CO129-445 - Public Offices - 1917 — Page 270

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

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[147187]

80.

No. 1.

45528

Ree.

17

266

[July 26.]

SECTION I

Mr. Alston to Mr. Balfour.-(Received July 26.)

(No. 172.) Sir,

Peking, June 9, 1917. DURING the puat year Sir John Jordan had the honour on several occasions to address your predecessor on the subject of the growing tendency to the morphia and cocaine habit that had become so noticeable in China. The last despatch on the subject was Sir John Jordan's No. 210 of the 11th August, 1916. Since that date the question appears to have lapsed, and there has been no revival, so far as I am aware, of the attempt on the part of the Chinese Government to cope with the evil by domestic legislation.

My attention has, however, been directed to the subject within the past few days by a passage which occurs towards the end of despatch No. 88 of the 2nd June from His Majesty's consul at Dairen to His Majesty's Ambassador at Tokyo, A copy of that despatch bus, in all probability, already reached the Foreign Office, but to facilitate reference thereto, I take the liberty of enclosing a copy.*

Mr. Parlett writes: "The same gentleman, speaking of the Mitsui Bussan Kwaisha, asserted that the latter looked for its profita in Manchuria chiefly to the sale of cocaine and morphia, and could, thanks to them, afford to disregard its losses in other directions."

Mr. Farlett may be right in his suggestion that the above statement is the exaggeration of a rival. But, on the other hand, it would seem to illustrate aptly the figures quoted by Sir W. Collins in his letter to Sir W. Langley of the 21st February, 1916 (see Lord Grey's despatch No. 78 of that date), and bear out the suggestions contained both there and elsewhere in the correspondence that the main traffic in these pernicious drugs is through Japan and into Manchuria.

I am taking steps to ascertain from His Majesty's consul-general at Mukden whether any information as to the growth or reverse of the habit has come to his knowledge, and I am at the same time asking him for a report on any aspects of the question that may have come under his observations, together with an estimate on his part of the truth of the charge against the Mitsui Bussan Kwaisha.

In the meantime it would be of great assistance if I might be favoured with some statement as to the present position with regard to the export of these drugs from the United Kingdom. At a time when there is every reason to suppose that China may

endeavour in the near future to obtain our consent to the total termination of the import of British opium, it would be well that I should be in a position to do what is possible-on humanitarian grounds if in no other-to bring about a cessation of the morphia habit, which threatens to replace opium so largely, and to my mind the cardinal measure in any just attempt would be by the stoppage of the export from the principal country of production, i.e., the United Kingdom, of all but the necessary and legitimate medical supplies, thereby rendering it impossible for the middleman— whether at Osaka or elsewhere-to continue to smuggle the drugs into this country to the ruin of the native population.

I am sending a copy of this despatch to His Majesty's Ambassador at Tokyo.

I have, &c.

B. ALSTON,

• Not printed.

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