CO129-455 - Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1919 [7-9] — Page 424

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suggested the safeguard that shipments eastwards from India

to Foreign countries should be consigned to the British

Consular representative at the port of destination, but that

the Government of India was unable to adopt the suggestion.

7.

The neighbouring Colony of Macso is

supplied anually with 500 chests, of which 260 are allowed

for local consumption and 240 for export. It would seem from

a recent incident that the steps taken by the Macao Govern-

-mant regarding the opium for export are not sufficient to

ensure that it reaches its legitimate destination. On the

17th May the S. S. "Amherst" cleared from Hongkong for Java,

and on the 4th June the Macao Government supplied the cus-

-tomary export return, showing that 153,600 taels of prepared

opium had been shipped in this vessel for Chile on the 17th

May. On the 20th May the "Amberst" had put back into Hong- -kong owing to engine defects, and a careful examination

showed that there was no opium on board. The ship sailed

again on the 12th July, bound for Fremantle.

8.

Opium boiled by the French monopolies at Saigon and Kwong Chau Wan is smuggled in considerable quanti- -ties. In 1917 23,040 taels and in 1918 27,558 taels of such opium were seized in Hongkong. The Chinese Maritime Customs Staticns adjoining Hongkong in 1917 seized 656 taels of French opium as compared with 15 taels of Hongkong opium, and in 1918 the corresponding figures were 315 and 25 taels.

A certain amount of raw opium is smuggled

9.

from the Persim Gulf via Mauritius to Hongkong.

10.

But the main source available to smuggl-

-ers for their supplies is the unlimitel field of China. It would seem to be hardly necessary to give details in support of this assertion, as the facts regarding poppy cultivation

in Chino are well known to His Majesty's Government.

11.

The problem before this Government is

how

1