CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 583

" 6

The Malay booklets "obat pemboenoeh madat"

medicine to do away with opium"), "Deri hal tjandoe" ("About adu") and "Djaoehkan dirimee dari pada tjandoe" (Beware of Chendu) rent out by the People's Libraries respectively 1607, 1041 and

4 times, while 194, 114, 108 copies respectively thereof were jld. The Javanese edition Serat erang-ereng" was Ient out 1273 mes and 266 copies of it were sold, For the Madurese edition, sbinjebli", the figures were: lent out 123 times and sold los pies.

4 subsidy was given to an Anti-opium hospital, ablished by a society subject to conditions, the purpose of ich was to ensure that the treatment of the patients would be ven under proper medical supervision, and that the hospital also herwise satisfied proper requirements. When at an inspection by

Medical Service it was observed, that those conditions were not llowed up, the subsidy was again withdrawn. It was also made en by the Netherlands Indian Government, that if any one should ced in discovering an anti-opium medicine, which contained no phine ob other substances injurious to the health, it was prepared

obtainable make that medicine known everywhere, and to make it cost price.

Further & Commission for combating the use opium was appointed, which gives advice in questions of choice combative measures, European, Native and Chinese members have Ets in this commission,

In fighting against the use of opium, the rment certainly gets appreciation from certain sections of population, but it is not supported by a powerful movement inst opium set up by the inhabitants themselves.

An Anti-opium Society was certainly formed,

withstanding that it had the promise,

t it could count upon strong financial support from the Govern-

its propaganda-work, that society has known no sign of

ife.

A Society "de Nieuwe Akker" formed later, sisting of total abstainers, has assi duously taken up the battle inst alcohol and opium, and amongst other things publishes a pathly paper.

1) This was the lementsblc result of circumstances, not dependent

on the will of that society.

531