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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C.O 10473
RECE
RFC 21 MAR 14
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[December 29.]
SECTION 1.
[58970]
No. 1.
Sir,
Foreign Ofice to Board of Trade,
Foreign Office, December 29, 1913. I AM directed by Secretary Sir E. Grey to transmit to you herewith, to be laid before the Board of Trade, copy of the report of the British delegates to the International Opium Conference, 1913, and to request that the attention of the Board may be directed especially to those portions of it which are concerned with the question of ratification of the International Opium Convention.
The delegates explained at the Conference that His Majesty's Government were anxious to ratify the convention at the earliest possible moment, but pointed out that, in the opinion of His Majesty's Government, immediate ratification was undesirable owing to the number of non-signatory Powers still outstanding. Since the close of the Conference many of these Powers have signed the convention, and at the present time, of the remaining non-signatory countries enumerated in the report, Switzerland, Roumania, and Montenegro have announced their intention of signing shortly, and it is understood that Austria-Hungary will also declare her readiness to sign before long. In these circumstances it would appear that the time has arrived when it is incumbent upon His Majesty's Government to give earnest consideration to the question whether they should not proceed at once to ratify the convention. In Sir E. Grey's opinion, the principal, if not the only, objection to the ratification by Great Britain of the convention at the present time is that attention would thereby be called to the fact that the signature of the Union of South Africa has not yet been obtained.
I am to request that Sir E. Grey may be favoured with the observations of the Board of Trade on the subject at their earliest convenience.
Copies of this letter and of the delegates' report have been sent to the India Office, Colonial Office, and Home Office.
[1976ƒ-1]
* See " Opium " Print, October lat, 1919, Section 1.
I am, &c.
W. LANGLEY.
161