194
opium beyond that already arranged for you expect to need next year, giving figures of anticipated consumption and supplies from India upon which your estimates are based. I should also be glad to have further details why nine months' supply is considered insufficient.
British Representative on Opium Advisory Committee understands from one of Persian delegates at Geneva that Persian Government are prepared to enter into direct contracts with other Governments for supply of opium. He also discussed with Dutch Representative possibility of common action on the part of the administrations of the Straits Settlements and Netherlands East Indies, and understands semi-officially that the Dutch view the idea with sympathy. I shall be glad to receive your observa- tions. In view of possibility of such direct arrangements it may be desirable to defer purchases, but I should not object to your making further purchases of reasonable amount if you consider them essential through existing channels.-AMERY.
C. 53017/A/28 [No. 48].
195
No. 161.
INTERDEPARTMENTAL OPIUM COMMITTEE.
MINUTES OF THE 7TH MEETING, held at the HOME OFFICE on Monday,
(Extract.)
22ND OCTOBER, 1928.
Present:
SIR MALCOLM DELEVINGNE. Home Office, Chairman.
SIR GILBERT GRINDLE
MR. S. CAINE
MR. W. STRANG
MR. K. JOHNSTONE
Colonial Office.
Foreign Office.
*
MR. W. ST. C. H. ROBERTS
MR. M. D. PERRINS, Home Office, Secretary.
*
*
*
*
*
679
C. 58017/A/28 [No. 44].
No. 160.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
THE OFFICER ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
4TH OCTOBER.
(Received 2.42
p.m., 4th October, 1928.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 163.]
Confidential. Opium. Unnecessary to obtain more opium this year provided that deliveries can be assured for-1929. It is necessary to remember that more time may be wasted in possibly fruitless negotiations and that we cannot afford to run any risk of being caught short'through bad deliveries or non-deliveries. I should like to adopt suggestion contained in your despatch of 30th August, Con- fidential,* as an experiment and call for tenders for delivery of 150 chests of Persian before the end of March, and later to call for tenders for similar delivery before the end of April and so on throughout the year. Our stocks at the end of 1928 are esti- mated at 2,073 chests. For 1929, Indian guaranteed deliveries amount to 1,773 chests, balance of Bellairs Atkinson's contract 600 chests and proposed Persian monthly deliveries from March would amount to 1,500 chests. Consumption during 1929 estimated at 3,200, so approval of proposals above would give stocks end of 1929, 2,746 chests sufficient for 10 months, which together with Indian guaranteed deliveries of 1,520 chests in 1930 would keep us going for fully 16 months from the 1st January, 1930. Persian deliveries will have to be increased after 1929 as Indian deliveries fall. If direct dealings with the Persian Government become possible tender system will cease. I should like authority to call for tenders locally from J. A. Elias, Stephen Paul and Co., and A. B. David and Co., of Saigon. Also Crown Agents would call for tenders in London I should also like authority to order 20 sample chests of Turkish opium from Whittall and Co., paragraph 8 of your despatch of 30th August, Confidential.
* No. 152.
The Straits Settlements supplies of Opium.
THE Committee proceeded to consider the arrangements for purchase of Persian opium by the Government of the Straits Settlements. SIR MALCOLM DELEVINGNE thought that the main things were that purchases should be regular and not spasmodic to avoid disturbances of the market, excess of production, &c.; that only reputable and reliable persons should be dealt with, and if possible direct contracts should be made with the Persian Government; and that the amounts imported should be kept to a figure which was reasonable. The Committee agreed. It was decided to agree to the proposal of the Straits Settlements that during 1929 they should purchase from Persia 150 cases a month for ten months, in addition to the 1,700 cases to come from India. At the end of this time the position would be reviewed on the basis of the statistics for 1928. This would allow the Monopoly to have 2,700 cases in hand at the end of the year. It was thought that such a stock was reasonable. It was agreed that it was very undesirable that the different Governments concerned should be buying against each other, and the question of joint or concerted action on the part of the Governments of the Straits Settlements and the Netherlands East Indies was considered. SIR MALCOLM DELEVINGNE suggested that someone from the Crown Agents or the Colonial Office should go over to Holland to interview Mr. Delgorge, an official of the Netherlands Indies Monopoly, who had been to Persia to investigate the opium situation there and was now retired at The Hague. The representative of the Colonial Office concurred, but felt that it would be difficult to arrange, as they must be careful not to offend the Straits Settlements Government, who were suspicious of interference in these matters from London. They would see what could be done to bring the Straits Settlements Government and that of the Netherlands East Indies together. As regards the question of buying direct from Persia it was agreed that nothing could be done until the matter had been discussed with Sir Robert Clive, who was on leave from Teheran and would be in London in a few days. MR STRANG promised to arrange for an interview with Sir Robert Clive.
C. 53017/A/28 [No. 55].
No. 162.
MR. W. STRANG (FOREIGN OFFICE) to SIR G. GRINDLE (COLONIAL OFFICE). DEAR GRINDLE,
Foreign Office, S.W.1, 29th October, 1928.
I HAD a few minutes with Sir Robert Clive on Friday and spoke to him about the question of the purchase of Persian opium by the Straits Government. As he is returning to Persia to-morrow and is heavily occupied with commercial treaty matters it will not, I am afraid, be possible to arrange for him to see you and Delevingne. He himself does not think that this will be any loss, because he says he is not very well acquainted with opium questions. I did, however, go over all the principal points with him. He thinks it would be an advantage if the Straits authorities could be persuaded to buy regularly, and to concert with the Netherlands East Indies authorities. He thinks it should be quite feasible for the Straits authorities to buy direct from the Persian Opium Monopoly, though, like all of us, he doubts the capacity
. PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :--
C.O.882/11
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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