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thing in the history of mankind. The fact that the convention had been signed by all the Powers with only two exceptions demonstrated the great advance that had been made towards the end in view,
On the motion of Mr. van Dyke, the senior delegate of the United States, M. Cremer, who had presided at the second Conference, was again elected to the chair; and M. Loudon was appointed honorary president.
A loyal and dutiful message was ordered to be conveyed to Her Majesty the Queen.
French was adopted as the official language, the secretariate was appointed, and the twelve rules of procedure which had been followed at the previous Conferences were again passed.
A Commission de Rédaction, consisting of Sir William Collins, Baron Fallon, M. van Deventer, and Mr. Charles Denby, was appointed, also a Press committee, consisting of M. de Jongh, Mirza Mahmoud Khan, and Mr. Archer.
M. Aranha, the Brazilian delegate, raised the question of fixing a date as from which the convention should come into force, whether all the united Powers had adhered or not.
Mr. van Dyke, the senior delegate of the United States, gave notice of a resolution binding the signatory Powers to ratify as soon as possible, and to put the convention into force as from the 1st December, 1914.
M. Marcellin Pellet, the French delegate, abserved that to put the convention into force without the adhesion of all the Powers would create a commercial monopoly highly remunerative to the non-adherent States. Further discussion was adjourned! until the next session.
At the commencement of the second full session of the Conference on the 16th June M. Cremer, the president, explained, for the benefit of those delegates who had not attended the previous Conferences, the changed position of affairs which confronted the third Conference compared with the state of things dealt with by the second, when the signatures of no fewer than twelve Powers were wanting. The present Conference was called in obedience to a resolution passed by its predecessor with a view to consider not the possibility of depositing ratifications for that had been decided affirmatively-but of bringing the convention into force notwithstanding the abstention of two or three Powers whose co-operation had been invited. He concluded by stating that the motion, of which notice had been given by the United States delegation, was in order, but before entering upon its discussion he invited any statement on behalf of any Government which might be ready to proceed to ratification.
Having regard to the terms of our instructions and to the nature of the proposals to be made on behalf of the American Government, we deemed it advisable at once to state clearly the position of Great Britain, and indeed we had previously advised the President that we thought some general discussion on the situation as now disclosed would probably be generally advantageous before proceeding to discuss the fixation of a definite date as from, which the convention would automatically come into force as provided by the proposed American resolution.
We therefore informed the Conference that, as already intimated by M. Loudon, Great Britain was now prepared to ratify the convention, and that we entertained the hope that all the other signatory Powers were also ready to do so; that His Majesty's Government cordially recognised the success which had attended the efforts of the Netherlands Government in securing so many additional signatures since the rising of the second Conference, and shared the regret expressed at the abstention of Turkey and Servia and the partial abstention of Greece.
The attitude of His Majesty's Government was, we said, as follows: If all the signatory Powers were ready to ratify, the convention would, in accordance with the effectuating clauses, come into force automatically three months after the receipt by the Netherlands Government of the last act of ratification. The minutes of the first and second Conferences, however, showed that we had always contemplated the possibility of a situation arising like that now confronting us, owing to the abstention of one or two Powers. Article 23 prescribed two different routes by which ratification might be achieved:-
1. Consequential on signature by all the invited Powers without convoking
conference; and
a
2. In case all such signatures had not been received by the 31st December, 1912, a conference was to meet to reconsider the question of ratification notwithstanding.
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Such Conference was held in July 1913, and unanimously decided that ratification of the convention should proceed without awaiting signature by all the invited Powers. Article 23 proceeded to state that ratification would take place with as little delay as possible, and article 24 prescribed three months as the period which should elapse between the last deposit of ratification and the coming into torce of the convention. But the second Conference had resolved that if the signature of all the invited Powers had not been received by the 31st December, 1913, a fresh Conference should assemble to consider the question of coming into force of the convention. The question therefore arose whether a date could be fixed from which the coming into force should date. It was well also to recall that article 24 provided for the consideration by a Conference of any suggestion relative to ratifica- tion, legislation, &c., which could not be resolved otherwise. The position then was that forty-three out of forty-six Powers had signed the convention and nine of the former had already ratified, while several others were ready to do so. It seemed inconceivable that the objects in view should be frustrated by two or three Powers, The decision of the second Conference to proceed with ratification seemed to preclude the suggestion that the convention should not be put in force until every one of the invited Powers had signed it; it might even be possible to contrive measures with a view to neutralise the effects of their abstention, which abstention could not be regarded as a reason for abandoning the humanitarian objects which had been pursued with so much international accord,
M. van Deventer stated that the Second Chamber of the States-General had that day passed the ratification of the convention, and that he had reason to hope that the First Chamber would shortly do the same.
Baron Fallon, delegate for Belgium, announced that he had that morning deposited the ratification of his Government.
M. Carlin, the delegate for Switzerland, explained that in signing the convention his Government had made the reserve that, for constitutional reasons, it would not be possible to put the convention in force within the three months mentioned in article 24, but that steps were being taken with a view to secure the necessary constitutional modifications and to enact the required cantonal legislation.
M. de Verga, the Argentine delegate, claimed that his Government should be included among those ready to ratify, as the delay was due solely to constitutional formalities.
M. Huneeus, the Chilean delegate, stated that ratification merely awaited the approval of the Chambers, and M. Seminario added that the Government of Ecuador was in the same position.
M. von Müller, who was at this Conference the sole delegate from Germany, then informed the Conference that the Imperial Government had replied, on the 19th March, to the invitation of the Netherlands that Germany would be unable to take up a different attitude from that assumed at the second Conference. The fact that Germany thought that the moment for ratification had not arrived could not therefore be a matter of surprise. He was authorised to declare that the Imperial Government adhered to the view that an international convention for regulating the manufacture and sale of opium, morphine, and cocaine could not attain the results desired so long as certain States which had not entered into any formal engagement were able to carry on an unrestricted trade. He cited the reserves attached to the signatures of Sweden, Montenegro, and Greece, as well as to the abstention of Turkey and Servia. The declaration made by Austria-Hungary could not be regarded as altogether satisfactory. It was therefore to be feared that the desired object could not be attained by reason of such reserves and abstentions. The Imperial Government, to its deep regret, could not therefore, at the present moment, contemplate the possibility of ratifying the convention.
M. de Klercker, the Swedish delegate, at once explained that the adhesion of Sweden was in effect without any reservation.
M. Marcellin Pellet was charged by his Government to announce the adhesion of all the French colonies except those of Indo-China and India, which were in a special position on account of their geographical proximity to the opium-producing countries, China and British India, and the absence of any effective customs barrier against an active contraband. Such abstention, however, would not prevent their co-operation in the struggle against the use of opium.
Mr. van Dyke, the United States Minister and first American delegate, expressed the desire of his Government to put the convention into force wthout any reserve. He proposed the resolution of which he had given notice, binding all the signatory
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