136
ANTI-OPIUM REGULATIONS
IN KWANGSI.
Following is a translation of the proclama. tion posted in all the large towns in Kwangsi province, addressed to opium smokers.
This is to inform you that we are authorized by the authorities to issue licences fr selling raw or prepared opium. All sellers of this drug are to call at this department to take out a licence for continuing in their trade, as all persons dealing in this drug without a licence are liable to a heavy fine. In the cities and towns all applications for cartificates for opium smokers are to be made to the President of the Town Hall and, in the villages, the same must be made to the officer in charge of the sub- census department. The application must state the surname and name, address and age of the smoker and the quantity of opium he consumes per day. The issuance of certificates in this city will commence on the 10th day of the 7th manon (18th August 1907), and clos on the 20th Ia day of the 7th moon (28th August 1907) the villages certificates will be granted only up to the end of the 7th moon and no certificates will be granted after that date.
Persons wishing to know the conditions under which the certificate is granted are requested to call at this department or at the sub-census department in their respective districts to obtain all information they need.
1. Smokers who have taken out the certificate and have before the expiry of its term, given up the habit, must return their certificates to the anti-opium society for transmission to the Registrar of Census for cancellation. Thy must take great care of such documents and see that they are returned to the proper quarters.
2. mokers must renew their certi cates once a year and return them for renewal at the end of the 12th moon each year. The certificates are not to be disfigured or defaced as a renewal might be refused if the document is too badly disfigured to be identified. The attention of smokers is also called to the notification of the Census department wich is as follows:-
The following are Regulations published in compliance with the instructions of the Provincial authorities, and are to be observed by certificated opium smokers.
The certificates are made out in two forms one bearing the character " Kap" and the other, "Yuet." The "Kap" certificates will be iss ed to smokers above the age of 60; the "Yuet" ones, to smokers under the age of 60.
All persons from the gentry to the lowest servant, who are opium smokers shall apply for a certificate to empower them to use the drug and buy it for their own consumption. All dealers both in raw and prepared opium, are to label the opium they supply to smokers in accord. ance with the instructions contained in their licence, for the purpose of identification.
The licences for selling opium will be issued, in the case of a city, by the Deputy Superin- tendent of Police and in the case of villages and towns, by the official departments nearest to such places. In villages which are far away from the official yamens, the village gentry are appointed to collect the applications of dealers and forward same in batches to the official department for licences to be issued.
All applications for such licences must give the following particulars :-Name of shop. Name of proprietor, his age, the length of time for which his shop has existed. The date at which it was opened. Its capital. The quantity of opium it keeps in stock.
The licenced dealer has also to keep a list or his customers stating against their names theif respective ages, addresses, occupations and quantities of opium they consume per day.
The licences for selling raw and prepared opium shall be issued by the district officials. The certificates for opium smokers shall be handed to the gentry of each village for trans- mission to the smokers, the former being authorised to fill in the smoker's age, address, oconpation and the quantity consumed by him per day.
The licence for selling the raw drug or pre- pared opium must state the name of the village, market town, No. of the house, name of the street in which the shop is situated, surname and name of the proprietor, the amount of his capital, his nationality and the quantity of
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
the raw drug or prepared opium he sells per day and the approximate amount of the drug or prepared opium, as the case may be, he has regularly in stock.
Dealers who are licenced to sell the raw drug shall not be allowed to supply prepared opium to smokers, their privilege being to! supply retailers with prepared opium.
Licences dealing in prepared opinm, whole- sale, shall be allowed to sell prepared opium only. They are not allowed to keep any raw drug in stock though they are allowed to buy raw drug and make it into prepared opium, nor shall they be allowed to sell opium direct to the smokers.
Dealers in prepared opium are to endorss on the back of the licence the quantity of opinm they supply to each smoker stating his name and the day on which the opium is supplied, and also chop the entry with their own seal so that the smoker could not get a second supply from other dealers on the same day.
After the 6th moon of this year no opium shall be supplied to individuals who are in the employ of the government, it matters not whether they are holders of opium smoking- certificates or otherwise. Dealers who off and against this order are liable to be fined or punished.
The smoker's licence may be renewed once a rear only on the original being produced for cancellation. The smoker is not to use more than the quantity he has registered and is ex- pected to gradually reduce his dose, and to credit himself with a reduced quantity by the time bis certificate is returned for renewal. Dealers and retailers in opium are strictly prohibited from supplying smokers with more opium than is registered and allowed on the
certificate.
All opium smokers are to obtain a certificate within two months from the date of this notifi cation, in default of which, the gentry or elders of the village are authorized to prosecute the defaulters before the authorities, and whosoever
shall fail to obtain the certificate within two months from the date of the notice or wilfully conceal his opium-smoking habit are liable to a fine or punishment.
No certificates will be issued to smokers after the limit of two months has expired.
