that of the lovesant manufactors of, I secting trretored open Artale of the itaque & mention, we
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Yerers South fully G. 5. thees
Edinburgh Enti Opium Committee
For Promoting the Objects of
THE HAGUE INTERNATIONAL OPIUM CONVENTION
President-LanD POLWARTH.
Vice-Presidents
Sir Mark J. M'Taggart Stewart, Bart. Very Rev. Dr. Russell.
R. Rev. Bishop Walrolz, D.D.
Professor JAMES SETH,
E. FRICK, Esq.
1. M. HOGGE, Esq., M.A., M.P. W. GRAHAM, Esq., LL.B., M.P.
C. D. MURRAY, Esq., K.C., M.P. Captain J. G. JANSSON, M.F. Sir EDWARD PAKKOTT, LL.D.
Chairman & Executive-A. H. F. Barbour, Esq., M.D., LL.D., 4 Charlotte Squar
Hom. Treasurer-T. S. MARTIN, Esq., C.A., 10 Dean Park Crescent, Hon. Secretary-Rer. G. S. Muir, M, A., 120 Braid Road.
The Indian Government, the Hague Convention, and the Opium Traffic
Hi friends of the anti-opium cause have for years been expecting that when the Hague Convention came into operation, the opium traffic in India and all over the world would cease, except for legitimate,
¿, medicinal, purposes. The articles, taken as a whole, have evidently this view. The first five, it is true, make provision for the production, export import, of "raw opium." But, taken in connection with the following ree, which deal with "prepared opium," it is reasonably inferential that eproduction," previously mentioned, refers only to that which is to be sel as medicine and not also to what is "abused" in vicious indulgence. us Article 6 runs: "The contracting powers shall take measures for the dust and effective suppression of the manufacture of, internal trade in, and of prepared opium," de, opium for smoking. Now, the Indian Govern- nt does not itself make this prepared opium, but it sends out annually to her countries 13,000 chests, which it knows will, before they can be smoked, ve to be thus prepared' by those who must accordingly, in doing so, be ing at naught the article which aims at 'suppressing' the operation. e abuse of morphia and cocaine is more definitely prohibited in Article g ic confines those drugs to medical and legitimate purposes' and bis co-operation' to prevent their use in any other way. But we Are all along believed that it was intended that 'raw opium' should Tertical! with in the same way, seeing that from it the other atives come. It will be calamitous if this is not s0. Moreover, The words of the Hague preamble strengthen our view. It expresses esire on the part of the assembled Powers to take a step further the Shanghai Commission (an assembly which unanimously agreed the opium vice must cease, and recognised China's drastic operations as odeit determines to bring about the gradual suppression of the of opium, and is convinced that in this 'humanitarian effort' all will Tas, then, is the anti-opium position.
the Indian Government in the past have taken an opposite view. In 1914 brahim Rahimboola, in the Indian Budget debate, asked why the export
u should not be prohibited to other parts as well as to China. Sir ar. Meyer, Finance Minister, replied that, "first, he did not admit the
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