CO129-483 - Others & Individuals - 1923 — Page 305

萨

on 53213)

299

intended to exclude from the estimate of consumption any

allowance for the lessened consumption of smuggled opium,

III.

629/22

[45629/22

45859/22

47153/22

On the 11th of September, the Officer

Administering the Government replied to the Colonial

Office telegram of the 9th, stating that Hong Kong had

never suggested that the figure of 10 chests per month

which had been arranged to be supplied in 1921 by the

Government of India, had any relation to the consumption

of opium in the Colony; that by restrictive measures

legitimate consumption had been reduced from 45 to 30

cheats per month; that if the increase asked for were

delayed the Colony's stocks would be exhausted by March,

Bo that they could not carry on until the Spring He

concluded by suggesting that the maximum allowance of

Indian Opium should be reduced to 400 chests per annum,

Sir R. E. Stubbs (who was on leave of absence

from Hong Kong at the time) was informed of what had

happened at Geneva; and that if the average consumption were now 30 chests per month(as stated by Mr. Severn) the Colony could not permanently get on with 20 cheste

per month from India after 1923. He replied that 30

chests per month was by no means an excessive figure if smiggling were checked to the fullest possible extent.

The Department did not however feel on sure

ground about these figures, and on the 27th September, adespatch was sent to the Officer Administering the Government stating that in view of fact that the number

of chests of opium boiled in 1920 and 1921 was 228 and

211 respectively, the Secretary of State found it

difficult to understand the figure of 30 chests per

month