24
conditions had also to be taken into account, as for instance the prices of the regie-opium in the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States for the por- tions of Netherlands India adjacent to the Malay Peninsula. *)
b. Reduction in the number of dens, opium-retailshops
and the sale hours.
Contrary to the Farm, the Opiumregie Service has confined itself solely to the sale of opium, but itself has never had a place where opium could be smoked. It is forbidden to every one to provide an opium-den (an opium-smoking-house) who has not a permit from the Resident to convert buildings, to be indicated in that permit, into dens, that is apartments, where persons entitled to be in possession of opium, can use the regie-opium brought with them.
No women nor persons under 18 years of age may be admitted to the dens. Originally the number of dens was fairly large; now-a-days a permit is only given when there is absolute need for a den in a place, (for instance with a view to the large number of persons passing through.) The few dens for women, to which men had no admission, which formerly existed, have now been abolished.
The number of dens diminished from 160 at the end of 1914 to 72 at the end of 1921.
The very considerable diminution in nearly every district since the introduction of the regie is indicated in appendix l.
* The increase in price has been very great for some parts. For Celebes and attached territories, for instance, it was raised from f 3.- per thail in 1907 to f 30.- per thail in 1922. For the prices at the introduction of it see appendix 3 of the annual report for 1915. In September 1922 the sale price per thail was raised to: f 18.- for the districts Tandjoeng Pinang, Lingga and Karinon of the Residency Riouw and attached territories, f 20.- for the districts Pulo Tudjuh and Indragiri of the residency named and the district Bengkalis of the Government East Coast of Sumatra, f 25.- for the remaining portion of this government and for Tapanuli, Achin and attached territories and the Western Residency of Borneo, and f 30.- for the remaining parts of Netherlands India.
q1 = 5/5 10/=
30
$20.
114.5-0
Last
∞
25
From that it also appears that the number of opium-retail- shops in nearly every district is also greatly reduced. This reduction is carried as far as is possible without encouraging smuggling and the re-sale of opium too much.
The hours during which the opium-retail-shopsare open for the sale of opium, are also being gradually reduced. Where that is at all possible, these shops are closed on Sundays and holidays. In districts where there exists a system of licences (see below), it is becoming more and more a practice 10 longer to sell opium every day in the smaller places, but only once or twice a week. *)
c. Registration,
In districts also where the introduction of a licence-system had not yet been thought of, the buyers were registered at each retailshop as far as that was possible with the available staff.
This registration was gradually extended. Thereby data were obtained which were of use in the investigation into the possibility of introducing restrictions in certain districts.
IX.
As was already stated in § III, the already previously existing regulations, whereby it was forbidden to every one in certain districts to possess opium, were as far as possible kept in force, when the Opium-regie was introduced.
The calling into existence of restriction areas with a licence- system was founded on the idea, that it would be nearly impossible to compel a relatively large number of opium- smokers suddenly to stop using opium entirely. It was there- fore considered better to permit those, who were already accustomed to the drug, to continue to use it, but to prevent the enslaving of others to the drug. The quantities allowed to each of the smokers were fixed according to those which they regularly used and also their incomes. The increase
*) Consequently it is possible to do with a smaller staff, as a staff, which was formerly required for one place, can now serve two or more places.
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