§ Mr. THEODORE C. TAYLORasked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he would state the number of chests of Indian Government opium to be sent this year to China as reduced by the ten years' agreement of 1907; whether, under the new agreement, it is now proposed that she should this year take 21,000 additional chests; and, if so, whether that addition would bring this year's total import by China from India to a higher figure than before the successive reductions of the past four years?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe number of chests to be exported from India to all countries in 1911 is fixed by the Agreement of 1907 at 46,600 chests. Under that Agreement the Government of India were under no obligation to mark off the Chinese portion from the non-Chinese portion of the total export: and the Chinese Government had no power of excluding any of the import. This year, in advance of the new agree-1524W ment, the Government of India agreed to-separate the Chinese from the non-Chinese portion of the export, and estimating the latter at 16,000 chests, they were certifying 30,600 chests for China. When my hon. Friend asks about 21,000 chests he is referring to the rough estimate of the quantity of opium in bond in Treaty ports and in Hong Kong. It was exported from India in previous years before the certificate procedure was introduced, and had a right of entry into China on payment of import duty. But inasmuch as these stocks are not certificated, the Indian Government have agreed that in consideration of their now entering China, the authorised export of certified opium in the next three years will be correspondingly reduced. The average annual import of Indian opium into China before 1908 was about 51,000 chests. This figure may be slightly exceeded in the present year if the whole of this year's certified opium should be passed into China within the year in addition to the uncertificated stocks of former years. But the circumstances are altogether exceptional, and the China import for the year should not be confused with the Indian export to China for the year.
§ Mr. THEODORE C. TAYLORasked the Under-Secretary of State for India, whether it is intended under the new opium agreement with China that, in addition to the 30,600 chests to be sent under the former arrangement, she should this year take not only 21,000 chests additional, but a certain quantity also of uncertificated opium during the next two months; and is there any limit to the quantity she will be thus obliged to take, and, if so, what limit?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe agreement provides for the entry into China, within two months of date of signature, of uncertificated Indian opium over and above the listed stock of such opium lying in Treaty ports or in Hong Kong. All such opium was sold and purchased with the knowledge that it had a right of entry into China. The quantity is not definitely known, but is believed not to be large. Whatever the quantity may be, a corresponding reduction will be made in the certified exports of Indian opium in 1912–1914.
§ Mr. THEODORE C. TAYLORasked the Under-Secretary of State for India, if he will state the total quantity of opium due to have been sent to China from India, for the three last years, namely, 1915, 1525W 1916, and 1917, of the former ten years' agreement; and whether the 21,000 extra chests now to be sent to China this year alone under the new agreement are more titan the total of the last three years of the old agreement?
§ Mr. MONTAGUUnder the 1907 agreement, as modified by the arrangement for marking off the China from the non-China portion of the permissible export, the chests certified for China will be 15,300 in all for the years 1915–1917. I explained in a previous answer the misapprehension underlying the phrase, "Now to be sent to China," in the last part of the question.