Correspondence respecting the opium question in China.

Date:
[1908]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Correspondence respecting the opium question in China. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/58 (page 9)
    No. 6. Wang Tahsieh to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received January 26.) Your Excellency, Chinese Legation, January 25, 1907. I HAVE the honour to inform your Excellency that I have received from the Wai-wu Pu certain proposals for the gradual abolition of the opium trade in China. I have accordingly the honour to inclose a translation of these proposals for the favourable consideration of your Jéxcellency. I have, &c. (Signed) WANG TAHSIEH. Inclosure in No. 6. Proposals to the British Government with respect to the Indian Opium Traffic. Translation.) THE trade in Chinese native opium is, by order of the Chinese Government, to be discontinued within ten years. But if this reform is to have any effect the importation of Indian opium must also be prohibited within the same period, so that both may come to an end together. Assuming this to be so, the amount of imported Indian opium ought to be reduced year by year, and, taking the average of the five years 1901 to 1905 as the basis of reduction, we request the consent of the British Government to reduce the total amount of imported Indian opium by one-tenth every year, starting from 1907. 2. The principal centre of the export trade in Indian opium is Calcutta. They accordingly propose to send a Chinese official to Calcutta to take note of the quantities of opium sold at auction, packed into balls, and exported to China, and they request the British Government to consent to this course of action. 3. The duty on native opium, which formerly ranged from 60 to 90 taels, has now been raised to 115 taels. On Indian opium, which is twice as strong as the native article, the duty is 110 taels, a much lighter duty in comparison to that levied on the native opium. What the Chinese Government fears, therefore, is that this cheapness of Indian opium will, combined with its extra strength, agoravate the vice of opium smoking, and so defeat the policy of prohibition. The Chinese Government accordin gly request the British Government to consent to doubling the import duty upon Indian opium by raising it to 220 taels a-picul. In doing this, -the Chinese Government is not actuated by any desire of increasing its revenue, but simply by the hope of bringing about a diminution in the number of opium smokers. 4. A large quantity of prepared opium is already produced in Hong Kong and finds its way into the interior of China. The amount of this prepared opium is sure to be greatly increased by the suppression of the native opium trade and by the prohibi- tion against the importation of Indian opium. To meet this danger the Chinese Codamient make two proposals, for which they request the support of the British Government. One is that the Governor of Hong Kong should be requested to render every assistance towards strictly preventing both the raw and the prepared opium entering Chinese territory. The other is to levy a high duty on any such prepared opium entering China. 5. In the present state of affairs the hotels, the restaurants, the tea shops, the brothels, and other public resorts in the foreign Settlements are supplied with opium. The Chinese Government desires that the supply of the drug to these places shall be prohibited, as well as the “opium dens’”’ closed. It also desires that the sale of pipes, lamps, and other implements used for or in connection with the smoking of opium in any shops shall be stopped. ‘They request the British Government to inquire into these matters and to instruct the proper authorities to assist the Chinese officers in enforcing the new Regulations for dealing with the opium trafhi. 6. This practice fel subcutaneous injection of morphia by a syringe or injection needles constitutes a grave public danger, and as such it was made the subject of prohibition under Clause XI of the Mackay Treaty, but the prohibition was not to be enforced until the other Treaty Powers assented to such enforcement. The Wai-wu Pu has communicated on this subject with the other Powers whose Commercial Treaties with China have not yet been settled, and -has requested them to agree to this point, and to prohibit the exportation to China of morphia and of the syringes or [271] e