CO129-467 - Governor Sir Stubbs & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1921 [1-5] — Page 229

➡ CONFIDENTI AL

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Sir,

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GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG. 7th March, 1921,

In continuation of my Confidentiel despatch of 12th February, 1920, I have the honour to transmit the enclosed return

of seizures of raw opium from the 27th December, 1919, to 15th

losure A December, 1920, and that of seizures of prepared opium from 17th

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December, 1919, to 15th December, 1920.

I also enclose a

conspectus of seizures, and a list of the total amounts paid in rewards to informers in respect of opium seizures for the years

1917 to 1920.

2. The enormous increase in the quantity of illicit opium entering the Colony is due to a recrudescence of the cultivation of the poppy in the adjoining portions of China where the national and provincial governments have ceased to exercise any real control and each local military chief has become a law to himself. Many of these military commanders and local officials connive at or even enforce the growth of the poppy in order to fill their own pockets and provide funds for the payment of their troops.

3.

This prepared Chinese opium, which at present appears to come mostly from the neighbourhood of Amoy, is of an inferior grade, and its importation probably does not much affect the sales of the opium prepared in the Government factory in Hongkong; more especially as it has now been decided on grounds of general policy to discontime at an early date - the sale of dross opium with which this inferior opium might compete.

4.

Up till last year it was possible to use most of the confiscated opium for blending with the Government opium, and THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

&c.,

WINSTON CHURCHILL, M.P.,

&C..

&c.

the