[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C O
35568
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL,
[1280]
No. 1.
5 FEB 12
January 9
SECTION 2.
British Delegates to International Opium Conference to Sir Edward Grey.— (Received January 9.)
(Telegraphic.)
The Hague, January 9, 1912. PLEASE see articles 10 to 13 Convention "A" of conference drafts. On our reassembling, Germans informed us that their Government could not accept these articles as they stood, since they involve a degree of uniform control impossible under their Constitution, which leaves some of these matters to individual States. They said they had overlooked the extent to which State autonomy was affected when they assented to these articles before Christmas.
They accordingly proposed a series of amendments which would have invalidated the binding character of the articles.
After prolonged discussion with them, we have provisionally agreed to a recasting of the articles, which substitutes for definite words "will limit," will require," &c., the formula "will use their best endeavours," and which provides as an alternative for the specific licensing of persous and premises engaged in the trade, the registration of premises and due notice to State authorities by would-be traders, &c.
Similarly in articles 15 and 16 the formula now is that the contracting Powers will use their best endeavours to prohibit, &c., the acts therein contemplated. On the other hand, the hampering words “ par des conventions spéciales ou autrement" disappear from 16.
The Germans are, subject to the approval of their Government, to table these suggestions forthwith as amendments of the original articles, and we propose, unless you wire to the contrary, to say in conference that, while we much prefer the original draft, we accede to the amendments in order to preserve unanimity.
We think this the best course to adopt, for it seems clear that otherwise Germany will dissent altogether, and the conference fail of effect, at any rate so far as cocaine is concerned.
[2340 i-2]
༧དྡྷསྶཱག, ཀ ཏྭཾ སཾཡཏྭཱ སཾཝ ནྟི