*268
THE OPIUM QUESTION.
ANOTHER IMPERIAL EDICT,
The N.-C. Daily News of the 17th inst contains the following Imperial Decree received by telegraph from Peking:-
March 15.
Opium suppression is a necessary measure to the strengthening of Our Empire as well as the mainspring of the development and instruction of the people, involving, as it does, questions of hygiene, of enriching the people, of developing terrestrial profits and of arresting a drain on the national wealth. All eyes are turned to this subject and much universal sympathy and assistance have been exhibited.
On the question, three steps are closely inter related and dependent, and these are: prohibition of smoking and of plantatiou, and devising of means to raise revenue to fill the deficit caused in the opium duties. Should any one of these be inefficiently carried out, the other two will in consequence be hampered and success would be looked for in vain.
In recent years though officials addicted to the smoking habit have been examined and denounced on repeated occasions by the Anti- Opium Commissioners and Viceroys and. Go- vernors of the provinces, there still exists a number of them who trifle with the interdict and veneer their faults in that respect.
With regard to the prohibition of the poppy plantation in the provinces, it was first decided to decrease the plantation gradually in ten years. Later, the authorities of Yunnan, Szechuan, Shanse, Chihli, Heilungkiang and othere provinces asked permission to forbid plantation entirely in one year.. This no doubt, shows great energy of purpose, but whether their intention is throughly carried out in all their provinces, and whether the local officials succeed in inducing the people to plant other profitable products on their soil to yield them a living so that they gladly submit to the suppression, remains to be seen.
The duties and likin on this drug are required for the bulk of the army estimates. Recently, the Ministry of Finance memorialized ns and obtained permission to increase the price of salt to make up for these duties and likin. This plan, however, only aggregates four or five million taels and there still remains a large deficit.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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is undoubtedly, an important point to be dealt with, but it may be disposed of by weighing advantages and drawbacks and considering all possible resources. Viceroys and Governors who may have valuable suggestions on the question are ordered to memorialize the Throne for their adoption, so that those carrying out the suppression need not hampered by financial considerations. Though the Government is in straitened circumstances, it will neither seek to satisfy its hunger nor quench its thirst at the expense of this harmful poison, so that it may rid its people of this great bane.
Dividing, in this way, the responisbilities and actions, no evasion of burden will be permitted, and all concerned are commanded to put forth their best energies to aid us in securing prosperous rule by taking natural advantages to ameliorate the conditions of life among our people. After receipt of this Edict each office make a careful report of its plan of operation in in the capital or provinces is commanded to this affair.
Regent and is signed by the Grand Councillors [The above Edict is sealed by the Prince Prince Ching, and Lu Ch'nan-lin.]
Shih Hsü, Chang Chih-tung
THE OPIUM DISCOVERY ON THE
"PRINZESS ALICE."
CAPTAIN TECHNICALLY LIABLE AND FINED
$500.
The evidence given at the Singapore Police Court by the chief cook with regard the opium found at Singapore on the last home ward-bound German Mail steamer, was follows:
as
Mr. Prons, the chief cook, said that he received a request to take two boxes at Shanghai, It did not come from anyone in connection with the ship. It was by letter, and no intimation was given as to the contents of the boxes. At Singapore he was to send them to Raffles Hotel, where they would await the arrival of the person who wrote the letter. The boxes were handed to him on board the tender by a Chinaman, who brought no letter but men- tioned the name of the writer of the letter. Witness asked the baggage master to take them into the baggage room. After they came back from shore in Singapore he saw them again.
[March 29, 1909.
to Singapore. The only persons appearing to have known of the existence of the boxes ́ on “ board from the fery outset were the chief steward Drauns and the baggage master Höft- mann. The former, with a view to doing a favour to an acquaintance of his, employed on another ship of the N.D.L., who had written to him to that effect at Hongkong, stated that, when on the tender at Woosung bar he heard himself being asked for by a Chinaman who mentioned the name of his friend and showed him the two cases, he linked in his mind the contents of his friend's letter with the articles he saw before him, and promptly accepted them without fur- ther enquiry.
A NATURAL QUESTION.
One's experience would hardly regard that as au improbable or an incredible proceeding on his part. Neither in his subsequent conduct appear to be any effort at secrecy, or any nor in that of the baggage master did there
circumstance pointing to a knowledge on their The steward, on receiving them from the part of the existence of opium in those boxes.
Chinaman, did not take steps to conceal them, as he might easily have done had he so chosen, amidst the recesses of the ship; but he handed them over to the baggage master as luggage to be landed at Singapore.
