CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 666

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In large plasos further, opium may only be sold on a buying-card belonging to the permit. The buying-card is periodically renewed(1) The licensees do not always require to come themselves to buy but can order this to be done by @ servant or a member of the house- hold; the sending along of the licence to the opium-shop is also unnecessary; only the buying-card requires to be brought along. At the introduction, arragemonts were made, whereby it was possible for those who did not wish publicly to ask a permit (e.g. well-to- do Chinose womon, pars ns of standing, and such like) to apply if necessary direct to tho Controller of the Opium-rugio or an officia of the anti-opium service through the intermodiary of a roletivo, Licencos have oven boon issued on which only a number appears, ^nd not the name of the liconsco; this person is then only known to the official who issued tho pormit. It is not mado too difficult

to for those who r passurs-through and the orews of ships, obtain opium, Trovelle rs, who cannot do without opium con, for so for as they are also required to have a licence in their town of residence, bring this, or otherwise a paper issued on behalf of tho official in ohergo of the district, on showing which they can obtain card for a spooified period hore, while those who have to stay hore reportedly can apply for a liconce for the use of opium,

This was based on the principle that the endeavour must be to restrict the use of opium throughout Java, and to control it, and that it is only then of use to prohibit some one, who in one place is allowed to smoke opium, from doing so in another licence-aren, when the number of lioonseos in the latter is only so small. that it can be exposted, that within a short time that district ann bo ontiroly closed to pium.

The systom therefore does not compel the

But it bonafide consumer to have recourse to smuggled opium, formed an obstacle to those who were accustomed to buy much more opium than their income would allow them to do, and who destined most of the opium bought for ro-sale or forbidden export to other parts of Netherlands India.

An unfinishod licenco-system has also be on introduced in tho still not closod portion of the plantation aron of the East Const of Sumata. Also in that district the revonuo from opium grootly incronsod, Thoro voro indications that some of the opium bought was clandestinely carried to Banks and other districts with stringent restrictive measures, Upon inquiry it moreover transpired that many Chinese coolies had never smoked opium prior to their arrival in Deli, and had only begun to use opium there for the first time.

(1) specimens of lioence and buying-oard nro included ng

dicos II and III.

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