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3096. What were you when you cured yourself of opium smoking?­
I was a M andor in charge of a mine.
3097. Mr. fe/f.-If opium was cut off, would you get less coolies from
China ?-Mr. LAu EK CHING-I do not think so.
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3098. Chairman.-You know what the position in China is at present
as regards opium ?-Mr. LEONG SIN NAM-I do not know much.
3099. Have you heard that more opium is being grown in China now
than in all the rest of the world put together ?-Mr. LEONG SIN NAM-I have
not. Mr. LAu EK CHING-I have seen it so stated in the papers, but we cannot
believe everything we see in the papers.
3100. If I am correct that more opium is now being grown in China
than before, more people in China will smoke than before ?-Mr. LEONG SIN
NAM-I cannot say.
3101. Do you think we ought to suppress opium smoking here before
China suppresses it ?-I do not want to talk about China; there is practically
no Government in China at present. As we are in this place, we should do
something for the coolies here because they contribute to the prosperity of
the place.
3102• Mr. McLean.-Is there any swallowing of chandu dross in
Perak?-Mr. LEONG SIN NAM-Yes.
3103. If the price of chandu were raised and a man could not buy as
much chandu as he required for smoking, would he not take to swallowing
dross ?-Even now he swallows dross.
3104. But if the price were raised, w'ould not dross be swallowed more
than now?-The price of chandu does not make any difference. The cQolie I
will swallow dross just the same. .
3105· Why does a coolie swallow dross ?-For two reasons, because
the opium is not enough, and when he gets sick he has no opium and must
take to swallowing dross.
3106. When you say opium is not enough, do you mean that he has not
got enough opium ?-Yes.
3107. Well, when the price is raised it will be still more difficult for
him to buy enough opium, will it not ?-Then he will be compelled to teduce
the quantity he consumes. .
3108. Then you don't think he will take to swallowing dross ?-He will
swallow dross.
3109. More than he does now?-I do not think so. As soon as the
coolies hear that opium is going to be raised in price they will give up the
habit.
3IIO. Chairman.-Have you ever heard of the drinking of a mixture of
arrack and neat chandu ?-Mr. LEONG SIN NAM-Yes, I have heard of it.
Mr. LAU EK CHING-I have not heard of it.
3I1L Mr. Chan.-You said that the Perak Chinese Chamber of
Commerce objected to registration. What did the Chamber understand by
registration? What did they think would be the procedure ?-Mr. LEONG
SIN NAM-They understood this, that every man who smoked would have to
get a licence to purchase chandu.
3II2. What is the objection of the Chamber to that ?-That it does
not encourage people to give up the opium habit.
3II3. You do not think it is as good a step towards the abolition of
opium as increasing the price ?-I think increasing the price is a better
measure, because a lot of people may claim to be new-comers to the country
and ask for licences to buy opium. A man may take out two or three
licences. .