CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 579

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But different reasons contributed to make

the well-meant efforts fail. Firstly an Archipelago such as the Datch Indies is particularly suited for smuggling. Further little cooperation for decreasing the use of opium was to be expected from the farmers. of course these men cared only for greatest possible profits. A decrease of the sale clashed with their interests, but an increase gave them extra profits. And thus it will be quite

comprehensible that they tried to encourage the use. With regard to the means to that end, they were not always very particular, When, for instance, the raw opium was furnished to them by the Government only in limited quantities or et high orices, they often had recourse to smuggled opium,

Further the opium-farm-system had not only the sare imperfections as every other lease-system, but had also other abuses. For coping with the smuggling it required the sid of the Police, and often the latter was obtained in less decent ways.

It had also engaged many spies, who often abused their power to have their personal foes condemned. The Opium-farm was a state within the State especially in Java in different districts and the maintenance of the monopoly often led to diverse provoking situations.

It •

It was especially these and other abuses,

to be mentioned afterwards, attaching to the Farm-system, which were the cause of a strong movement against this system,

After a long controversy it was resolved

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to take the oplum directly under Government management, as an experiment, underthe name of : 'Opium-rogie". This regie was first established in the Island Madura in 1694, and in the eastern parts of Java in 1896. As it appeared that the Regie worked well, it was introduced gradually throughout the Dutch Indies,

these Indies any more.

After 1st April 1913 no opium-farm uxisted in

From the beginning of the experiment it has been the desire of the Government that, under the Regie all which Could extend the use of opium among the population, should bo repressed, so that not only the above-mentioned abuses of the farm should coase but also various other evils, which wor, unknown before to the Governant or against which it was powerless to act from wont of officials,