Prepared Opium
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LEAGUE OF NATIONS. Q fljnunicated to C-39(a) .M.35(a). 1940 .XI he Council and 0 .C./A.R.1938/101(a) ). embers of the (Issued in English only) ,eague ) . Geneva, June 6th ,1940. TRAFIC IN OPIUM AND OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS. ANNUAL REPORTS BY GOVERNMENTS FOR 1938 CONCERNING PREPARED OPIUM STRAITS SETTLEMENTS PERLIS THE FEDERATEDMALAY STATES KELANTAN JOHORE TRENGGANU and KEDAH BRUNEI Communicated by the Government of the United Kingdom. Note by the Secretary-General. In accordance with Article 21 of the Convention of 1931 for Limiting the Manufacture and Regulating the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs, the Secretary- General has the honour to communicate herewith the above-mentioned report to the parties to the Convention. The report is also communicated to other States and to the Advisory Committee on Traffic in Opium and other Dangerous Drugs. (For the form of annual reports, see document 0 ,C.1422(a)(2). REPORT ON PREPARED OPIUM FOR THE YEAR 1938 BY T H E GOVERNMENTS OF THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES, JOHORE, KEDAH, PERLIS, KELANTAN, TRENGGANU AND BRUNEI Published by Authority SINGAPORE : P rin t e d at the G o v e r n m e n t P r in t in g O ffice, S ingapore by XV. T. C h e r r y , G o v e r n m e n t P r in t e r . 1940 REPORT ON PREPARED OPIUM FOR THE YEAR 1938 BY T H E GOVERNMENTS OF THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES, JOHORE, KEDAH, PERLIS, KELANTAN, TRENGGANU AND BRUNEI Published by Authority SINGAPORE : P r in ted at the G o v e r n m e n t P r in t in g O f f ic e , S ingapore by W . T . C h e r r y , G o v e r n m e n t P r in t e r . 1940 [This report is prepared in accordance with the League of Nations pro forma O.C. 1422 (c) (2), G eneva, 31st M ay, 1933]. CONTENTS introduction Observations applicable to the Malayan territories in general. P A R T I Page Individual reports on Sections I to V furnished by the Governments of the undermentioned territories : — A .—Straits Settlements ... 11 B .—Federated Malay States 19 C.— Johore 24 D .— K edah 27 E .— Perlis 31 F .— K elantan 33 G.— T rengganu 36 H .— Brunei 39 P A R T II Statistical Forms I to X under Section VI in which are tabulated all the statistical figures appended to the above-mentioned reports ... ... ... 46 INTRODUCTION (Observations applicable to the Malayan territories in general) (i) The control of opium within the Straits Settlements and Malay States worked satisfactorily and there was no change in the laws governing import, export and transhipment. The exclusive right to import opium, remove opium from one Malayan territory to another, or to prepare, sell or retail prepared opium is vested in the Superintendent of the local Government Opium Monopoly. Prepared opium is imported into the Malay States from H.M. Customs, Singapore, packed in tubes ready for retail sale. The sale of prepared opium in Government shops to registered smokers is the only legal form of sale within these administrations. (ii) No propaganda specially organised towards combating the use of prepared opium amongst young people is carried out, but the activities of the Health Branch of the Medical Department, through its various services, are directed generally against the use of opium. (iii) Government does not employ direct action as regards propaganda, but it exerts the most powerful influence in its policy towards ameliorating the social conditions of the people—particularly those of the poorer classes—and towards encouraging healthy outdoor games. Under this influence the standard of living of the Chinese working classes is steadily improving and the opium smoking habit is definitely on the wane. (iv) The social habits of the people have changed considerably during the past ten years and the change has been most noticeable amongst the Chinese community and in the larger towns. Outdoor games now occupy a large and increasing portion of the spare time of the younger generation of both sexes. Sports grounds are to be found in all towns and villages and are eagerly used 011 most evenings of the week. Football and other matches attract large crowds and are topics of conversation of unceasing interest. All these activities keep people interested in healthy pursuits and offer facilities for spending many hours out-of-doors. Such activities have an influence on the tendency to adopt habit-forming vices and save many youths from becoming acquainted with the vice of opium smoking. Another recent development which offers counter-attractions to opium smoking is the popularity of amusement parks which