Owinig to recent changes in the policy of the government towards the question of opium suppression greater effects are expected from this week's campaign than from any previous ones. Opium suppress-fon bureaux have been in existence for a long time, but have been in effect the safeguarders of an opium monopoly rather than organs foi the suppression of the evil. The object of these bureaux was frankly revenue, a reporter of the "North China "Daily News" was formed by an official of the Anti-Opium Association. The new policy of the government is genuine suppression of the evil, the speaker went on. It will mean a sacrifice of revenue of $40,000,000 throughout the country, but the government has decided in favour of this loss, and the laws against opium will be. enforced.
Last year @ systematic investiga tion of the monopoly in the pro vinces was carried out, and it found that rules for the registration of opium addicts and the, thousand and one other means adopted for the alleged purpose of suppressing the evil by the gradual tightening of control were used for the purposes of raking in money. The conclusion was reached that the evil would never be suppressed by stich methods, and the government at Nanking was urged to change this policy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.