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of the six provinces, I shall at once proceed to arrange with you the date on which these provinces may be closed to the entry of Indian opium in accordance with article 3 of the Opium Agreement, 1911.
I regret that I am not in a position at present to furnish you with a copy of the reports for which you have asked.
(Compliments.)
Sir,
No. 32.
J. N. JORDAN.
Sir J. Jordan to Mr. Balfour.-(Received December 5.)
Peking, October 5, 1918. I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith copy of a despatch written by Mr. N. Fitzmaurice at Lanchow, on his way to Kashgar, on the subject of poppy cultivation in the province of Kansu.
The poppy has evidently been grown on a considerable scale in that province this season, as is shown by the fact that the price of opium has fallen 50 per cent., and the officials do not appear to have taken any proper steps, for the suppression of the trade, I shall take an early opportunity of mentioning the matter to the Wai-chiao Pu and requesting the issue of urgent instructions to the local officials.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN,
Sir,
Enclosure in No. 32.
Mr. N. Fitzmaurice to Sir John Jordan,
Lanchow, Kansu, September 2, 1918.
I HAVE the honour to report that there has been a marked recrudescence of poppy cultivation in the province of Kansu this year.
In order, principally, to avoid embarrassing the officer who is accompanying me to Kashgar, I refrained from making extensive enquiries regarding opium on the earlier stages of my journey. In these parts, however, I believe the amount produced to have been negligible; cultivation on a small scale is inevitable in these lonely hilly districts. At Kueihuacheng and Paotou the officials admitted quite frankly that a certain amount had been grown in remote valleys among the hills; they had, however, in every case that had come to their notice, had the crop uprooted and the responsible parties punished. During my stay in Paotou, General Ch'u had two village headmen executed for permitting cultivation, and another arrest was made before I left. Missionaries endorsed the opinion I had formed that everything possible was being done.
In Kansu, however, the position was widely different and the subject of opium was repeatedly brought to my notice. The Hu Chun Shih at Ninghsia and the Taoyin stated that opium was being grown in Kao Lan Hsien (ie., Lanchow-shou Hsien) without interference; the former had urged the Tuchun to have the offending magistrate executed, but no action had then been taken. On my arrival at Lanchow, however, I found that the Kao Lan Hsien, a relative of the Tuchun, had been dismissed and another had taken over charge two or three days previously.
The poppy was grown on a large scale in the Nienpai district, and in Pingfan Hsien and Kao Lan Hsien; probably in other districts also. The Tuchun had told the other officials at Lanchow that opium investigation was one of the objects of my mission, and one and all were ill at ease on the question when I called on them; he also asked me to make a point of enquiring about opium from the Taoyin and Hsien in order to increase their zeal in the work of suppression. Opium had been sold openly in the streets of Lanchow, but the opium shop signs were all taken down two or three days before my arrival. Within the last few days soldiers have been sent out to look for poppy along the Liangchow road; a find was made at Hsi Ma Tan, an island in the Yellow River about 5 miles above Lanchow, and a fight ensued between the soldiers and the cultivators: one wounded man has come in to Lanchow for treatment. The yield of opium this season must have been considerable, as the price fell from about 10 taels per ounce to 2:50 taels when the crop first came in, and now stands at 5 taels.
85
Common report has it that the Taoyins blackmailed the Hsiens, and the Hsiens fined the cultivators in the usual way; the cultivators bad also to buy off the soldiers sent to uproot the poppy, but were still able to make a handsome profit, so that all did well except the dealers with large stocks. It is said, too, that the usual proclama- tion prohibiting the cultivation of opium was not properly exhibited this year, and it may be significant that I saw the proclamation, that should have been posted at Ying Pan Shui, unopened, at a temple about two days' journey beyond that place. It seems, in fact, impossible to acquit the Lanchow officials of bad faith, the one possible exception being the Tuchun, who is said to be particularly badly informed of what is going on in the province.
I bave, &c.
Ń. FITZMAURICE.
Sir,
No. 33.
Sir J. Jordan to Mr. Balfour. (Received February 24, 1919.)
Peking, December 30, 1918. REPORTS are appearing in the press and are reaching me from official sources to the effect that cultivation of the poppy is proceeding in many of the provinces which had previously been cleared of opium.
There is evidence of a recrudescence of cultivation in Yuman, in Fukien, in Szechuan and in Kueichou, and of increasing cultivation in Kansu and in the New Dominion. In the metropolitan province and in Manchuria planting is reported on a large scale and, unless some more effective administration is introduced into the country in the near future, there seems little doubt that large harvests will be gathered in many of the provinces. Many of the higher officials in the provinces are directly interested in the cultivation and sale of opium, but there are signs of a fresh outburst of public opinion against opium both among the Chinese themselves and the foreign community.
I have, &c.
No. 34.
J. N. JORDAN.
Sir J. Jordan to Earl Curzon.—(Received May 26.)
My Lord,
Peking, March 31, 1919. HAVING recently received information from various sources pointing to further increase in the cultivation of opium in the province of Shensi, with the connivance of the local officials, I am drawing the attention of the Wai-chiac Pu to the matter in a memorandain, copy of which I have the honour to enclose herewith.
J. N. JORDAN.
Enclosure in No. 34.
I have, &c.
Memorandum communicated to Wai-chiao Pu.
HIS Majesty's Legation has the honour to inform the Wai-chiao Pu that for some time past it has been in receipt of reports from the province of Shensi showing that the opium poppy is being cultivated again on a very extensive scale since that province was placed on the list of those declared free of opium cultivation by the Anglo-Chinese Commission in 1917.
In view of the civil war that has been raging in that province, His Majesty's Legation have not wished to embarrass the Wai-chino Pu earlier with the matter, but as the armistice is now being enforced they would bring to their notice the following information:—
Opium is now grown in Shensi far more than in 1918, as those who had sown spring opium were allowed to reap the crop and received about 5,000 cash per ounce for fresh cut opium. Last autumn those who did not sow opium in the spring did so then, so that a very large yield is now expected. The officials in the neighbourhood
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