CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 622

4.

620

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of Bangkok.

There was ornsiderable prejudice, to begin with, against the new method of packing;

for this reason the sale

of opium in this ferm was confined to Bangkok for the first

opium in tubes was sup- year. But in B.E. 2457 (1914-1915) plied to all the inner Provinces and in B.E. 2458 (1915-1918) throughout the kingdom.

16. During this transitory period, epium was still seld through sub-Farmers, the person undertaking to dispose of the largest quantity of opium to be sold in each district

It was in- and of appointing as sub-Farmer, the person bidding the high- est sum for the sale of the assessed quantity. tended to decrease the assosemont year by year, but the quan- titics fixed were necus serily not always correct and in con- formity with the real consumption, and towards the end ef B.E. 2460 (1917-1918) this method was altogether upset by outsido causes, as uxplained below.

17. At the second Conference at the Hague Siam posited her ratification of the Convention of 1912.

18.

In the meantime, negotiations between Great Britain and Chine had resulted in the former agroving to lus- sen the production of raw opium in British India in sonson- ancu with the measure taken by @hina to reduce the cultivation of the opium poppy:

A given number of chests of opium were, accordingly, 'curtified" for import into China, and it was duclared that the number of certified shosts would be do- creased by 10% ammually, so that at the end of 10 years, the import of rav opium into China from India would ocaso, China, on her part, took vigorous measures to suppress the

Con- cultivation of the opium poppy within her borders, and in 1912, shu duclared that it had been entirely stopped. suquently, upon a report from the British Opium Commissioner confirming this dualaration, the Government of India, in 1915, cuased to put up for auction any further number of "curtiflud" chosts and raw Indian opium could thenceforth only untur China as illicit opium.

19.

The stocks of Indian cpium in China naturally

The drug, as began to get exhausted and an increasing demand, at high piecs, arcse for opium from other countrics, proparud by this government for sale, is of a high quality, and the sub-Farmer could not resist the temptation of in- creasing their profits by surreptitiously disposing of some of their assussud quantity (sou para.16) for export to China. The natural consequence was that the balanoc available for sale in this country was insufficient, and as it would have caused great