Saturday Metin:
Shao-yi on Gains of Past and Losses of Present Mr. Tong Shao-yi presided over a meeting of the Anti-opium Association at the Chinese Y.M.C.A. on Saturday afternoon, when about 150] people were present. Mr. Hsia Chi-feng, Chinese member of the Secretarian of the League of Nations, and the Rey. K. T. Chung, Chairman' of the Anti-opium Association, were the other speakers.
_Mr, Tong, in giving a resume of efforts for the suppression of opium, said that he had been one of the first to work and to fight against the opium evil. Twenty-one years ago, he promoted a movement for the suppression of opium. In 1908, he was connected with the Anglo-Chinese Treaty under which' it was decided that in 10 years the traffic would be stopped. When Feng Kuo-chang was Tuchun of Kiangsu, some people accused him. of encouraging the opium trade and, because he (Mr. Tong) was Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the time rumour was spread that he also was connected with the traffic. Mr Tang mentioned several other instances. in. which he had been accused of helping the opium people, but he denied these accusations publicly at the Y.M.C.A, some years ago, It was against his conscience to seo opium legalized, much less supported secretly, by the officials. He was present. to-day not to argue for himself, but to take part in a general stand against opium.
The Military Compulsion Yunnan and Szechuan at the present time produced far more! opium than ever before; they were producing far more than was being! imported into China. 'The reason for this was that' the military' officials foreed the people to grow poppy and produce opium, so that] they could levy taxes ani secure huge profits. The bigger the military officer was, the bigger portion he got; the smaller the officer, the smaller share he got. Mr. Tong said that opium dealers should be shunned and that they should bel dealt with as kidnappers and traitors. Unless society ostracized such men, suid Mr. Tong, the Chinese people were practically encouraging the evil and morally] endorsing it. He suggested the opening of more gaols for opium' dealers and hospitals for opium addicts. In closing Mr. Tonz said, "Tam prepared to do anything radical, rash or harsh, to support anything of a worthy nature such as this Association, which has but tone nim and that is to vid China of opium."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.