Feb. 21, ANOTHER case involving nax-*coties and other noxious drugs to the value of several thousands of pounds occupied the Mixed Court yesterday. Thi difficulty on this ace finding the accused guilty and in sentencing them to imprisonment and fines, Altogether, taking in conjunction what ha Jatterly been seized in Foochow Road and Canton Road, we may feel with satisfaction that the importers of opium and kindred products have received a very revere jar. Too much praise can hardly be given to the Mun cipal Police for their persistent energy in hunting down the stores of drugs, and it is further to their credit that much of this work is done in spare time and for no other reward than that of the consciousness of doing their best to keep Shanghai faithful to its pledge to suppress the opium trade within its borders, however unfaithful Chinese officials may be to theirs, But if anyone supposes that even such losses ax those incurved recently are going to stop the doings of the opium ring, he deludes himself. 'They will merely redouble' their prece tions and the utmost vigilance will not avail to prevent some opium getting through. Besides, as the documents seized in Canton Road clearly showed, the Shanghai Settlements are' only tone centre for the trade, though doubtless the most important, Judgment hax not vet been given fon the men accused in the Canton Read case: but they themselves are really the least important part of it and their position cannot in any way be alfected by comment on these documents. Some details from them we have alrendy published. In general, they prove the existence of an enormous organization with ramifications in Turkey, Switzetland, China and Japan, for the purpose of importing Po sian and Turkish opium to the Far East. There are contracts sunning into millions of dollars and a list of remittances from Kobe to Constantinople of thousands of pounds each. One Jearns that the value of Turkish opium has more than trebled since the war owing to decreased output due to the indolence of farmers and the unaccountable indifference of the Government to developing so profitable a trade. There is also a curious allusion to increase of prices due to the earthquake in Japan which destroyed the stocks in Yokohama. As some small indication of pr fits, we find that the Phoo-Li-Hoong-S, in contracting with another Chinese hong to receive store and transport opium, was to receive $1,000 for every box of 2,000 oz. This firm is also instructed to appoint twenty opium-distributing offices in Chinese territory, each of which will pay $1,000 2 month for th privilege. It is from this contract, too, that we learn that "the (Chinese) navy, army and police will jointly assist and protect the goods" in their passage from Woosung to the neighbourhood of the Kiangnan Arsenal and it is expressly stated' that the Public opinion may be on this matter, except that, unlike-what was the case a few years ago, there appears to be less and less sense of shame in being: known as an opium-smoker. We do know that public feeling amongst foreigners is becoming increasingly incensed. All sorts of people, who formerly gave little enough attention to the opium question, now begin to demand that something shall be done to stop this unblushing trade, It is all very -well to talk, as a Chinese correspondent, did in the paper yesterday, of "strictest enforcement of the law and enlightenment of people by education and improvement of social conditions:" but the latter method is something slow and as for enforcement of Jaw—will our correspondent say who is going to enforce it? Generally speaking in China the military look to native opium to pay their troops and nobody as yet can say them nay. In respect of Turkish and Persian opium, there is no moral doubt that the large revenues derivable in the Shanghai area are the main cause of recent fighting: and while the foreign authorities do their utmost to keep the stuff out, the Chinese are equally zealous in bringing it in, The suggestion of a Govern: ment opium monopoly hax much to recommend it. It would en-fable China to enter into direct agreements with exporting countries which would limit the amount smuggled and by a system of registration of smokers and the issue of licences, the Valuable lever of "face" would be introduced: it would once again become shameful known ax an opium-smoker. we doubt very much whether a monopoly will ever be established. China, having once proclaimed to the world that she has prohibited and abolished opium, now directs all her energies, not to stopping it, but to pretending that it does not exist, or, if it does, that it exists only on a small scale and for so long only as civil war prevents ithe Government from bringing to book the few Generals who lave wicked enough to permit the trade. This was the thorough bass of Mr. Afred Sze's seduce tive harmonies at Geneva us of every Chinese speaking for for-feign edification. In the face of hypocrisy of this kind, it is useless to expect practical recogni tion of facts. Furthermore, the smugglers themselves will never Passively accept a monopoly. Just as in America the most ardent supporters of Prohibition fare the bootleggers who grow rich on it, in China the opium ring are the strongest insti tors of the outery against the shamefulness of licensing opium directly anyone whispers the word monopoly.
It has been suggested, though lonly in conversation, that the Municipal Council might apply: {to the ratepayers for authority to reinstitute a monopoly. But this idea has very little to support it. Apart from the pro-ability that the local monopoly. would be in direct competition with the smugglers of the surrounding districts to an extent that would either neutralize its efforts or encourage smoking by making it cheap, the general feeling of foreigners is, we are lconvineed that, whatever may be done by Chinese or by a few persons sheltering behind the protection "consulates not their own, the foreign community of Shanghai-has no wish be in any way associated with the trade. Another suggestion which finds many backers, is ratepayers' money be wasted in vain attempts to: enforce a law which not only no Chinese official tries to enforce, but which most of them are actively doing their best to stultify?
It appears extremely probable that if the Municipal Council took this attitude; if it announeed that, henceforward, its police would hot raid for opium nor prosecute for its possession, bejeause such efforts had been proved to be a sheer waste of S! time; and if simultaneously it took the trouble to ensure that an accurate explanation were Published in all countries of the extent of the scandal and the cause of its decision; the reaction against Peking would be so great that it would be shamed into making a real effort to suppress the smuggling. The danger is that the effort die away and that o then become so cheap in Shanghai as to bring its repute into would-wide disfavour. As matters stand there seems no solution for the opium problem, short of the appearance of Chinese Government which can govern, and then the opium "question with other kindred evils perhaps, be tackled proper-Meanwhile something may arousing public abroad to the facts of [the case, which are simply that ina grows, imports and smokes all the opium she can, and that her officials encourag the practice in every way for the them,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.