377
fibre, the leaves being used both in flavouring
dishes, as I have stated above, and also for medi-
cinal purposes. It is used, I know, for treating
elephants, and I believe this practice was brought
from India. The Burmese name of the plant is
bhin-bin.
Question 35.—Most of us officers in Burma
know flat and round ganja, but charas and bhang
are not known, and these substances might pro-
bably be imported without chance of detection.
There is no doubt that ganja is now being import-
ed in larger quantity than it was at the time of
the prohibition. There are now more Indians in
Burma, and therefore the drug is more in demand,
and finds a ready sale at a high price. I think
the drug sells in Burma for half its weight of
silver. I think I may say, that it can always be
obtained at this price, but I have no facts to
support the idea. I do not think the people of
India who are addicted to the drug would go
without it ; but I cannot speak with any certainty,
because I am not brought much into contact with
natives of India. Prosecutions for smuggling are
reported in the monthly returns furnished by
Magistrates subordinate to me. I should say that
on the average there was as much as one case in
every Magistrate's court in every month. I cannot
speak for Rangoon, as the magisterial returns from
the town do not come to me. The amounts with
which these cases are concerned are generally small.
The prosecutions are generally for possession of the
drug and not for smuggling. The offenders are
generally Chittagonians or Burmans, the latter of
whom I believe are only go-betweens in the trade,
for I do not hear of their being consumers of the
drug. My Division does not march with the Shan
States or Siam. I had to do with the Siam border
when I was Commissioner of Tenasserim, but I do
not remember to have heard of a single ease of
smuggling over that frontier.
When I spoke above of the possibility of getting
ganja in the market, I used ganja in the general
sense as applying to the narcotic in any form,
including charas and bhang. I do not think that
ganja, using the word to denote the long dried-up
sticks with bunches of the resinous parts of the
plant attached, can be so easily procured. Un-
doubtedly it was smuggled, I believe very largely,
through the post office during the three years after
our occupation of Mandalay. The smell of the
drug was concealed by putting up dried fish or
dried meat in the package. Two parcels of this
kind were sent to me by the Postmaster of Man-
dalay in 1888. The postmasters send parcels to the
District Magistrate when they have reason to sus-
pect smuggling. I don't know of any orders on
this subject, but there may be orders in the Postal
Department. We reward the postal peons who
bring the parcels, and I believe the rewards are
distributed by the postal authorities. In the cases
I dealt with, the addressee was present, and the
parcel was opened before him. These parcels were
addressed to Madrasis, and, I believe, they came
from the Madras Presidency. The magisterial
returns would not show the details connected with
the detection of the drugs, beyond the weight of
the drug discovered.
I remember that when recommending the pro-
hibition of the hemp drug, Sir Ashley Eden
remarked to me that it was too late to prohibit
opium in the same way, though he would have
wished to do so, because shops had been opened and
the use established for seventeen years. Since the
prohibition was established, no strong measures have
been taken to enforce it ; but in cases of detection
punishment has been rigorous. I think the large
number of prosecutions and the inconvenience in-
volved in searches do undoubtedly require strong
justification. I think they cannot be regarded as
having succeeded in respect of the natives of
India. They were much more successful during
the first ten years than they have been since the
large influx of natives of India. The prime
object of these measures, however, was in the
interest of the Burmans, and it has been fully re-
alised. If after some years' experience the licensing
system in regard to opium was found to succeed,
I should withdraw my objection to the adoption
of a similar system for ganja.
Question 45.—I was Political Officer in Bhamo
from 1874 to 1877. I know something of the
practice of the native Town Magistrate of Manda-
lay under Burmese rules. An insane would not
be taken notice of as long as he was harmless. If
violent, he would be dealt with summarily, and
locked up in jail.
Question 59. —I do not see how the prohibition is
to be more strictly enforced than at present,
because, I understand, the plant grows spontan-
eously in many places in Upper Burma, and always
contains the narcotic properties though it may
not be in the form of true ganja. On the other
hand, I could not recommend any relaxation of the
prohibition, because the obstacles the Government has
placed in the way of the Burmans procuring opium
would be likely to make them turn to the hemp
drug if it were legally procurable. The obstacles
referred to consist in the prohibition to supply
opium to any Burman who is not a registered
consumer. I do not think a similar measure in
regard to ganja would be practicable any more than
the measure is likely to be in regard to opium, for
an unregistered consumer will be able to get his
supply through a native of India, and in the same
way a registered consumer will be able to get more
than his legal allowance. Even if ganja could
not be obtained from the plant as grown in Burma,
I should still be averse from licensing its sale,
because I consider that the licensing system raises
up a class whose interest it is to spread consump-
tion. I think that any licensing system would
be far less effectual as regards the Burmese than
the present prohibition.
3. Evidence of MR. J. E. BRIDGES, Commissioner of the Eastern Division.
With reference to the printed questions which
have been sent to me, I have the honour to inform
you that as ganja and preparations of ganja are for-
bidden in Burma, the only personal knowledge I
have of ganja has been derived from cases which
have come before me as a Magistrate in Lower Bur-
ma. The accused in ganja cases were always na-
tives of India, and the drug was produced in the
dried state. In Upper Burma, I have noticed in
vol. vii.
the diaries of Excise Officers that information is fre-
quently received of the cultivation of ganja, and
that several seizures of ganja have been made. In
a recent case in the Kyaukse district a policeman
from Ingon was convicted of cultivating ganja and
the Sergeant of the police station of abetting the
offence.
As my personal knowledge of the matter is mea-
gre, I have not answered the printed questions, but
3 E