CO129-496 - Public Offices - 1926 — Page 498

о

Opium

CULTIVATION and TRAFFIC

in

CHINA

An Investigation in 1925-1926

VOL VI. No. 3

Peking, July 1926

EXTRACT FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ASSOCIATION

In many ways our 1925-26 investigation of opium cultivation in China is more definite than in any previous years. Replies to our questionnaire have been more numerous, and whilst some provinces are here given in detail, others have been summarised to save space and to avoid making the report monotonous to foreign readers. China has been in a state of economic and military chaos, railway and postal facilities have been interfered with and even suspended, and these with the active anti-foreign propaganda manifested in almost every province have con- siderably interfered with replies from some provinces. The replies to our questionnaire embodied in this report are solely from foreign missionaries. In many centres missionaries have been obliged to leave their work and retire to places of safety and in others they have been compelled for months to remain inside their cities owing to war and brigands, so that itineration has been impossible. This will account for meagre statements being made in some instances.

Whilst reports are limited from some provinces, nevertheless from those received, it may be inferred that poppy cultivation on the whole shows little if any change from 1924-25 season. Whilst some provinces and districts report lessened cultivation, the universal increase in opium smoking. free, open and unrestrained amongst all classes, would indicate that production has not decreased. Owing to the civil wars in China | military compulsion of opium cultivation has been limited to parts of provinces wherein peace more or less prevailed, and the military authorities have had time to devote to this method of raising funds. One fact brooks no denial; that with the exception of Shansi and Suiyuan every province has been absolutely free to cultivate to their fullest wish. We are not aware of a single province in which prohibition has been enforced (except in the two provinces above) whilst scores of pro- hibition burcaux exist whose duties have been annulled by permit taxation.

If China has not produced this season as much opium as in 1905 it is simply because farmers have been unwilling to plant for various reasons. Chief of these reasons is the "glut" in the market, and the low price of opium. In some provinces farmers have been

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