Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-11-13
THE AMERICAN TEMPER ANlcr
MOVEMENT MOI EN- SURPASSED nv
THE CELESTIALS. of

lab I'm the arm upon asking
IN the past II was customary for tho
members OF n party 20 stand up In a
row and hold out their arms with the
sleeves rolled up To their shoulders. The
most common place Tor the injection
was about the biceps. but many of the
opium hends were tattoed from their
uecks TO their wrists and also on other
parts Of their bodies. The morphine
lniectors make their own solutions
and. as they use dirty water the dan
ger OF their communicating diseases Is
great
The government IL doing all Il can
to abolish these morphine practises.
II has stringent laws against them, but
they are still secretly carried on in
most OF the cities. In the meantime
I understand that the English and
Germans have been flooding china with
cheap hypodermic syringes since the
present crusade began. aud that the
Chinese imperial customs board has
now issued regulations prohibiting their
importation. except by the foreign med
zeal practitioners and foreign druggists
Hereafter all morphis and syr1nges
landed without a special permit from
the customs win be conhscated.
AS TO RAISING OPIUM.
The greater part Of the opium used
In China is raised at home. That inn
ported from India amounts 20 millions
OF dollars a year. but a far greater
quantity is grown upon Chinese soil
Penny plantations are cultivated as FAR
north as Manchuria- and there are prov
inces in southern and western China
where opium IL one Of the principal
crops. The reducing OF the areas ~
cultivation il causing a considerable
loss TO the farmers. The government
realizes this. but, nevertheless, II insists
that the laws be enforced According 70
them. no new ground can be planted to
peoples. and the old fields must be cut
down one-tenth OF their original size
every year.
In some provinces the viceroys have
ordered the immediate stoppage of all
cultivation Of OPIUM, and in others they
have remitted the taxes for FIVE or 10
years upon opium lands which have
been turned over 10 other crops. In
Yunnan the soldiers have been directed
TO dig up the poppyhelds, and thevice-
roy OF Marking recently issued an or
der that his farmers must destroy their
opium seeds. and that such as had
planted them should dig their fields
over and put In something else.
All the ODluIll-TAltlnk hAiluH hFtiA
registered and the government at Pekin
is keeping a close watch over the
amount cultivated The prince regent
has offered medals and rewards 10 those
who have changed their crops from
the POPPY 20 grains. and they are 20 be
freed from national taxes for a fixed
period.
In short. there IL no doubt about the
earnest and active efforts of the Of
fcials and Of a large part OF the people
70 do away with the opium habit. Many
are resolved that Il must be cut out OF
China az any cost, and the government
tx willing to submit to the enormous
loss OF revenue which II entails, for
the good OF the people.
MILLIONS OF OPIUM SMOKERS
On the other hand, II Is a question
whether the opium evil is anything lbs
so great as is generally supposed. {
has been stated that more than 100.
0o0. 900 OF the Chinese are opium users.
Some will tell you that the whole race
is dT7igged and that all the men. wom-
en- and children use opium daily This
Is untrue on its face. doubt whether
the opium habit Is as prevalent among
the Chinese as the whisky and beer
drinking habit Is among the English.
Germans or Americans. In the first
place, IL Is costly. and the bulk of the
Chinese are poor Again. the amount
OF opium raised in China is pretty we'll
known, and we have accurate statistics