1929-11-28 — Page 2

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. THURSDAY,

OPIUM-SMOKING IN

HONGKONG.

NO PRODUCTION ONLY WAY OF STOPPING USE.

REGISTRATION ISSUE.

Big Fall in Bales.

4. In the year 1918 the amount of Government opium sold in the Colony was 689,684 tools. In the year. 1924 the amount sold was 361,560 tanla and in the year 1928 the amount sold was 247,352 taels.

NOVEMBER 28, 1929.

This was found to be the cast when. a similar expedient was tried In the Straits Settlements and the Punjab.

8. The limitation of sales by any further raising of the price of Government opium would in the opinion of the Government, also fall to diminish consumption, as amuggled oplum would take the place of Government oplum.,

There had been, between 1918 and 1924, very substantial in crease in the population. In 1924 There is an undoubted demand the Colony was in a most prosperous for Chinceo opium, but the fact that of the smuggled Chinese state and the maximum population was in all probability then reached; much and though during the years 1925 oplum is heavily adulterated pre- and 1928 there was a steal exodus vents its ousting entirely the Gov of the labouring population, it is ernment oplum from the local considered that the population has now again reached the figure at which It stood In 1924. The sales of oplum in the year 1928 therefore show a most substantial reduction when compared with those of the year in which the population most nearly approximated the present figure.

market.

Control Over Divans.

9." In the past stringeht meca. sures were taken against those keeping or using opium divans,

These divans were used largely by members of the coolle class and were in the main cubicles in tene- mient houses and bed or bunk spaces in coolle lodging houses.

A Government memorandum on the use of oplum in Hongkong divides the question into three purts. The first details the situa- on as regards the use of opium prepared for smoking and the second outlines the measures taken by the Government to give effect to obligations undërtaken in the Hugue Opium Convention and the Geneva Opium Agreement. These two parts of the Memorandun áre

It is impossible to state with any given below and show that it is impossible to estimate the quan accuracy the difference between the

The keepers were generally tity of prepared oplum consumed population in 1928 and that in 1928, per head of the population. It is but some indication or the growth people in very poor circumstances suggested that the amount of of the Colony can be deduced from who kept a few pipes and a few may greatly the fact that during the Interven- mace of smuggled opfum and smuggled opiatra exceed the amount legitimately ing years 8,650 new domestic bulld-charged 5 or 10 cents for a smoke, sold. The Government has decidings have been erected in

Any attempt to control and limit el that any system of registration Colony and there is still a demand the use of the divans necessarily would be impossible and suggests that in the present state of Chinese opinion the only way to diminish or stop the use of opium in the Colony is to diminish or stop production elsewhere.

for increased accommodation.

the

It is clear that the population in 1928 wis very much greater than it was 1918 but the official sales of opium had fallen by nearly 400.000 taels.

ALicensing Difficulties.

1. It is dificult to give any necurate estimate of the numbers of persons in the Colony who use 5. The Government has given opium. It was the considered serious consideration to the ques- opinion of a Committee which was tion of the possibility of registra appointed by the Government lation and licensing of consumers.

· 1924 that sume 20% to 25% of the It has, however. come to the con- adult Chinese population, includ- clusion that any system of registra ing some 1% or 2% of the adult on would be impossible owing to female population, used opium, and the great number of consumera, it was thought at the time that whieh, taking the conservative esti- there had been a slight tendency mate of 20% on the last census towards an increase in the percent figure, would be over 125.000 per age during the previous six or sons. seven years,

2. The above-mentioned Com mittee considered that there was no Chinese public opinion hostile to the use of opium and, in fact, that the practice of opium smoking had a very large measure of popular sup- bort. Nothing has transpired of recent years to indicate that popular opinion had undergone any change, 3. Two factors contribute to render it impossible to give any accurate estimate of the quantity of prepared oplum consumed per head of the population,

The first of these factors is the allfeulty of ascertaining the actual population of the Colony.

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involved great demands upon the time of revenue officers, and the re sult of raids was that the gaola ba-. came congested with thousands of members of the labouring classes who were thrown into prison every year for smoking opium in theso AD-called divàns. The Government recognized, that these individuals were the victims of economic pres. sure who, unable to afford to pay of Government opium, the price found available a plentiful supply pf cheap smuggled Chinese opium.

