This order concerning dens and shops was followed in the natural course of events by the release of 40 rug addicts confined in Peiping jails uring the campaign of the Sung Cheh-yuan regime to stamp out the drug habit. It will be recalled that he foreed addicts to undergo treatment and if after they had been do-lared cured they relapse into drug {aking they were sent to prison and thus forcibly kept away from the drug.
Not less interesting is an order concerning the registration of opium, smokers. Officially the registration system is to (oper off smoking and, eliminate the habit but some of the regulations make it abundantly clear: that this desirable end is not expected for a long time and indeed the finanjelal returns of registration are likely to be such that the authorities will not wish to see the habit disappear All smokers are supposed 1a. regis ter with the Municipal authorities, Ju resum they are given a licence to smoke and pay a fee of $1 a month for it. The regulations state that this licence must be renewed annually, a clear indication that no _finmedia tapering off of the habit is contemplated.
The seventh of a long list of regulations isan interesting one—"Opium smokers who fail to pay their licence fee regularly are lable] to be asked to cease smoking immediately." "This seems a clear inication that the authorities who collect the foes have no real desire' {o stop smoking of the drug, for this regulation seems to be a threat to Smokers as to what will happen if they don't continue paying.
Maximum of Revenue Wanted To enforce registration by smokers there Is a regulation providing for fines of people who are found to be smokers but do not register. Such people may be fined anywhere from twice to fen times the registration fee while another regulation states that smokers who go. into hiding while the police are making their Investigations may be fined from ten 40 times the registration fee. In other words the authorities intend to make the very maximum of revenue out of the drug habit. Even the casual visitor will not escape. Visitors from out of town, says one regulation, may get temporary licences costing 80 cents for ten days.
'Smokers who live' in hotels get! their licences and pay through the hotel manager, in other words the fee "goes on the bill"
Increased Prices All this is strangely-reminiscent of the opium suppression measures in-
Economic News From Manchoukuo
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.