CO129-457 - Public Offices - 1919 — Page 337

323

2

press the above views, if the wording of certain parts of the despatch were revised as indicated below:-

1. Paragraph 2 of the despatch as it stands appears to imply that the obligations imposed by the agreement were carried out equally by both sides and thus does less than justice to the Government of India, and more than justice to the Chinese Government.

""

2. The references to the British opium-nerchants in paragrapha 3 and 6 as "unscrupulous foreign holders," and "wholly corrupt men' appear inadvisable— especially as the merchants have necessarily been in a position to claim the assistance of His Majesty's Government from time to time.

+

It is presumed that publication, if decided upon, will be deferred until the stocks of opium have actually been destroyed. It is noted that no report of the destruction of any portion of the stocks appears, up to the present, to have been received from Sir J. Jordan.

I have, &c.

T. W. HOLDERNESS.

Foreign

1919

Office

76th April

HONG KONG

31597

Lequior traffic in China

THES

31597

(REL 26 MAY 19

Enclosure 1 in No. 1.

Viceroy of India to Mr. Montagu.

(Telegraphit.)

Delhi, February 6, 1919. YOUR telegram dated 13th January regarding opium agreement and Jordan's reply No. 32, 14th January. We have acted up to 1911 agreement, and done

even more.

Our information does not satisfy us that opium cultivation in China has ceased in terms of agreement, therefore, we do not consider that agreement has terminate). The rumour as to the purchase by Japan of opium sold in Calcutta for medical use only has no foundation. Our sales of all the provision opium have now been cut' down below the legitimate requirements of our non-China customers,

Enclosure 2 in No. 1.

(Telegraphie.)

Viceroy of India to Mr. Montagu.

Delhi, February 17, 1919.

OPIUM. Your telegram dated 7th February. Please see our telegram dated 6th February. As regards cultivation on Yünnan border, please see our despatch No. 90, dated 27th March, 1914, and Government of Burma report forwarded with letter to Kershaw dated 17th March, 1917. There is no doubt that opium is being smuggled from Shan States into Yunnan, but consular reports indicate that Yunnan provincial authorities are encouraging this traffic and obtain considerable revenue thereby. They also appear to have adopted policy of open encouragement of poppy cultivation. Any steps we might take to control cultivation in Shan States would, probably, give rise to disturbances. We, however, have asked Government of Burma to state if it is now possible to take action proposed in 1914 and postponed on

account of war,

Last previous Paper.

To. copy corres. re

181300

31 May Mi

V Kony

eact

Day

* anbaequent Paper.

fart

to Blackbum called on

to this with special refer to the

& "the partiction of Hongkong

регист

or other laws. He wanted to know

what thee meant, but I wasn't able

& hoff Lin

However he

в

(which is

away faily haffy, with the intention writing 67o. I not to the good f

all to the

no

Ieby of well. BEORG 6.

1) Wt. 30376-31, 50m. 11/19. D&S. G. 122 41.

My 2

E

C. D.

KER

R? JU

Fr. 2. 29.5+49 28.5