CO129-445 - Public Offices - 1917 — Page 373

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

Paochi to Liupa.-- From Paochi we turned south and entered the mountains again, traversing the district of Fonghsien to Liupat'ing, a small place hidden away on the southern slopes of the Chinlingshan. I had hoped to be able to work across from Liupa through the mountains into the Top'ing neighbourhood, where we had been before earlier in the season; the more so, an information had reached me from a reliable source that people, thinking the coast to be clear after our passage, had recently been going up

into the high mountains along the route we had traversed with such difficulty in May in order to plant late opium. But apart from a few recognised trails the Ch'inlingshan are almost impassable at the best of times; and the combination of mountain torrents, swollen by the summer rains, and the unsettled political conditions, consequent on the crisis in the north, made it impracticable to reach Top'ing from this side. I brought these rumours to the notice of the authorities, who promised to see that the local officials in that neighbourhood, whose vigilance had probably been relaxed after the passage of our party, would spare no efforts to maintain suppression in their districts. But the incident shows the difficulties of suppressing poppy cultivation in Shensi, where no co-operation or help is to be expected from the people, and the dangers of a relapse in future years. We spent a week or so in the districts of Fenghsien and Liupat'ing, which consist of high mountain valleys like those of Toping, and I am fairly confident that no opium will be produced there this year, since there was probably no poppy in the ground at the time of our visit, and it was too late in the year to plant late opium after we had passed through.

Lupa to Kuangyuan.-From Liupa we travelled south through the districts of Paoch'eng, Mienhsien, and Ningchiang, and across the mountains, on the Shensi- Szechuan border, to Kuangyuan, in Northern Szechuan, where the inspection terminated.

We entered Shensi from Honan on the 7th April, and left it for Szechuan on the 26th July, during which period we covered about 5,850) Chinese t by road within the borders of the province, most of the way by little-used mule trails, through the mountains. The journey was done, so far as I was concerned, with a small caravan of riding ponies and pack mules, though it was necessary to walk a great deal of the way in the mountains. The Chinese members of the party travelled wherever possible in chairs, but not infrequently they were compelled to walk too. A sketch map* of the province showing the route followed is attached.

Kuangyuan, North Szechuan, July 28, 1917.

(Translation.) Sir,

Enclosure 2 in No. 1.

Wai-chiao Pu to Mr. Alston.

ERIC TEICHMAN.

Peking, August 7, 1917. I HAVE previously informed you, with reference to this year's joint opium inspection, that the joint inspection of Klangsi, Kuangtung, Kueichow, and Kiangsu has been completed, and that these provinces have all been found to be clear of opium.

I have now receiver the following telegram from the Civil Governor of Shensi :

The joint inspection of this province for opium cultivation has been completed. The inspecting British official has made a most careful search, even the recesses of the hills being personally visited by him. Particularly strict investigation has been made of those districts noted for their production of opium, but no traces of the plant were discovered, and it was recognised that they were all completely free from poppy The cultivation. The British official has left Shensi and proceeded to Szechuan. whole of this province is completely free from poppy cultivation."

Senior clerk Lu Chun, the deputy appointed by this Ministry to take part in the joint inspection, has telegraphed to the same effect.

I have the honour to communicate the above for your information.

(Signed)

(On behalf of the M.F.A.),

KAO ERI-CH'IEN.

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[206767]

(No. 502.) (Telegraphic.)

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REC RER 5 DEC17

[October 28.]

SECTION 1.

No. 1.

Sir J. Jordan to Mr. Balfour.-(Received October 28.)

Peking, October 27, 1917.

YOUR telegram No. 407 of 23rd October: Opium. There appears to be three courses open to the Cabinet:—

1. Press protest already made and approved against violation of 1911 agreement. If successful, this could only result in reopening of Customs at Canton and Shanghai, and could not fail to produce widespread resentment and criticism; if unsuccessful. indirect assistance of combine in coming to an arrangement. In either case it would enable Chinese Government to give out that they had yielded to British pressure.

2. Make no further protests, and leave merchants to continue, as they have done since May 1915, to make their own arrangements with Chinese Government. It is understood Wai-wu Pu would not enter into direct negotiations with them, but they It is siguificant might be able to find means of negotiating with Minister of Finance. that as soon as Chinese intermediary of combine, who had negotiated Purchase Agreement of January last, learnt of proposed direct settlement between Legation and Wai-wu Pu he procured invitation from the Minister of Finance to proceed with Minister of Communications to Peking and settle the matter privately in the hope of saving by this means as large proportion as possible of his own prospective profits. Combine, on enquiring of hargé d'Affaires whether they were at liberty to accept such an invitation, were informed that, the matter being now in the hands of the Chinese Government and Legation, any invitation must come through the proper medium of this Legation.

But as soon as Chinese Government are informed, as they must be, that combine has no ollicial support and that question of protest contained in Chargé d'Affaires' notes of 4th May and 26th June is dropped, prospect of a solution becomes somewhat remote, and may well be deferred until alter 31st December, when their case will be weakened by termination of 191 agreement.

3. Settle the question as we have suggested by direct negotiations with Chinese We are committed to this Government. If successful, this will ensure clear deal. course by verbal assurances given by Chargé d'Affaires 3rd October and by myself 9th October to Minister for Foreign Affairs, and also by our action towards combine in September. Our withdrawal at this stage will leave the combine more or less at the mercy of the Chinese Government. But adoption of this form of settlement will undoubtedly transfer to us portion of the odium attaching to President and his Government for the sordid transaction into which he entered with the combine in January last when he was Military Governor at Nanking.

There would be no necessity to put forward proposal in my telegram No. 479 of 16th October had not Chinese Government, by their violation of 1911 agreement, compelled intervention on the part of Legation. But for such violation combine would have been left to solve their own difficulties, due in great measure to their own action in baving wilfully held up their stocks for speculative purposes.

At

In conversation with Minister for Foreign Affairs on 9th October I agreed at his urgent request to accept, subject to your approval, responsibility for acting as official mediator between combine and Chinese Government in this connection. the same time I made it clear to him that present situation had arisen entirely through misguided folly of Chinese Government in entering into unauthorised arrangements directly with combine over the head of Legation and then committing a breach of treaty to make good their escape.

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Map not reproduced.

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