CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 485

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lightly taxed, If this vi.. be recupted, an incruse of Customs duties on incorted goods would appear to mout the osse, since its incid.nec ould fall on all curchesars of inported goods end, largely, on the non-gricultural class of the population. The average value of futur] in-orts in normal years may be taken at about 60 million ticals, on which there is 3 duty" valorum", bringing in 2,400,000 ticals. If the Auty sure raised to 10%, the in- cruas revenue from this source would neko up for the do- ficit from oriun, but under the Tru-tius with Foreign Forers, Sian cannot make any changes in the Customs tariff without their consent. The want of cover to rc-adjust her revenues as required, is one of the reasons which may deter this country from outting into force the measures having for their object the registration of anokers.

Estimated Number of opium Snol..rg »

51. In the absence of registration of smokers, it is of course impossible to arrive at on cxect calculation of the number of smokers, but e maximum figure cen crsily be worked out on the following bests:-

The amount of orium sold per annum is now not more than 2,000,000 tamlungs. The average consumption of a smoker is about one tralung per month, or not less than ten tamlungs pur veer. At this rate, the number of smokers would be 200,000, which is 21/2) of the porulation of 8 millions. Out of this number the Chinese for quite an appreciablo Proportion, estimated -t from 20 to 25 per cont. It is certainly the fact that when one enters an opium shop in a cll-populated torn. about half the snokurs vill bo suen to be Chinese, and in Bengkok city, spocially, a large number of shops re cetronised almost exclusively by Chinosc.

52, Table I, Annoxo VII, throws an interesting light on this matter. It shots, by rovinces, the total melo porulation, the number and rurcentage of male Chinese to- gothor #ith the total amount of opium sold and the con- sumption sur capita for B.L. 2462 (1919-20).

Very for women smoke opium in this country. It will rs a rulo be found that the consumtion per capita is highest where the Chinese cotulation is Jargest.

The totel malo Chinese (and Shan) poculation is 206,697, and of this number probably 20 to 25, consune opium, which would put the number of those foreign consumers at 40,000 to 50,000 -

figure equivalent to 20 to 25 r cont of the total mumber of consumers, The measures to be taken by this Government for the suppression of smoking will, therefore, be for the barofit not only of the indigenous population but of the foreign clonents as moll.