Show MUST PREPARE TO STOP THE USE OF THE DRUG there are victims including americans who spend apesos pesos for opium washington jan ag within abitt over a month tho law the importation of opium into the philippines will become effective A large quantity of opium is consumed in tho islands mainly by the chinese element but the baneful baat of opium smoking has been rapidly extending among the native filipinos Fili and even among alie americans congress has passed an act intended to correct the evil but there is great doubt of the ability of the confirmed opium user to abandon the drug and a considerable agitation has been tak ing place in the philippines with the object of securing an extension of time permitted for the stoppage of the traffic john S hord collector of internal revenues of the islands hag addressed a letter to the provincial treasurers treasur ers and other citizens of the philippines saying that he feels authorized in declaring that congress will not extend the time beyond tho hiat hi at of march in which opium can bo imported and ho appeals to tho chinese in manila to assist his officers in preventing illicit im por tation QC opium after that date i attention is called to the fact that the insular authorities have already empowered the collector to reduce the amount of opium consumed in the islands by each individual from month to month in the hope that by the first of march tho amount will be reduced to a minimum or tho uso of opium j entirely abolished with respect to many of its present victims thus re 1 ducong the temptation to illicit traffic collector hord calls attention to alie large loss of revenue which the government willingly foregoes for the benefit of tho people in stopping the importation of opium allowing that at present there are no less than opium smokers in tho islands who pay annually apesos pesos for opium to the retail dealers this requires the importation of kilograms of the drug annually and the collector urges that that money should bo retained at home and applied to the development of the islands |