Peking, August 2.
DRastic or rom season:
The four Imperial Commissioners in charge of the prohibition of opium smoking propose to issue certificates descriptive of the status of the holder in regard to the habit. Every Government official will have to apply for certificate and most sign his name opposite to the category in which he finds himself. The classes are five in number (1) Those who have smoked opium at one time, but have now given up the habit.
(2) Those who have never smoked opium.
(3) Habitual smokers who undertake to cure themselves within a cer-
The W.-C. Werald and S. C. & C. Gazerte.
Aue 15 1908
(4) Habitual smokers who have alleged that they have given up the habit, but have since been found to be still smoking.
(5) Mild smokers, who have hitherto successfully avoided the notice of the authorities. real value of Mr. Towns' care, but so far no answer has been given, Certainly i institute at the expense of the Chihli Provincial Anti-opium office; bat one of these cured men who is an old ac-
The Presidents of the various Ministries in Peking have been: advised to make their subordinates, both civil and military, fill in their names in one or other of the above categories and to return the certificates to the four Ministers. The latter will then take steps to verify the accuracy of the returns. After inquiries have been made, all snspect- officials will be admitted into the opium examination Bureau and will stay there for seven days under observation. Prince Ching has issued a° notice that no one will bbe employed in any goverment capacity if he is not in possession of a certificate from the Bureau showing that hi not jin the habit of smoking opium. As an illustration of the energy of the opium prohibition Ministers, Wen Hi and Teal C'hang, sub-Chancellors of the Grand Secretariat, have been degraded by Imperial Edict for wrongly patting their names down under the second category while they are really habitual opiam smokers. The degradation of these two high officials by Edict has created a great stir among opium smoking officials who have hitherto posed as nom smokers. Many have now reported to the four Ministers their willingness to be cured in the Government anti-opium hospitals either by foreign or Chinese methods, while some have signed an undertaking to their of three 1, and to submit themselves for official examination at the end of October. In order to enforce the order from top to bottom instead of from bottom to top as usually the case in all affairs in thi country, the four Ministers have dispatched official inspectors to the various Provinces to find out whether any of the existing Viceroys, Governors, Tartar Generals, Provincial Treasurers, Jadges and Customs and other Taotais fare in the habit of smoking opium. It iis believed that some of the high Provincial authorities are habitual opium smokers and it will ing to know whether they summarily degraded in case they are discovered by the inspectors.
THE yURSTION oF cUunEs, Mr. C. B. Towns, whois an Ameri can specialist supposed to be in possession of a secret cure, left for Shanghai a couple of days ago with letters of recommendation from the native authorities in Tientsio, Mr. Towns' anti-opiam institute is still open in the French concession under the charge of Dr. Peck and Mr. R. R. McDermid, lately of the Peiyang Watch Clubs in Tientein. Dr. Aspland, of Peking, hes recently written to the " Peking and Tientsin Times" demanding an explanation from Dr. Peck as to the quaintance of mine informs me that the medicine used was too strong and only the strongest opiam smokers could endure the excessive pains caused by it.
THe customs' coLnLRaR.
The final examination of the students of the Shuiwa Hsiiehtang or Customs College will take place on the 11th instant, and the college will then he formally opened by Na Tang in his capacity as Controller-General of the Shuiwachu or Revenue Council of the Imperial Maritime Customs. As already stated only thirty-six students will be admitted into the college the first year, While in the college all es will be supplied br the Chinese Government with the exception of the stadeuts' bedding and mattresses. After the completion of their four years' study, the students mast place themselves at the disposal of the Controller-General for any employment in the Customs Service for a period of five years, Daring this ime they will not be permitted to do any - other work under penalty of forfeiting an amount equal to. the monies spent in training them at the College.
Peking, August 6.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.