[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]- 0
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OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
585 ECP
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F 5 12
[January 22.1
SECTION 2.
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[2980]
No. 1.
British Delegates to International Opium Conference to Sir Edward Grey.— (Received January 22.)
(No. 13.) Sir,
The Hague, January 20, 1912. WITH reference to that portion of your despatch No. 17 of the 13th instant which relates to the inclusion of powdered and granulated opium in the definition of raw opium, we have the honour to report that at the conference session of the 17th instant Mr. Max Müller made the following declaration on the subject
'The British delegation desire to make a statement in regard to the definition of raw opium.
It will be within the recollection of the conference that the definition as originally brought up from the Programme Committee contained the following second paragraph: L'opium brut comprend également les formes connues sous les noms commerciaux d'opium en poudre et d'opium granulé.'
This delegation felt from the outset that the terms powdered opium and granulated opium were not free from ambiguity, and that, so far as they related to treated and standardised products, they would have included under raw opiuin what were in fact officinal preparations. In the progress of the discussion of the measures to be taken in regard to the trade in raw opium, it soon appeared that, as a question of practical convenience, it would be difficult to apply literally the specific provisions contemplated in the case of raw opium, which is largely exported in bulk from the producing countries, to the relatively small consignments of granulated and powdered opium which has been treated in intermediate countries.
"Our Government, however, fear that the former inclusion in, and subsequent exclusion from, the definition of raw opium of powdered' and 'granulated' opium might lead to confusion, and we have therefore been instructed to make a statement in regard to their understanding of the question, and the consequent interpretation that they will place on the clauses of the convention in so far as this question of powdered and granulated opium is concerned.
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His Britannic Majesty's Government hold that powdered opium' and 'granu- lated opium' in so far as they fall under the definition of medicinal opium, or in so far as they are included among the officinal preparations referred to under article 17 (b), will be subject to the provisions of the convention relating to morphine, cocaine, and their respective salts, but, in so far as they are the raw product of the poppy simply powdered or granulated, they will be treated as raw opium."
After some discussion it was decided to ask the Technical Committee to report whether any alteration in the definition of raw opium as hitherto adopted by the conference was desirable.
On the 18th instant the conference received the following report from the commmmittee
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The committee report that they consider that the declaration made on behalf of the British delegation would suffice; but if it be desired to give further precision to the definition of opium brut' they recommend to add at the end of that definition the words: Raw opium shall be held to include all opium which contains less than 10 per cent. of morphine.'
This amendment to the definition was not wholly satisfactory, since, as it stood, it would include "prepared opium," if containing less than 10 per cent. of morphine, under raw opium, and after further discussion it was decided that it would be better to make no addition to the existing definition.
Mr. Max Müller's declaration and the subsequent proceedings will of course form an integral part of the conference minutes.
We have, &c.
(For British Delegation),
W S. MEYER.
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