The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-14

people are now raising two crops a year in most parts of the island. We expect to better the tea also and give back to 1t the high standing which 1t formerly held in the American market. The chief va riety is known as Oolong. It was first sent to America in 1867, when it was worth more than dollar a pound The annual exports now amount to about 100000 pounds, of which Oolong con- stitutes about one-third of the whole. understand the tea Is very popular in America and that its sale there might be still greatly increased
 The Camphor Monopoly.
 How about the camphor monopoly? l with that drug"
 That is true and it is also true that most of the supply comes from Formosa
 Within the past year or so camphor for ests have been discovered in China and there Is prospect of competition from that country. At present we have a mo- nopoly Of the worlds trade and the gov ernment has control of the manufac- ture and sale in order to protect the in dustry. When we took possession of the island we found the camphor business in precarious state. 10 efforts were made to spare the trees and the crudest meth ods were employed in the manufacture. Now factories have been established in Formosa and Japan and the most of the product goes abroad, either direct or through Japanese ports. It used to go by way of Hongkong."
 How much camphor does the world use in a year?'
 About S,000,00O pounds. Our revenue from 1t amounts to in the neighborhood of $3,50O,OO0 year. We restrict the pro- auction according to the demand and are thus enabled to keep up the prices The camphor trees of Formosa are said to cover an area of many square miles. and We probably have enough to supply all that the world will need for a century to come"
 How Formosa Handles Opium Evil. The conversation here turned to the opium question. The Japanese do not all low opium to be used anywhere except in Formosa None is smoked in Japan proper, and the authorities believe that they have adopted a policy which will eventually wipe out the practice in For mosa. This policy was largely originated by Baron Goto, who is noted as a physi- clan and as sanitary scientist as well as statesman. Said he:
 'I had much to do with opium pa- tients prior to my going to Formosa and l l knew that it was a physical impossi- l bility to successfully prohibit the opium smoking among those who had been ad-
 dicted to the habit for years. Indeed, 1t l Is almost impossible to stop the use of 1 the drug even when the man himself is l anxious to do so. The only way to handle 1 the situation. 1t seemed to me, was to | have registered list of those addicted | to the practice and to have @ certain amount of opium sold through the gov
 ernment to them by licensed officials. It
 Is crime to sell opium to those who 1 are not registered, and against the law i for any one to import or manufacture it. l All this business is a government monop-
 oily and infringements of the law subject one to a fine of not exceeding 5000 yen, or
 to imprisonment with hard labor up to | five years. The government grants special l licenses to habitual smokers, and any one l who smokes without license Is liable to l be imprisoned for as long as three years | or fined up to 5000 yen. AS 1t is now the government imports and manufac- lures all the opium used. The list of