CO129-508-7 Opium on Macao market 10-1-1928 - 9-11-1928 — Page 101

SECRET.

Sir,

RECEIVED

23 JAN 1928

COL, OFFIC-

4

101

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG. 21st December, 1927.

12/049/27

385019/18

это

I have the honour to acknowledge your code telegram of 4th October, referring, no doubt, to a petition presented on 25th August last to the Governor of Kacao by Lei Hy San a well-known local resident, whose name will be familiar to you as one of the defendants in the opium cause célèbre which formed the subject of Sir F.H. Lay's despatch No. 146 of 17th May, 1918.

2.

The petition had been shown to me in strict confidence by Senhor Barbosa during his visit to Government House shortly before my departure to North China. A reply to your telegram was, accordingly, deferred until my return.

3.

The petitioner, who claimed to have managed the lacao opium farm since 1921, began by protesting against his exclusion from the counsels of the Governor when

inaugurating the official monopoly, which as from 1st July last was to replace the farm. He then proceeded to allege that under the guise of establishing a monopoly the Government had allowed a new company the "Yau Seng" to establish itself at the officially rented premises and to assume the rôle of opium farmer; and concluded by hinting

-

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LIEUTENANT COLONEL L.C.L.S. AMERY, M.P.,

&C.,

&c.,

&c.

broadly