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After reviewing further evidence, his Worship said that the question naturally suggested itself:-Would the baggage master, if he had any suspicion that the cases held opium, have received them back from the hotel runner? and, having thus received them back, would either he or the steward, if they knew of the illegality of their conduct, have still allowed them, or traces of them, to remain within the eye of every one on board, thereby endangering themselves? The answer to both those ques- tions seemed to be in the negative. The ordi- nance laid down that the presumption against the accused in such cases might be rebutted by proof of reasonable precaution. For the purpos of such proof, it seems too much to require the captain to acquaint his subordinates with the revenue and excise laws of every port at which they might touch.
Am I to make request on behalf of the in- former? asked Mr. Hawtry--I leave that to the Farmers, replied his Worship.
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES.
Nor did it appear to be essential that a search of the ship should be carried out at frequent intervals in the voyage by the ship's officers to He assisted the baggage master in ppening detect illicit opium. The ship in question, them in the baggage room and having ex- unlike others that had recently come under amined the contents left them there. When he observation, was a ship plying between Europe received the boxes at Shanghai he had no suspicion that they contained chandu. He had entirely, by European seamen,
and the Far East, and manned largely, if not Its voyages never seen it before. He did not even suspect were not restricted to Eastern waters. Hence, it when he saw the box leaking here. The man
there who sent the letter was a steward on board apprehension of the crew or other persons con- was hardly sufficient ground for the another ship of the N.D.L. witness had met nected with the ship secreting illicit articles on in Singapore about eight months ago. merely took the cases to please him because he criterion of reasonableness of the precautions He board, to necessitate frequent search. The asked him in a friendly way to do so. It was against smuggling in the case of a mail steamer usual for officers of the company to have boxes would differ from that in the case of a vessel forwarded to them in this way on the company's plying regularly and exclusively between Eastern steamers.
Prinzess Alice had not erred much, if at all, in ports. He was therefore, of opinion that the that respect.
We are eagerly bent on introducing a better government and between Our agitation at the long weakness of our people, in whom it is difficult to infuse energy, and the fear that the expectations of the friendly Powers may not be easily satisfied. We are filled with constant and pressing anxiety. We hereby re-iterate the prohibition against smoking. The Anti-Opium Commissiners and the high officials in the capital and provinces are held responsible to forbid, faithfully and with energy, all officials, civil or military, to smoke. Those in command to troops or in charge of educational institutions are made responsible for suppression of smoking among soldiers and students. As to merchants Cross-examined by Mr. Carver, witness said and the people, the responsibility must rest with that he received the letter in a question at the Ministry of the Interior, the Viceroys. Hongkong on his way to Shanghai and tore it Governors, Military Governors and the Gover-up immediately after perusal as was his usual nor of the Imperial Prefecture of Shuntienfu. custom. It was stamped Singapore. The They will try to obtain the best prescriptions, es-
steward was on the Singapore Bangkok run and tablish Anti-opium institutes and distribute free
never went to China. medicines when necessary. They should encourage their sense of honour and adopt the plans and practices of foreign countries so that the people's vices may be gradually lessened and finally eradicated.
As to the prohibition of plantation, Viceroys or Governors, the Governor of the Imperial Prefecture of Shantienfu and Military Gov. arnors are commanded to direct. their sub- ordinates to carry out the suppression with care and thoroughness. They should also cause other grains to be planted in place of the pernicious drug, and they will be rewarded according to the degree of success they attain. The Ministry of the Interior will supervise these measures being put in operation.
In regard to devising means to fill the deficit of duties and likin, the Ministry of Finance is desired carefully to consider the question. It
He had never told anyone that he had received the letter from the Chinese steward.
Mr. Perkins then addressed the court, and said regarding the employee of the Co. referred to that his name was in the possession of the police and the Co. had telegraphed instructions that he be not allowed to desert.
magistrate,
Mr. de Mello, the fourth decided that the captain liable under the ordinance, and that the offence was technically would be met by a fine of $500, with costs. It is understood that there will be no appeal. Mr. Fort appeared for the Opium Farm and Mr. Parkins for the captain.
said that it was clear that neither the captain His Worship, after reviewing the evidence, nor the chief officer had knowledge of the con- tents of the boxes on the voyage from Shanghai
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by the ordinance, it could be said to have been As to the second onus cast upon the accused satisfactorily discharged. sonnel of the ship, the chief steward was Amongst the per
certainly implicated, within the meaning of the ordinance, in the importation of the chandu into, substance as chandu. This ignorance on the the Colony, though without knowledge of the part of an employee of the ship, combined with the other mitigating circumstances referred to, tended to lessen, to some extent, the penalty which in consequence of the presumption the law imposed upon the master. He, therefore, convicted the master on the charge, and fined
chandu seized to be confiscated. him $500 and costs fifty cents, and ordered the
The export of tea from Foochow last season than it has been for at least four seasons past. is shown by the Customs returns to be larger
It exceeded the export of 1907-1998 bý. about 1,800,000 lbs.
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