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Show OPIUM CAUSES YEARLY HALF MILLION SUICIDES 1 Cleveland. Jan. 17. "Opium causes half a million suicides a year declared de-clared Rev. A. C. Gregg, of the International Inter-national reform bureau toJay with reference ref-erence to the opium conference called by President Roosevelt which begins its sessions at Shanghai, Feb. 1. Tho statement Is based on letters and reports from Dr. B. W. Thwing, special secretary of the reform bureau who has been sent to China by the bureau to attend the opium confer-ece. confer-ece. Dr. Tbwing will ask the conference confer-ence to take action that will hasten the destruction of the opium traffic throughout the world. Dr. ThwiDg eays he has obtained statistics from four Chinese provinces with a population popula-tion of 580,000, In which ne says the proportion of the population using opium is from twenty to eighty per cent and the amount of money spent for the Jrug is $200,000,000 a year. President Roosevelt called the opium conference at the suggestion of Bishop Brent of Manila and delegates del-egates have been appointed by China, Japan, Siam. Persia. Russia, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Hollond and the United States. |