have been opened during the past few years in many towns. These amusement parks are patronised by large numbers of Chinese of all classes nightly, and offer a cheap and healthy evening’s entertainment. One of the most beneficial social developments of recent years is the creation and development of the Singapore Improvement Trust. In 1927 Government set aside a fund of $10,000,000 for slum improvement schemes by the Singapore Improve ment Trust. This fund has not yet been fully expended, but an undertaking has been given that a further sum will be provided when it is exhausted. The Trust has acquired large blocks of insanitary property and pulled them down, providing new building sites and open spaces for children’s playgrounds. A programme of back lanes has been carried through giving light, ventilation and sewerage to more than 60 blocks of property in the congested area. In this connection 53 back lanes have been opened up since 1932, necessitating the acquisition and demolition of 131 houses and the reconstruction of the rear portions of 825 houses to conform with modern standards of fitness. The Trust is now carrying out 6 an extensive building programme on land bordering South Chinatown for the relief of congestion in this area. Another large area has been cleared and filled and is being developed for the housing of artisans and dishoused squatters. The Trust has erected 118 better class cottages for occupation by the clerical classes and five large blocks of tenements comprising about 380 rooms. At Tiong Bahru Estate eight blocks of flats have been erected and nine blocks comprising 306 flats and five shops will be completed in 1939. Four hundred and fifty-six Artisan Quarters have been erected at Balestier and a further 78 will be completed during 1939. A block of tenements at Trengganu Street comprising 42 rooms and four shops is in progress together with a block of nine flats in Campbell Lane. In this way the dwellers in the slums are being provided with vacant spaces and more airy dwellings and the artisan and clerical classes are being encouraged to move into the outer suburbs. The movement outwards is being facilitated by a cheap and efficient bus service. Similarly in Penang, by means of grant of $300,000 approved in 1934 by the Legislative Council, the Municipality have been enable to embark on schemes of slum clearance. It «-ill be realised that so far as amusements are concerned these counter attractions act with greater force upon town dwellers, but the rapid expansion of cheap and frequent transport services between the towns and neighbouring villages now enables the rural dwellers to avail themselves of these urban amenities and so relieves the tedium of life in the remoter districts. This revolution in the conditions of life of coolies in remote districts was well brought out by the representatives of the Malayan Governments at Bangkok. The following extract from their report is taken from page 92 of the Minutes of the Conference on the Suppression of Opium Smoking in Bangkok as quoted by Sir M alcolm D e l e v in g n e : — “It is the building of the road system and the coming of the cheap motor-car that has revolutionised communications in Malaya and has had such an effect on the manner of life of the population, especially of the Chinese population. Motor-cars in great numbers run on every road and there are regular runs of hired cars from groups of estates or mines into villages, from one village to another and from villages into towns. The cost of a seat in a hired car is incredibly cheap and the coolie can now, for a very few cents, get into village or town in a hired car at night where it was out of the question for him to walk a long distance in days gone by .......................... T h is has had a great effect on the coolies’ way of life. Before, there was nothing for him to do at night except sit in his Kongsi house or coolie lines; he had no interest, and no relaxation was possible to him ..........................he only came into a town once in six months or once in a year; in almost every coolie line there was an old opium smoker and others took to it quite naturally to while away the time at night, but to-day, riding their bicycles or paying for a seat in a hired car, they make their way into the towns and villages quite often in an evening. This great road development has accompanied other developments by which other forms of amusement, recreation and relaxation have become available for the coolie. There are more Chinese theatres, there are cinemas in villages of any size and there are talkies in every town and the coolie has begun to take an interest in these amusements.