COPY.
British Delegation,
Hotel Metropole.
Genève.
29th November, 1924.
603
•
Sir,
In your letter of the 25th November you asked me to confirm the statement which I made to you verbally during our conversation on the 24th that the Government of one Kon; had been authorised by the British Government to allow the transhipment of consignments of opium brought into Hong Kong en route for Jaane se destinations on through bills of lading; provided a certificate of importation issued by the Imperial Japanese overment, or by the Governors of Fermo sa or Ewantung, or a similar certificate issued by the Japanese Consul-General at Hong Kong on the instructions of the Japanese Government or the Governors of Formosa or Kwantung, is produced. I have now the honor to confirm my statement that instructions have been issued in that sense.
It will be understood that the conditions laid down in the Hon Ko Ordinance of 29 th August, 1924, in regard to transhipments generally will be complied with in such cases.
It is also understood that the British Government will exercise their discretion in regard to any particular consignment in the event of there being any doubt as to the consignment being destined for legitimate uses.
9 I
I en informed by the Foreign Office that i ̈ & conversa- tion last week between His Majesty's mbassador at Tokio and the Japanese Minister for Foreign affairs on the subject of the question which has arisen here, the latter expressed the opinion that the right to issue the import certificates should be confined to a Central Bureau at Tokio. informed you the other day, His Lajesty's Government would also be disposed to prefer that the certificates should be issued by the Imperial Japanese Government, and in the event of this course being agreed upon between the two overments, the arrangements in the first paragraph of this letter would be modified accordingly.
The draft article for insertion in the Convention to be concluded by the First Conference (which I communicated to
you
C
K. Sugimura