CO129-483 - Others & Individuals - 1923 — Page 302

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the facilities for obtaining smuggled opium, the sales

of Government opium had of late increased.

On receipt of this despatch the India Office

were informed that the Governor's explanation was con-

sidered to be a sufficient justification of the increased

supply for which he had asked; and on the20th of August

the India Office informed the Government of India by

telegram that they had no objection to their complying

with the Colony's request.

II.

On the 3rd of September, Mr. Parkinson wrote

from Geneva, where he was present on behalf of the

Colonial Office, during the meeting of the Assembly of

the League of Nations, that Sir H.Delevingne had asked

him to get the Colonial Office views on a question which

had

arisen. At a recent meeting of the Advisory

Committee on Traffic in Opium, Sir J. Jordan had raised

the question of the increased supplies of opium asked for by Hong Kong. The Committee had decided not to deal with the matter as it was not on the Agenda but he thought the question might easily arise in the Assembly of the

League) when the report of the Advisory Committee was taken. If so, he would be willing to explain the position

on the lines of the Hong Kong letter to India; but he thought it would be much better if he could say instead that the action contemplated by the Hong Kong Government

would be suspended until the Opium position in the

Far East generally had been considered next Spring.

On