CO129-483 - Others & Individuals - 1923 — Page 324

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ocused by strikes, but alse to the greater mecess of the Government's 318 preventive masures, including an increase of staff and a vigurons system of banishment for sunglers, As a consequense of the redzation of the

facilities for obtaining anggled opium, the aule of Goverment oplum had

of late ingres pad,

Attention was called to the proposed increase at the meeting of the

Assembly of the League of Kations in September, and an undertaking me given by the British delegation that if the Advisory Committee should so recommend.

it next Spring, the supply of opium plased on sale in Hong Kong would be so

limited that the average consumption from that date until the end of 1923

would not exceed the average consumption of the last few years on the

closest estimate which could be made.

Towards the end of the year, the Hong Kong Government mbmitted their

estimate of the requirements of the Colony in 1923, based on the sonsumption

be in 1922. The ameurt, hiported was put at 25 chesta per mouth, but it was

pointed out that in addition to the imported spħm môh of the muggled ophon seized had been used by the Goverment monopoly, and bet for this, it would have been meosɛsary to increase the esti. ate te 28–32 chests per

The Government cannot it was added – depeal on seimres contine-

ing on the same socl0.

month.

The following considerations have been put formed in justification of

this estima to 1–

1. the importanos of keeping the whole trade in and eonsmption of spium in the Colony as far as possible under Government supervision and

control.

2. The effects on the Colony of the serious situation which has spring up in chim. The recrudescenes of spium growing in Chine and the abundant supplies of chinese oyim obtainible in the neighbouring provinces which have intimate interesurse with the Colony, at the mall cost of frem $2.00 to $7.00 er tesl (prepared), as compared with $16.50 per tael for Hong Hong opium, mke it very difficult for even the most stringent preventive meczures to eliminate a large illicit consumption.

The geographiesi positim of the Colony also makes it virtully impossible to prevent sunggling into Hong Bong from the mainland completely. The stuff can be muggled in, in mall quantities, without great risk on the ŝmumerable Junks which use the port.

4. It remiⱭts from this situation that if Government supplies are The restricted, the consumers will fall bask on the sanggled article. price of this will go up to an extant that will make muggling se profitable that the preventive servios will be able to cope with it; more opium than ever will be možed and the position will be worse than before; only people to profit being the mugglers.

the

5. The Chinese population is growing, 6. The percentage of adult Chinase males in the community constituting about 50% of the total Chinese population is high. These men are the principal consumere, and where they

fom/

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