CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 584

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This, however, is published in Dutch, and is

therefore not of much use in corbating the use of opium, for the suctions of the population in which most of the opium smokers aro found not know the Dutch language.

VIII.

Besidus the restrictions elrendy discussed, mesuras, which had alrondy formorly been taken to make the use of opium diminish, waru also gone on with,

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The price at which rugto-opium was sold was gradually roisod, In this attor, "hen tho rgio was introduced, it was necessary to unite ith the farm, and only af tur the regle had operated for some time in a certain dis- trict, could e buginning bo made with reising the salu price. It gous without saying, that one had to go very ear.fully about this matter, as ono would othur-

iso onuso smuggling to incronso, while the local conditions had also to be taken into som unt, As for instance the prices of the regie-opium in the Straits Settlements and the Federated Haley States for the por- tions of Netherlands India adjacent to the Malay Penin- sule, (17

Reduction in the number of dens, opium-retail shops and the sale hours,

Contrary to the farm, the Opiumregie Service has confined itself solely to the sale of opium, but itself has never had a place where opium could be smoked. It is forbidden to every one to provide an opium-den (an opium-smoking-house) who ha permit from the Resident to convert buildings, to be indicated in that permit, into dens, that is apartments, where persons entitled to be in possession of opium can use the regie-opium brought with them.

(1) The increase in price has been very great for some parts. For Celebes and attached territories, for instance, it was raised from

For the prices

3. per theil in 1907 to f 30,- per thail in 1922.

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at the introduction of it see appendix 3 of the annual report for 1915.

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for the districts Pulo

In September 1922 the sale price per theil was raised to :f18 for the districts Tandjoeng, Pinang, Lingga and Karimon of the Res1- dency Riouw and attached territories £20. Tudjuh and Indragiri of the residency named and the district Bengke- 118 of the Government East Coast of Sumatra, f. 25.- for the remaining portion of this government and for Tapanuli, Aohin and attached tor- ritories and the Western Residency of Borneo, and f.30,- for the rewining parts of Netherlands India,

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