TIMOTT
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would have no temptation to push the sales.
that
(3) That opium smokers should be registered and licensed; registration should be limited to male [Chinese] o
over 21 years of age who are bona fide residents in the Possession and can show that they are habitual smokers. As only registered smokers would be able to buy prejured opfum, no further names would be added to the register after its first compilation, except possibly in the case of new smokere coming to the Possession who could show that they were habitual smokers. Year by year therefore the number of smokers would stead lly diminish, and in course of time the practice would be extinguished. Care would have to be taken, of course, to see that the names of those who died or went away were expunged from the register,
(4) That a normal ration for such opiu.. smoker should be fixed, which should be observed as nearly as possible in all the Far Eastern Fossessions; and that by this, and the number of registered smokera in the Possession, the amount to be imported each year should be determined. Information is already available for several of the Possessions as to wht is regarded as a normal or average amount of consumption, and though there are variations, sometimes com:iderable variations, in particular ouses, it ought to be possible to make
allowance fo this.
(5) The position should be generally reviewed periodically by the Powers concerned, and the question of further reducing the ration should be concidered.
If we could Let an agreement on these lines between the rowers concerned that they would adopt these measures and would limit their
imports accordingly, we should, at any rate, have a much more defensible
position than we have now, and we should get rid of a great deal of our
trouble with Formosa and la080.
There will be difficulties no doubt in giving effect to these
suggestions, but your experts from Hong Fong, and the Malay States think
them/
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.