OPIUM SMOKING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 12862, 22 May 1905, Page 7

OPIUM SMOKING.

United 3?ress. Association.— By t Electric Telegraph.— Copyright. Sidney, Qlo}" 1 20. 'A representative meeting of Chinese merchants and citizens resolved to ask Parliament to prohibit tiro importation of opium' into the Commonwealth and to make ifc punishable to sanoke or aitl and abet the smoking- of opium. . liqeeived May 22, S a.m. Sydney, May 22. A speaker at tho opium meeting said if opium had never been forced on China by 33ngland, Ohinamen would iiot' have had yellow faces, aral there would have <.l)c.en no" need for a "White Australia" "policy, for colour was everything: l ! Received 'May 22, 9.3 a.m. ' Syidney, <May 22. Chinese menchants eng*ag«dd in the •trade present- at the gai\"o a guarantee to abide by the request to the Government to prohibit 'i'ho traffic, though it will meati a very big loss. Some statistics were produced showing ihat from 15,47S pofiwJds of otpVum import od into New South Wiales in 1596 the figures rose to i neai^ly 20.000 in 1901. anwl fell again to IS,OOO in 1903. TJvis was irr«<peQ- j tive of the allogqd lai*ge frgu ant.it y svmjug'Qflnd. >