The enforcement of the pro- Visions prohibiting the keeping and using of divans thus involved the Government in heavy expense und n the same time curtailed the time available for the more useful It is felt that any system of re. activities of the Revenue officers. gistration would also be abortive in these circumstances the Gov- on account of the difficulty which would be experienced in controlling so fluctuating and unstable population.

ernment in 1928 relaxed the en forcement of measures against the keepers and users of divans and the number of convictions for divan" offences in that year fell 13 as compared with 4,796 in

Any system of licensing would be open to great abuses in the buy ing and selling of licences, in im-1927. personation and in the cornering of stocks and profiteering by licencees,

If the granting of Heences wera confined to individuals permanently resident in the Colony, it is felt that this would prove an increased Incentive to the fluctuating popula- tion to bring in oplum from China. The Wealthier class of temporary residents would in all probability purchase Government oplum from this licensed permanent residents and this would tend to increase av

The very small quantity of optuni usually seized in "divan" raids and the more beneficial 'use of the re-

venue officers services in other directions can best be gauged by the fact that while 2261 seizures. In 1927 yielded 48,921 taels, the reduced number of 711 seizures in Agure of 48.460 tacis. 1928 yielded the closely comparable

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According to the census taken in 1921 the population; was then 625,186, but in 1924 the above

18. A strong force of revenue mentioned Committee regarded 1,300,000 as very much nearer theplication for licences, as members officers and searchers is maintained of the lower classes would be. put by the Government and this has mark.

forward as figure-boads in order been increased as the "population The population is, moreover, sub-that larger supplies might be ob.grew. ^ ject to great variations occasioned tained.* by the influx of labourers when conditions are favourable in this Colony and to other influxes of fugees when conditions in South China are disturbed.

A very large floating population also contributes to the difficulty of accurate ascertainment,

Smuggling Dimculty.

The second factor is the impo aibility of determining with any accuracy the amount of oplum which is smuggled into the Colony In recent years the figures of actual seizures of smuggled oplum have fluctuated between a maximum of 300,667 taels in 1923 and 48,450 tnels in 1028.

The view its been expressed that the amount smuggled into the Colony is at least equal to the amount of Government opium gold, but in view of the high price of Government opium ($14.50 per tael) compared with the low price of smuggled oplum (say $2.80 to $3.50 per tael), the difficulty of the prevention of amuggling owing

This year three additional female A system of registration might searchers have been appointed for possibly lead to some diminution in the specific purpose of prevention the sales of Government opium but. of amurgling of opium by Incoming owing to the dificulty of the pre-female passengers. vention of smuggling, it is regarded 11. The general physique of the as extremely unlikely that it would Chinese population does not appear lead to any diminution whatsoever

to give any indication of the in the total amount of opium con-

fects of the use of opium. sumed in the Colony.

f

Stopping Production,

6. In the present state of Chinese public opinion the only way. to diminish or put a stop to the use of opium in the Colony la to diminish or put a stop in its pro. duction elsewhere.

That no effective control on the production of opium is exercised within the neighbouring provinces of China is clearly evidenced by the fact that of the total seizures of illicit opium made in Hongkong in the year 1928 more than 74% was oplum of Chinese origin, and it is noteworthy that most of the raW opium seized bore Chinese revenue labels.

7. The Government feels that to the geographical position of the the fixing of any maximum limit Colony, and the diminution of sales for the amount of prepared oplum of Government opium notwithstand-

to be placed on sale, calculated ne- ing the increase of population it spording to the number of adult pears not unlikely that the amount Chinese population, would result smuggled very greatly exceeds the in the buying up and hoarding of amunt legitimately sold.

stocks by speculators who would resell at an enhanced price, and the ibstitution of smuggled opium for Government oplum in so far as the supply fell short of the demand

The sharp rise to nearly four times the ordinary sales when the price of Government opium was reduced in 1927-confirms-this-view

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ef

Its use is common among même. burs of the coolie class who are engaged in heavy manual labour and among the agricultural" com. munity working in localities where fever is prevalent,

*

By members of these classes and alno by those suffering from pulmonary diseases opium is re garded as being of great medicinal value. It might be said that al- most-all peraons suffering from tuberculosis use opium and, as this disease is rife in the Colony, they probably account for a high per centage of the consumers.

During the year 1928 there were. treated in Government and Chinese (Continued on Page 13.)

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