557
15.
lightly taxed, If this vio be recupted, an increase of Customs Auties on incortod goods would appor to nout the case, since its incidonec ould fall on all curchraors of incorted goods and, largely, on the non-gricultural class of the copulation. The averau valuo of putural in-orts in normal years may be taken at about 20 million ticals, on which there is 37 duty" valorem", bringing in 2,400,000 ticals, If the duty rc rafsud to 10%, the in- creased revenue from this source would make up for the do ficit from opium, but under the Treaties with Foreign Po ̈ers, Sian cannot make any changes in the Customs tariff without their con sent. The rant of cover to re-adjust her revenues as required, is one of the reasons which may deter this country from putting into force the nasurus having for their object the registration of snokdrs,
Estimated Number of Ocium Smokers »
51. In the absence of registration of smokers, it is of course impossible to arrive at an exact calculation of the number of smokers, but a maximum figure con orsily bo worked out on the following b- sis:-
The amount of orium sold per annum is now not more than 2,000,000 tanlungs. The average consumption of a smoker is about one tamlung per month, or not less then tun tamlungs per year, At this rate, the number of smokers would be 200,000, which is 21/2/ of the posulation of millions, Out of this number the Chinese form quite an appreciable
It is Froportion, estimated t from 20 to 25 per cent. certainly the fact that when one enters an opium shop in a well-populated tom, about half the sokurs vill be seen to be Chinese, and in Bangkok city, specially, a Jarge number of shops re cetronised almost exclusively by Chinosc.
52. Table I, Annoλe VII, throws an interesting light on this matter. It shows, by rovinces, the total lo coculation, the number and rurcentage of male Chinese to- gother with the total amount of opium sold and the con- sumption sur cacita for B.1. 2462 (1919-20),
Very for women smoke opium in this country. It will ns & rulo be found that the consumtion per capita is highost where the Chinese coulrtion is rgest.
The totel nelc Chinese (end Shan) population is 206,697. and of this number probe bly 20 to 25, consune opium, which would put the number of those foreign consumers et 40,000 to 50,000 - figure equivalent to 20 to 25 er cent of the totel mumber of consumers. The measures to
bc tak on
by this Government for the suppression of smoking will, therefore, be for the bar cfit not only of the indigenous population but of the foreign clon.nts es rell,
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