CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 550

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22.

6.

The number of shops retailing orium, hich et the beginning of B.E. 2460 (1917-18) stood at over 3,100 for the hole kingdom, ves reduced to 2,433 by the end of that verr, and the folloding successive reductions have since been effected:-

Year

Letter half of B.E. 2461 (1918-19)

12

IT

B.E. 2462 (JP)P-20)

R. L. 2463 (1920-21)

No of shops

1,639

1,233

1,025.

since the

From the above figures it will be seen thet complete abolition of the farming syster in B.E. 2461 (1918- 19). the number of orium shops has been reduced by two-thirds.

AS

23. Another obiect aimed at by these changes as the trevention of the smuggling of otium out of the country.

sub-Formers apcarently alreedy explained in cere 19, the found it celd them to export ocium, shoe the r ofit they nade on such operations es crobably greater then that allow-

and ed by the Government on legitimate sales in the country, they had facilities and connections which rendered it easy With the sub-Farmers for them to so disose of the oriun, ebolished, it as hoped that retailers "ho naturally dealt in smaller quantities and who had to obtain their supplies direct from the Nai Athurs -ould not be able to engage in

esrecially as out "ard snuggling to any considerable extent, the ofit "hich they obtained from the cross left in the

Ireover, a sup- cipes by their customers as a good one.

lementary lay as enacted limiting to one tamlung the amount of Government opium hich any person might have in his cos- session thout a license. The object of this enactment, which res brought out tending the issue of a concrehend ve no opium Jew, rs to facilitate seizure -bove one tamlung herever found, since it is not sosy to prove intention to

The limit of one tamlung 8 fixed for the convenience export. of travellers who might be bona fide orium smokers.

In

24. The results of those norsures were not perhaps -s greet es anticipsten, The incressed Pifficulties in the "ay of export aide scoole willing to pay the onium retailers

"hich they "ere still higher rrises to ovade the rules under rermitted to sull for consumption on the premises only. scite, therefore, of acizuros by the Customs, as shown in Teblo II, Amexe IV, the extort continued to some extent, It is cloar. ho zavor, that the notgurus rdopted did have some effect à nce the final result, as shom by the total quantity of ociun sold in B.L. 2461 (1918-19) va z dacrcase of over 9es compared ith the previous t clve months, Vido Annexo V.

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