CO129-483 - Others & Individuals - 1923 — Page 236

During several decades this drug was farmed out by relinquishing the right of the sale of opium for specified regions to the highest bidder. As a rule, the farmers were Chinese. Under this system already, efforts were put forth to check the consumption of opium by means of restricting the quantity which the farmers were allowed to sell, but it is not astonishing that these measures should have failed to produce the desired effect. The farmers, namely, were intent upon making a substantial profit and therefore as a rule tried to increase the turnover, if need be, by means of using smuggled opium. The farming system giving, moreover, rise to no end of abuses, « movement was started against it in the eighties. As the ultima outcome of this movement, constantly growing in strength, a trial was made in 1894 with the system of direct management of the opium sale by the Government, under the name of Opium-Régie. As the trial proved to be successful, the Régie was gradually introduce all over the Netherlands Indies, and, accordingly, in 1913 the farmin system had been generally abandoned.

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Though at first the Opium-Régie had not set itself the task of vigorously combating the use of opium, it forthwith put a stop to various evil practices and to any encouragement of the opium habit.

§ V. As was said above, efforts had already been put forth under the farming system to restrict the use of opium by adopting various measures. Most of these efforts failed, but one measure appeared to be an effective one in actual practice and has proved to be one of the most powerful means of fighting the evil, viz. the institution of the so-called forbidden areas.

Originally this measure was meant to protect the population in those regions where the use of opium was as yet unknown, from this vicious habit, which might stealthily creep in from elsewhere. In such parts importation and possession of opium were wholly probib- Ited. This occurred for the first time in 1824 with respect to a fairly large part of Java.

When later on the Opium-Régie began to deal more effectively with this evil, a similar prohibition was issued for districts where the opium habit, though known to some extent, was restricted to a small number of persons or to special groups of the population. In the

IV. Under the Opium-Régie, opium is for sale at the Gover ment seling shops only. The sale is prohibited to all others, exceplatter case an exception was made for those groups where the habit

to special persons and for medical use, as hereinafter specified.

The Opium-Régie is based on the principle that the sale should he entrusted to persons (officials) salaried by the Government, who are not interested in the turnover, while at the same time a great jur ical warrant is offered by the mode of packing. This packing (me) tubes in various sizes) can hardly be imitated and, on opening. unfit for further use. Moreover, the opium bears a secret mark. › that in case of seizure, Government opium and smuggled opium ce always be easily distinguished.

At the opium selling shops opium is only for sale and cannot smoked. If necessary, licences are granted to establish public smok places (divans), which must come up to certain requirements and subject to a strict supervision. Women and persons under eighte have no access to the divans; the keepers are not allowed to prov their customers with opium, and it is prohibited to offer the put an opportunity for the consumption of opium outside these license divans.

The quantities required by the Régie are exclusively drawn fred British India. Of late, supplies have been obtained by virtue of contract with the British Indian Government, so that opium is longer bought at the auctions, as was formerly the case. The dr is prepared and packed at a central Government factory establish at Batavia.

had grown to such an extent that it could not be forbidden (e.g. for the Chinese living in these quarters).

If in a district where the prohibition was issued, the use of opium was restricted to a small number of persons, an exception was made for such as were addicted to smoking and could not break off the habit without detriment to their health. They were offered an opport- unity of obtaining a non-transferable licence to buy and possess opium in quantities sufficient for private use. It was supposed that these licensees would gradually die out, so that the district would then be altogether free from opium.

With this system, the so-called licence system, good results were achieved in various parts of the Archipelago and it was, therefore, gradually extended.

In some districts, however, it was necessary to deviate from the principle that, after the enforcement of the system, no licences should be issued. Vast regions, namely, are largely dependent for their economic development on the supply of labour from elsewhere, ire- quently non-native workers, and, should the use of opium be wholly prohibited, it would be impossible or at least extremely difficult to hire labourers, so that the public welfare would suffer materially from

Such a measure.

Until recent years, the Régie adhered to the principle that a licence

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