§ SIR G. CAMPBELL (Kirkcaldy, &c.)I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman the Under Secretary of State for India upon being sufficiently restored to health to be in his place. I beg to ask him if the Secretary of State has any information of the recent growth in India (apart from Burma) of the Chinese habit of opium smoking, as distinguished from the opium eating always practised to a limited extent in India and other countries; if so, whether any inquiry has been made regarding the alleged greater temptations and injuriousness of the new practice of smoking; and whether any special steps have been taken to limit and restrain houses for the smoking of opium, and check the practice; or, if information on this subject has not reached the Secretary of State, whether he will inquire of the Government of India?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Sir J. GORST,) ChathamIn reply to the first question of the hon. Gentleman, I have to say that the Secretary of State has received no Reports which lead him to the belief that the practice of opium smoking, as distinguished from opium eating, is increasing. The reply to the second question of the hon. Gentleman is that special attention has been given to the subject in the North-West Provinces and Punjab, with the result that the number of licensed saloons has been greatly reduced.
§ In reply to a further question by Mr. S. SMITH (Flintshire),
SIR J. GORSTsaid: I am afraid that I must deprecate the putting of questions upon this subject, which involve details, without notice.