CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 284

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prohibition since 1885), If its use has a quasi-religious

If it helps to

sanetian, why boast of its restrictions ↑

resist fatigua, why wite so many pages to prove that it is

To attempt a defence

being dealt with as an seknowledged våse,

of opim eating because it is the customs of India, by térading againas opium omaking because it is the custom of the Chinese,

India is further

is injudicious to say the very least,

condeumed in her own words, for she exporta yearly over 600

tena of opium to the monopolies of the Nast, where it is

sxelusively used by the Chinose, by the "visions process of

smoking“. Opium is the vicious habit; how is enters the body

doesn't matter a jet.

The fellowing quotation is not from the "White Paper"

but the London (pim Trade Suppression jesiety:

turn to the Straits Bettlments (inslwin: the

Vederated Malay states), where we find that the revenue tren

opium is $14,000,000, while that from income tax is only

$5,000,000. The total expenditure is $28,834,093, while the

revense from opium is put at #14,077,770 or 48,8 of the whole.

The sensus of 1921 gave the total population as 881,930, of

which 497,406 are Châness, 58,4 of the whole. It is said that

more than 90 per cent of the mokara are Chinese, so that whilộ

closing down the trade in opium with Chẳng na "morally

indefensible", we cœry it on in ow Colonies, damer alining

the Chinese and other races under our rule. hat can be muid

of the moral outlook of a goverment which derives all but half

its income out of the vions of “disreputable persona" ? It is

argued that the profits on the vice shot) be "used for purposRE

beneficial to the whale commmmity", But we then maki Share La

the moral sense of attempting to fund virtue on the proceeds of

vio«?

Why not suggest that the cost of education should be

met by a tax on legalised prostitution?"

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