CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 330

his Confidential despatch of the 19th

of June, a copy of which is enclosed)

that it has been established that the

Mitsui Bussan Kaisha are concerned in

the traffic in opium as associates of

Messrs Nemazce. Lord Curzon will no

doubt recall that the connection

between the two was suggested in the

last paragraph of Despatch No. 29

of the 26th of November 1921 from the

Pritish Consul Nagasaki to Sir C. Elliot.

As will be seen from the accompanying

copy of a Secret despatch which was

received from the Governor last year,

the Hong Kong Government have so far not

been in a position to take any action

against Kessrs Nemazee. His Grace has,

however, recently suggested to the

Governo that the Colony should enact

legislation on the lines of the Dangerous

Drugs and Poisons (Amendment) Act 1923.

The Goverment will then have powers to

leal with persons who make use of Hong

39716 & Encls.

(encl. to 2104/22)

19545 & encl.

(10906)

328

Kong as their headquarters for carrying

on a traffic in opium and drugs outside

but

the colony whether the very extensive

powers of search etc., which the

Goverment will also acquire by this

legislation, will enable them to take

effective action, remains to be seen.

His Grace is disposed to think that

the chief effect will be merely to

compel the persons concerned to trans-

fer their Headquarters from Hong Kong.

hana

Lord Curzon is, of course, aware of

various other steps which have been

taken (or are in contemplation) to

make the illicit traffic in Persian

Opium more difficult. It may however

be well to recapitulate them here:-

A.

In order to put a stop to the

practice (which is referred to in

Messrs Akbar's letter of ships carry-

ing cargoes of opium clearing from

Gulf

porta in the Persian ostensibly for

A

Hong Kong, but actually for other porta

Kong

in

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