[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government 283
REC:
¡REGE 14 JUN 17
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[37169]
fo..
No. 1.
[February 17.1 234
SECTION 1.
Sir,
Home Office to Foreign Office-(Received February 17.)
Home Office, February 15, 1917.
I AM directed by Secretary Sir George Cave to say, for the information of Mr. Secretary Balfour, that applications have recently been made to him by several firms for permits to purchase considerable quantities of cocaine for export to Japan, as follows:-
From Holland. From France.
OZ.
OZ.
By W. Duff and Sons (Limited), of 113, Cannon Street. E.0., for export to Japan (name of con- siguce is not given, but the persons and firms to whom cocaine has been exported by this firm during 1914, 1915, and 1916 are Iwai and Co. (Limited), Tokyo; Tomoda Company, Tokyo; and C. Takeda, Osaka)
By China and Japan Trading Company (Limited), of 4 and 5, East India Avenue, E.C., for export to Yokohama (name of consignee not given)
4,000
1,000
By Union Export Company (Limited), of 5, Uzion Court, Old Broad Street. E.C., for export to the Tokyo Trading Company, Tokyo
1,000
500
By Messrs. A. J. Macpherson and Co., of 5, East India Avenue, EC., For export to the Oriental Pharmaceutical Company, Osaka
1,000
Total
+
7,000
500
It is proposed in each case to purchase from Messrs. R. W. Greeff and Co., of Thames House, Queen Street Place, E.C., selling agents in London for the Nederlandsche Cocainefabrik, Amsterdam, one of the chief sources of supply of the drug, and the cocaine is despatched direct from Holland to Japan. In connection with the above- mentioned applications, Messrs. Greeff and Co. have been asked for particulars of their sales during 1914, 1915, and 1916 for export to Japan. They are as follows:-
August to December 1914 January to December 1915 January to December 1916.
02.
Nil.
15,500
20,450
In view of the representations received by the Foreign Office as to the drug traffic carried on with Manchuria from Japan, to which Home Office attention was called by the Foreign Office in their letter of the 30th November, 1916, the Secretary of State thinks it right to call Mr. Balfour's attention to these figures. The Secretary of State has no information to show that any part of these exports are destined for other than legitimate purposes, but as the annual legitimate requirements of cocaine in the United Kingdom are estimated at about 10,000 oz., the figures would seem to suggest that cocaine is being imported into Japan in excess of the medicinal requirements of the country. The Secretary of State would be glad to have any observations Mr. Balfour may wish to make in regard to the matter. He has not yet given his sanction to the transactions in question.
I am, &c.
MALCOLM DELEVINGNE.
[2662 r-1}