Only one certificate shall be granted to one smoker. Should any person obtain more than one certificate under false pretences or by misrepresentation, he will, if the offence is proven, be either fined or puuished according
to the nature of the offence.
All licences to sell the raw drug or prepared not allowed to transfor th-ir opium are licences to any person and in the event of their giving up the opium trade, return the icence to the proper quarters for immediate
cancellation.
Having due consideration to the impoverished conditions of the people of the Kwangsi Province and also to the unfavourable state of the land, the Government has thought fit to allow one year as the limit of time for the inhabitants there to abandon the opium-smoking habit. The gentries are earnestly exhorted to set the example to the lower classes by commencing as soon as possible to abstain from the use of the drug.
It is decided to adopt the anti-opiam pre- parations made according to the prescriptions of the late Viceroy Lin Wen Chung and these preparations will be distributed gratis among the poorest inhabitants who are opium-smokers in the province. Smokers who are well-to-do, may be supplied with a copy of such prescrip- tions and have the care prepared at their own expense or obtain the cure adopted by the Government on payment of its value.
Syndicates dealing in opium shall pay a fee to the Government and 15th part of the revenue from this source shall be applied towards the cost of making anti-opium medicine for free
distribution.
(September 2, 1937.
All the regulations framed and adopted by the administrative department that are omitted from this notification, shall be referred to, should any question arise which may be affected by clauses which do not appear bereiu.
THE RAUB AUSTRALIAN GOLD MINING CO. LTD.
THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING.
The thirteenth annual meeting of the Raub Australian Gold Mining Company Limited was held at the registered office, Queen-street, yesterday afternoon, says the Brisbin Daily Mail of July 19. Mr. Da Burgh Parsse, chair- man of the company, occupied the chair.
The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet for the past year, said that he was pleased to be able to present a better report than last year, and although there was room for improvement, the financial position of the company had considerably improved. It would be seen by the report issued by the general manager, Mr. Martin, M.I.M. E., that the yield of gold was increasing, a d that the new mine at Stop was turning out satisfactory. Numerous experiments had been made to successfully treat the tailings by cyanide, and it was gratifying to learn that Mr. Martin was ou the fair road to obtain results that fully justified the trouble he had taken. The chairman desired to call at- tention to the fact that the milling costs had been materially reduced as shown by the report -the figures being 81 to 78.8 per ton; but owing to the fact that the value of the dollar currency has increased to 2s 4d two shillings and four pence), it had affected the cost of labour in a large degree. He regretted to have to report that a fatal accident occurred to one of the company's men-I. Elliot Morgan-at Raub, and that through his death the company had lost the services of a most energetic and have always been advocates of the strictest straightforward employee. The directors who
economy, had voluntarily reduced their fees by one half, likewise office expenses. The chairm in ex- pressed the opinion that the thanks of the shareholders were due to Mr. Martin for the energetic way in which he carried on the work at Raub, and trust that during the coming year the strenuous efforts he is now making to again place the company in a prosperous condition will be crowned with success.
The motion was seconded and carried un- animously.
Mr. G. F. Bridgeman, representing himself and other shareholders in Mackay (NQ ), pro- posed that the retiring directors, Messrs, Robert Philp De Burgh Persse, James Forsyth, and G. F. Scott, also the auditor, Mr. T. A. Bond, be re-elected at the same remuneration as formerly. This, after being seconded, was declared carried anamimously.
A vote of thanks to the directors (both, Brisbane and zingapore) and general manager and officials of the company was passed.
HONGKONG & KOWLOON WHARF & GODOWN CO., LD.
INCREASE OF CAPITAL.
The directors of the Wharf Co., have decided to increase the apital of the Company by $100,000 on the 1st January next, by the issue of 20,000 shares of $51.00 at par.
His Majesty the King has not been advised to exercise his power of disallowance with respect to the following Ordinances :-Ordinanos No. 3 of 1907, entitled-An Ordinance to authorise the
Appropriation of a Supplementary Sum of Four hundred and seventy-seven thousand sight hundred and forty-nia Dollars and fifty-three It is conceived advisable to farm out the Cents, to defray the Charges of the Year 1996; monopoly of selling opium to a syndicate in all Ordinance No. 4 of 1907, entitled-An Ordinance principal cities or market towns. as the more
to remove doubts as to the validity of the proceed. sellers of opium there are, the harder it will be ings of the Supreme Court of this C lony during to detect irregularities or collusion. The fee the time that Alfred Gascoyne Wise, Esquire, paid for the monopoly will be appropriated held the office of Paisne Juge of such Court towards the cost of making anti-opiam medioines from the 25th day of June 1902 down to the and paying for advertisements, forms of sub- present time; Ordinance No. 5 of 1907, licences, labels, etc., and the salaries of travel-antitled-An Ordinance to amend the Married ling inspectors.
Women's Property Ordinance, 1907.
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