CO129-478 - Public Offices & Others - 1922 — Page 94

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caused by the war. At a later stage, in response to urgent appeals, the Government of India sent large quantities of medical opium direct to the Home Government. These are not recorded in the table, but amounted to 10,476 chests in all. No Indian opium has been exported to Great Britain by private merchants since 1916.

The principal importers recorded under the head "Other Countries in the table are Japan, Siam and British North Borneo. No opium is exported from India to the United States of America or to Great Britain The Governments of British North Borneo and Siam both entered into agreements for the direct supply of opium in 1918. During the three calendar years 1918-20 the former has taken 120, 120 and 192 chests, while Siam has imported 1,700 chests annually. Japan, who has not yet entered into an agreement with the Government of India, and therefore purchases at the Calcutta auctions, began to import opium from India in 1911, and has taken the following quantities since that time:~-

Yvar.

No. of Cheats.

Year.

No. of Cheaty.

1911-12

425

1916-17

1912–13

950

1917-18

963 971

1913-14

799

1914-15

1915-16

900 1,080

1918-19 1919-20

1,936

980

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revenue of British India. In every case rupees are converted into sterling at the rate of 15 to the pound.

Year.

1910-11

1911-12

1912-13

1913-14

Excise Revenue plus Sales for Export.

Gross Reveanie of British India.

£

£

8,216,540

80,682,473

5,008,284

82,835,750

4,470,815

86,862,598

2,635,444

85,207,175

2,603,152

81,157,666

1915-16 1916-17 1917-18 1918-19

-

2,924,815

84,413,537

+

3,828,508

98,050,430

3,593,010

112,662,347

4,042,054

123,257,741

1914-15

CHAPTER VI.

As it has been asserted that India is administered on the proceeds of opium, and that the policy of the Government of India is biassed by consideration for the opium revenues, a table is appended which shows the gross revenue derived from sales of opium for export during the period 1910-21 :-

Year.

1910-11 7,240,407 1911-12 4,898,151 1912-13 3,320,349 1913-14 1,279,478

£

Year.

£

1916-17 1917-18

-

2,455,442

2,135,810

1918–19

2,454,321

1914-15

1,230,486

1919-20 1920-21

-

2,386,305

1,953,167

1915-16

1,500,215

The effect of the cessation of the China trade in 1913 is strikingly shown by these figures, which effectively prove that the policy of the Government of India in opium matters is not swayed by considerations of revenue, The increase in revenue since 1915-16 is due to the rise in the price of opiumu.

The revenue obtained from licence fees and the excise duty on opium is under the control of Provincial Governments, but for purposes of comparison the excise revenue figures, which were given in Chapter III., may be added to those given above, and the total may he compared with the gross

THE HAGUE CONVENTION.

While the Indian trade in opium to China was being terminated, and China herself was in the throes of temporary suppression of cultivation, the opium question began to assume a more widely international aspect. In 1909, on the initiative of the United States of America, an International Opium Commission met at Shanghai and formulated a series of recommendations for the suppression of opium smoking and regulation of the use of opium and morphia. The United States then advanced a further proposal for an International Conference at the Hague, which net on the 1st December 1911. It cannot be too emphatically stated that the terms of the Convention finally drawn up presented no new ideas to the Government of India. That Government bad for long regulatel the consumption of opium in its territories in the most complete manner, and had already agreed to export no opium to countries which prohibited its import, and to control export to countries desiring to restrict import. They had already expanded their measures for the suppression of opium smoking to embrace the recommendations of the Shanghai Commission, and they had given the world a signal instance of disinterested self-sacrifice in the matter of discontinuing the China trade. Independently of the. China agreement, they had voluntarily cut down the amount of opium allowed to be imported to non-China markets from the average figure of 16,000 chests to 14,000 chesis in 1911 and 18,200 chests in 1912, as it was not clear how much non-China opium was being directed to that country owing to the high prices prevailing there. As regards morphia and cocaine, the use of these drugs in India was subject to exceedingly strict regulations long before 1912.

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