The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-06-21
cANADA'S OPIUM BUSINESS.
An Industry That Depends Upon the Unite'
States For Its support.


States For Its support.
The manufacture of opium is one Of the
most profitable industries of British Co
lumbia, as 1t employs some 400 or 500 men
in making charcoal, which is used exclu-
sively for cooking purposes, In addition to
the cooks aud other employees. The Cana
dian license for the manufacture of opium
Is $500 year. The governments, in addi-
tion to providing employment for large
number of people, and besides bringing
into the country great amount OF money
from the United States, derives a neat lit
tie revenue each year, all at the expense Of
the United States
The development and manufacture Of
opium is an interesting study. The Chi
nese are tho greatest consumers in the
world Next to that race come the Bur-
mese and the inhabitants of the strait of
Malacca, the latter consuming opium to
the value of f1, 900, 900 annually. The
cultivation Of the poppy, from which a
juice Is extracted and subsequently re-
duced by boiling until it becomes q liquid
resembling molasses, when 1t is termed re-
fined opium, is carried on In many parts of
Asia, Persia, Turkey and some parts Of
China. The chief district Is along the
Ganges river, India, and embraces an area
600 miles long by 200 miles In width and
is divided into two districts, Behar and
Benares The cities of Patna and Gazepore
are the principal depots or shipping points,
where the factories for making crude
opium are situated. The producers are re-
quired TO sell their product to the Indian
government, which in turn supplies the
great Chinese importing houses. Before
the fields Of India were developed opium
came from Turkey and Persia and was
used for medicinal purposes for the reason
that 1t contained more than 10 per cent OF
morphia, quality that is too rich for
smoking. Opium used for the latter pur-
pose contains about per cent.
The method by which opium Is manu-
factured Is interesting TO observe, although
a sickening odor pervades the atmosphere
and will cause n novice to become dcathly
Ill. The balls Of crude opium arc slit open
moistened with water and boiled to a
paste. This paste is dried, remoistened
and again boiled, after which 1t is strain
ed. 1t goes through this process several
times, each time being carefully strained
and all foreign substance removed until 10
has q rich brown color
The drug is boiled In large, hemispher-
ical brass pans about 90 inches in diam
eter. The other utensils consist of a bam-
boo filter, sprinklers, strainers and pots
When it Is properly boiled down, 1t is
sealed up In brass tins containing SIX
ounces each. The factories in China can
manufacture better quality of opium for
Sc. 80 less pound than the factories on the
Pacific coast A good opium cook in
China is paid $40 month, and at Victoria
$40a month. A days work consists of re-
fning s1f balls of crude opium, each ball
making five tael cans of prepared
opium. For each additional ball refined
1t Is customary to pay the cook 90 cents.
The evil habit of opium smoking has
obtained such power over the Chinese and
some classes of white people in the United
States that II is a physical impossibility to
wholly stop the importation and use of tho
drug. and the next best measure, 1t seems,
Is to adopt some legislation that will check
the growth of the habit and at the same
time not dcfraud the government OF rev.
enuo that 1t Is justly entitled to receive,
and which heretofore has mostly gone into
the private purses of the smugglcrs of the
Pacific northwest. Post-Intelli-
Qencer.