Report from the Civilian News Agency. An express dispatch from Hankou dated the 14th states: This afternoon, students went to the Anyutao Railway Station in Wuchang, where station officials detained fifty packages (large burlap sacks) of opium poppy seeds. These had been transported from Fengtian by Hunan Military Governor Zhang Jingyao and arrived last night (the 23rd), with plans to load them onto trains bound for Hunan via the Changwu Railway. However, they were held at the station because no import permit had been obtained. Upon hearing this news at the station, a student named You Yong from Fujian rushed to inform the Higher Normal School early this morning (the 24th). The Wuhan Student Union has since submitted a petition to the Provincial Assembly’s Anti-Opium Committee and resolved to distribute leaflets tomorrow to alert the residents of the three cities. It is also reported that Hunanese living in Hubei are convening to discuss countermeasures.

Another telegram reads: A large shipment of opium poppy seeds was recently discovered at the Wuchang Railway Station. Following this report, today seven individuals—Yi Lirong, Li Weixiang, Zhang Minxun, Chen Haiting, Yuan Dawei, Liu Shengdong, and Yang Bojun—went to the Anyutao Station and found fifty large burlap sacks, each containing over one hundred jin, for a total weight exceeding ten thousand jin. All were packed in i-type burlap bags. The students took out a handful of the seeds and photographed several images as evidence. According to Station Guard Police Officer Zhao Fenglou, the cargo had been at the station for more than ten days, ready to be shipped to Hunan for delivery to Governor Zhang. Because no permit was available, he had reported the matter to Governor Wang, who ordered its detention. Governor Wang has reportedly sent an urgent telegraph to the central government seeking instructions; whether the shipment will be transported or destroyed remains subject to his decision. However, it is not yet known whether Governor Wang actually transmitted the telegram to Beijing. There are also reports that a previous consignment of twenty-five sacks (approximately five thousand jin) had already been dispatched via the Jinghan Railway. The soldiers who had escorted that shipment have all fled (they were under Governor Zhang’s command). It is said that Governor Zhang is now lobbying the Army Ministry to issue him a permit so that he can immediately transport the current batch back to Hunan.

Meanwhile, the Wuhan Student Federation has decided to simultaneously send telegrams to the central authorities and file a formal complaint with Governor Wang. The Association of Hunanese Students in Hubei is likewise preparing to send telegrams and petitions while coordinating with the Hunan General Native-place Association, with actions planned for today or tomorrow. The following is the text of the Wuhan Student Federation’s telegram:

To the Provincial Assemblies, Provincial Education Associations, Provincial Chambers of Commerce, Newspapers, the National Student Federation, and all Provincial Student Federations:  Hunan Military Governor Zhang Jingyao, in collusion with Zhang Zongchang, commander of the Sixth Mixed Brigade stationed in Hunan, has dispatched troops armed with forged permits to smuggle opium poppy seeds into the province and compel the populace to cultivate them extensively. This act of national treachery and poisoning of the people is utterly unforgivable. Similar shipments have been made on multiple occasions without detection. Just yesterday, another fifty sacks were brought northward and, passing through the Anyutao Station on the Wuchang–Changsha Railway, brazenly sought to be loaded onto a train. Such lawless behavior prompted station personnel to notify our federation, which promptly requested that the shipment be detained. In addition to sending an urgent telegram to the President in Beijing requesting an investigation, we hereby inform all compatriots nationwide. The evidence is conclusive, and the case is solid. We urge our fellow citizens to take swift action.

Sincerely,  Wuhan Student Federation