To the Editor of the Noxru Cuiwwa Datty News.
Su,—Sinco the recent Ratepayers Moot-'80 wany residents have expressed to me their entire ignorance of, everything connected with the lekin question, and. their desire to get at least a general idea of some of the principal facts ection with it, that I have consented to endeavour to put wuiiciently concise form for otter, but I must at the that, within such nece: aacily brief limits, it is quite in do more than give a very cursory perfect review of the subject. tious generally put in ce tion amount substance to these:—(1) What are the real interests involved? (2) How are they sffected (3) In what way could this cum unity do anything towards yelting the atter settled} The answers may be briefly follows he only bond fide Tue Ludian Gover (b) The of opium. (c) The Opium (d) The community here.
.—Theie interests are flected in the following ways:—(u) The Indian Government raises an annual revenue of about £3,000,000 out of the opium sent to aa. Cho wore opium sent, the better it is for the Indian Government, The present high rate of lekin has greatly, jured the trady, reducing it sume 20 pee cent. and the Ludian revenue suffers accardin, ul sinugyliny cheaper opium and tends towards keeping up quantity imported fore the i terest of the Indian Govert that lek should be lowered, or that amuggli should abound. (b.) The interest of the importers is a@vcted in the same way ne that of the Indian Governmes interest of the Opium Farmers is tu got the largest possible proportion of the tax the rate may be, and therefore utsmagyling.—(d.)' The interest of ty here is to preserve peace freets and to prevent independent x collectors from carrying on thole business within the Foreign Settlement 3.—Whether this Community can do thing towards a Settlement of the question cannot be stated with any degree of cortainty uutil_a real effort is made fur the purpose. It would depend upon the answer to this question—are the interests and objects of the four parties named ough they above irrevocably. hostile, or, ca
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.