CO129-487 - Others & Individuals - 1924 — Page 434

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In view of these and other facts, the Committee unanijously adopted the following resolution:-

"The Committee having examined the situation in the far Jastern territories notes the unanimous opinion of the experts on the follow- ing points:

1) The contraband trade is considerable and in some cases is as large as or larger than the legitimate sale;

2) The number of smokers cannot at present de accurately determined!)

3) The rate of consumption varies greatly both as between individual smokers in the seme territory in the proportion of 1 to 10 and even of 1 to 40 or 50, and, to a certain extent, as between different territories."

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In view of these facts the Committee thought that no conclusive figures could be established at present regarding the rates of consumption in the different territories, out the Committee unanimously agreed on the extreme usefulness of an effort being made by the Governments to fill up the gaps in the existing information as to the numbers of smokers and submit the following recommendation:-

II.

"The Contracting Governments shall furnish all possible information at their dispusal

regarding the number of the cpium smokers." The examination of the different systems of control led to the general conclusion that many points of divergence are the natural result of local gcnditions which vary greatly.

After making dud allowance for these different conditions

the Committee nevertheless unanimously agreed that the establishment of a complete Government Monopoly (1.8, the

retention on the hands of the Government of the importation TIT

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The Japanese delegate however informs the Committee that in Formosa the local authorities know the exact number of smokers,