contrary to regulation or of illegal carrying of arms.

In reference to these three cases, Sir John Jordan would observe that on the 11th August, 1912, Yen Hui-tê, of the Sheng Sheng Ho firm in Nanchang, was arrested and twelve unbroken packages of Indian opium, bearing the customs certificates, found in his possession were confiscated. In view of the fact that this opium was duly covered by customs certificates, he is surprised that the Wai-chino Pu should countenance its illegal seizure on the flimsy pretext of illegal selling. In regard to the illegal seizure at the Kiukiang Station Li-kin Office, Sir John Jordan, in his memorandum of the 12th February, stated that the consul had reported that the merchants concerned had always maintained that the eight packages were unbroken packages bearing intact customs labels, so that it was impossible that native opium could have been included therein. It was also pointed out at the same time that the tutu's plea of smuggling native opium had not been put forward before; on the 15th November, that is to say, three months after the illegal seizure, the tutu had presumably no cognisance thereof. In regard to the illegal seizure of sixty packages, duly accompanied by customs certificates, in transit at Ch'ang-ning, the alleged carriage of arms and ammunition may or may not be an offence, but so far as the opium is concerned no breach of treaty has been committed by or proved against the

owners.

Sir John Jordan would repeat that in all three of the above cases the opium concerned was duly accompanied by customs transit certificates, and that by treaty the owners thereof were at liberty to dispose of it at destination. Provincial regulations made and enforced contrary to the Opium Agreement of 1911 cannot override the additional article to the Chefoo Agreement under which the opium was in transit in the province of Kiangsi.

Sir John Jordan must repeat his demand for the instant return of the twelve packages in the Sheng Sheng Ho case and of the eight packages seized at the Kinkiang Station Li-kin Office. He must also demand the indemnification of the owners. for the value of the sixty packages of Malwa opium illegally seized by the district magistrate of Ch'ang-ning.

Peking, April 4, 1913.

C.O

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OPIUM,

RECO [Rea! 2 JUN 13 1

[May 7.]

CONFIDENTIAL.

SECTION 1.

[21427]

No. 1.

Question asked in the House of Commons, May 7, 1913.

Sir John Jardine, To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information from consuls or otherwise as regards increase or decrease of cultivation of the opium plant in China since the change of Government and as to the policy in this matter of the Government of the Republic?

Answer.

The conditions in different provinces, and even in different districts of the same province, vary so greatly that it is difficult to answer this question comprehensively with regard to the whole of China. Generally speaking, the latest reports in my possession show that the loss of Government control during the revolutionary disturbances led to a large increase of poppy cultivation in almost all the opium- growing districts, but that the Republican Government have been making strenuous efforts, which have already met with considerable success in many districts, to

it. suppress

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