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. . 1347. Supposing you could have a referendum amongst the China-born
Chinese in Selangor, shall we say; i.f you could refer to everyone of them
and they were allowed to vote for suppression of opium or otherwise, which
way, do you think, the vote would go ?-For· suppression.
IJ48. Do you think it would be a vote by a large majority?-Yes.
1349. A two-thirds'maiority, like a Company requires when it is going
to make a big move?-The Chinese people do not take interest in this sort
of thing.
1350. They do not take enough interest to do anything active in this
matter?-They know it is a good thing, yet they are not sufficiently energetic
tei do things and carry them out effectively.
1351. But this question of the suppression of opium is far more than
interviews with the highest in the land where yoU talk and you suggest that
you are going to make it effective. If you are going to make the suppression
of opium effective, you have undoubtedly got to have the goodwill of
90 per cent of the Chinese here. Have you got that, or can you acquire
that?-Why. 'require so high a percentage? I daresay even the smokers
themselves would be agreeable to this system.
1352. That is to say, they would even sign a memorial for getting
it ?-I do not know about that.
1353. Mr. Lim Nee Soon.-You are President of the Chinese Chamber
of Commerce and the Chamber of Mines. Do you think that the majority
of the members of these two associations would agree if the Government
took strong measures to suppress the smoking of chandu?-They have unanimously
passed a resolution to that effect.
1354. Are there any smokers amongst the members of those associations
?-There are one or two, but they repent of having acquired the habit.
1355. Dr. Galloway.-We have had a good deal of evidence showing
. that there is a strong feeling as to the superiority of the non-smoker over
tht' smoker; and I think it is safe to say that there has been a steady decrease
in the consumption of opium per individual. during the last few years. Don't
you think that if the present system were simply continued and tightened
up a bit, especially if the feeling that a non-smoker is betttr than a smoker
in .all the industries were strengthened, that in a very' short time that would
be sufficient to extinguish the opium ?-But you must cut the supply at the
source. If you allow it to come in, you cannot expect that it will be
eliminated.
1356. There I differ from you. I look at it purely from the point of
view of demand. If there were no demand, there would be no supply?-I
have already given the answer to that. The supply is greater than the
demand.
1357. But the supply is not more than the demand; it simply meets the
demand and no more. Your plan is to interfere with the supply; my plan is
to interfere with the demand ?-I think both things will have to work together.
1358. Do you think that in the present condition of China, we have.
very much chance of success in suppressing opium. Put in another way,
don't you think that our opium position here is exactly the same as in
China. If opium smoking is plentiful in China, it is also very common
here ?-If they cannot get opium so easily here, I do not think the demand
will increase.
1359. Assuming that the supply of opium were very much diminished,
would not there be a risk of morphia and such drugs eoming in ?-But by
registration we do not prohibit them; we still give them opium. If they
can get opium, they need not go in for such kinds of drugs.
1360. But you are putting difficulties in the way of their getting
opium ?-No difficulties.