THE DREAM DRUG.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2109, 28 March 1914, Page 6

THE DREAM DRUG.

ANTI-OPIUM ASSOCIATION. ANNUAL MEETING. ' The annual meeting of tho Now Zenland Anti-Opium Association was held in tho Viviuii Street liajstist Hall last evening, the Rev. A. T. Brainsby presiding. Tiie chief business of the evening was the reading of t'tio report of theweretwy, Captain M. 8. biackbtum who presented and read a very interesting and comprehensive review of tbo opium traffic as it exists to-day, Tlie report stated:— "Very shortly out'last animal meeting w> rejoiced to hear that. the Han. E. S. Montague (Under-Secretary far India) proclaimed from th® House of Commons that" the .Government had abandoned altogether the revenue derived from tho sale of opium to Chiiia thin year. • They were to-day sending }io opium to China at all, and i# was in tho pro-ad position that i« other Indian Under-Secretary had ever occupied before—namely, for the first time in tbe modern history of India they were sell,ing just an. otmocj .of poppy for tho IndoChinese opium trade. iSotwithsiajidiug tho treaty which Okina made with üb, notwithstanding that from tho opinm wo were entitled to send China under the treaty, £11,000.000 sterling might bo derived; notwithstanding that we. had a right to go on selling opium to any province in" which tbo opiU.ni was still being grown, wo were prepared to undertake to revise the treaty of 1906, ■ and not send any more opium to China., not only this year, while tbo stocks were being absorbed, but never again, with ! the single, condition tliat we desired to bo satisfied that China, as Wo believed her to be, Was steadfast in tho pursuit of lier present policy> and determined to get- rid of the indigenous poppy. This determination ou the part fef the Government was arriyed at fate a long debate in the House, following'' a motion moved by tlis Rov. J. Towyif Jones (L. Carmarthen), in which ho called attention to th© spium traffic. -and moved ''That this House again places oil record its coiivictici; tlHtfc tha Indo-Chin-ese- opium trade is morally indefensible; • and, in view of the position of the- Chinese. Government, which, while engaged in suppressing the profitable production of opium by its own eitiKms, js obliged to admit opium from India, this Houses calls upon His ■ .Majesty's Government to release China from her 'I'reaty otoliafctati to admit tho Indian drug, avid urges that she should be set i'reo to prohibit tbo importation of tho stocks of opium now accvimJilated at the Treaty ports and Boiig-Konj*. , , . Mr. Montague's statement that the accumulated stocks Would be dissipated in a jroa* was certainly not a very accurate . "forecasts though At the present rate of absorption tho probability is, I regretto say, that ail tlio stocks will be sold, by the end of this year, so 'that the last chance Great Britain has for briiignlg th© shameful ■ trade with China to a conclusion m a really generous manner is rapidly • passing away. At the ond of November., 1013, tho total stock ip band in Shanghai was 10,812 chests," and tlicro retiiainwi at Bombay also 1775 cheats of Malwa ftpitm'i, sold in November and December, 1911, and certified for China., this would ■bring the ■ total up to 12/>S7 chests, and in .September, October, and November a decreasing averags of 970 chests wero released. for consumption. If, thereforo, this rate verm continßed the stocks would all be disposed of by the end of tins year.

The Churches and the Sin. Against China. "Soms. of our' churches seem to have a vary poor conception of the magnitude of our sill against China, and after hearing about Mr. Montague's prcnmineenieHi. at onco jumped to tho conclusion _ that our country was doing a magnanimous act in promising not to_ send aiiy more -opium to China at this eleventh hoar. In August of this year the Council of Clmrchcs -ill Dtu-i-Editi, while very properly recording its profound thankfulness for tho announceißfiit,. went on to say that it regards ■ tho decision gf tlve Imperial Govenamen!; us a triumph of national righteousness and tho removal of a great reproach from the Empire.

"I regret to say that since our last mooting & few members have resigned 1 from th.6 association, and h»wHy any i lion* members have joined us, and o.nito i a, number have failed to respond to my reminder to send in their animal- su'nssrrsptioa, God- can, however, TVOilf through, and bless the labours and mayors of a few whole-hear! Ed men-and women as well as tlis niany, j)ntl it is Satisfactory to itt<w that lor tfas k»t four years .<wir Tesolutimi? of protest .and warning, owing to the cfliirtcsy of His Exccllnncy tho Governor in having forwarded them to tha Heme sntihoritics. have been, duly received and acknowledged by the Archbishop of Canterbury, tire Prims .Minister . of Great- Britain and Ireland, the Secretaries of State for India and for Foreign Affairs, tho Chaneellor of tiro Exchequer, and tho Leader of the Opposition.

The-" motion to adopt the report Was moved by tho Rev, A. T. Brainsby, who. congratulated Captain Blackburne on his st&tesmflnlibo review of tho opium question. Tho motion to adopt the report, which was seconded by the Rev. M. Hinton, was carried tnianiinoUsb'. Tlie balance-sheet shewed a balance to credit, of £3 6s. 3d., Strongly-Wordsd, Resolution. ' Tlie Iley. Mr, Potter moved, and tho Rov. Dr. Hughes stjcciMded, iho, follow* ing resolution:— "That this meeting of God's children ill tho far-t>Jt : (Mugiiier Dominion ci' tho great British Empire, wliilp thankful and rejoicing for tho promises; of our Government under certain conditions not to send ally marc opium to China, yot desires onco mwo at tho mutual mooting «f our assoeiatioli to express our grief, and tho shatno and humiliation Wo feel as members of thfc 13-ritisli nation, that our country should still persist to 'refuse to reteii.fi dhitfa froth tli.o straUgo and iniquitous treaty which compels hey ■to admit to the markets of China the large stock of tho poisonous drug now lying in opium hulks in Shanghai, notwithstanding tho further appeal from General Chang, the delegate from the National Opium Prohibition Ujiioii of China, and tho offer <:f the Chinese Government trt pay tlie freight., if oiir Government would reship tho opiutn to non-Chinese markets, We desire again to ©all attention to two warning passages from God's Word—(l). Ptov.,sxiv, 11-12: .'lf thou forbear to deliver them that- are drasvn uftto dcath_ aiid those that are ready to bo slniii; if t-hoii sn.yest "Behold ivo know it not, doth not bo that poncteeth the heart consider it, and shall not He render to owtry man according to His Works." ' (2). Luke XVII; 'It js impossible hut that offences will come; hut woo unto hi® through whom they como.' " if wo hoed not God's warning He was# tiring upon us same terrible- retribvvtion. ElecTTon of Officers, The niters for the eyar Were elected as Mr, J. G. W. Aitkan; yiee-jiroddtrntSj the Revs. A, t. Brainsby, Jtts. Gibb, i).D.» and W, Hinton, Messrs. Goo. Fflwkls and A. 11 <.iby, and Commissioner Richards (Salvatiou Army); hen. secretary and treasurer, Captain .11, §. Bhckbiirne; committee, Messrs. D. M'Clay, J. Mu.rrell, ■ j. Patterson, tl. Roberts* J. Runway, and T. Wood; local I'opresentativcs (AueKuind), Mrs. A. Chad nick Brown; j Chriskhttrch, Jf.ivs. llannii'n Packer;; Omiedin, Mr. 11. if..Driver; Gisboine, j Mrs. F. \VI ChattertoH; Napier, Mr.' .1. C. Pallet.; NcWn, Mr. W. A. MaeT.ateii; Waiiganui, Mrs. 11, R, S. TayIcr, j