CO129-506-1 Illicit opium traffic- leakage of confidential information 17-10-1927 - 10-1-1928 — Page 29

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concerned were afraid however, that there would be difficulty

in gaining the sanction of the French Parliament in Paris, and

perhaps the matter was not taken any further.

Certain accounts

seized during the year, however, showed clearly how much

the Tunnan orium merchant would gain, if he were afforded facilities

of entrepot at Haiphong, so that he could keep his stocks of

opium there and supply his markets in this neighbourhood and

Shanghai direct from there without any further imposts. He

would escape heavy taxation, and the cost of the strong military

escort at present necessary to convey the opium from Yunnan across

a rather wild trace of country to Tung Hing, which has no port

or convenient shipping facilities. I calculate that if these

facilities were granted, raw opium could be landed in Hongkong

or on the coast of China at half the present cost, even after

paying the proposed foe to the Government of Indo-China.

reception which the proposal met with is unknown, but the

advantages are so great, that there is every inducement for the

powerful opium interests to use every endeavour to get such a

concession granted.

The