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revenues of Malaya, for instance, were chiefly derived from the three substances, tin, rubber, and opium. Neither of the first two were at the moment at all productive.
After discussion the Committee decided to give the Colonies no lead in the matter. 18. League of Nations Central Bureau in the Far East for Opium Smoking Affairs. The Committee generally thought that this recommendation involved an entirely unnecessary extension of the League's activities.
SIR MALCOLM DELEVINGNE asked Mr. Orde whether the Foreign Office had con- sidered the question of invitations being extended to the United States of America and China to the Conference at Bangkok. The question was very likely to be raised at the Council of the League and it would be necessary for His Majesty's Government to decide beforehand its policy in the matter
MR. ORDE said that this point had not been considered.
It was agreed from the point of view of control of opium the representation of China and the United States of America would not be of any assistance. The ques- tion was therefore purely political. Was it desirable as a matter of foreign policy that these countries should be represented?
SIR JOHN CAMPBELL thought and the Committee agreed that the representation of China might easily result in the Conference breaking up without anything being done. In the presence of China it might be difficult to get co-operation from Japan and Siam. As the United States were definitely committed to prohibition and the Commissioners' Report was opposed to this view it was agreed that it was difficult to see what part the United States could play at the Conference. Possibly the United States might be asked as an observer. It was pointed out that the recommendations of the Committee in regard to co-operation between the preventive services covered the Philippines. The representatives of the Foreign Office agreed to consider these points.
After SIR JOHN CAMPBELL raised the question of the Agenda of the Conference. some discussion the Committee agreed that all the points raised in the Commission's report, that is to say, the whole field, were open to consideration by the Conference.
SIR GILBERT GRINDLE supposed that the Conference was intended only to review the position and would not be empowered to come to any agreement. But after some discussion 'the Committee felt that if agreement was reached on new measures, it would he undesirable that the Conference should terminate without embodying them in a convention, otherwise a further conference would be necessary. The Government representatives on the Conference should therefore be plenipotentiaries. As the Con- ference was convened under Article 12 of the Geneva Agreement whereby the contracting parties merely agreed that they would jointly review from time to time the position in regard to the application of Chapter II of The Hague Convention and of the Geneva agreement, it did not follow that representatives of all Governments would be provided with full powers, and it was therefore agreed that the Foreign Office should approach the other Governments concerned with a view to ascertaining what their views were on the point.
MR. PASKIN raised the question of the representation of His Majesty's Govern- ment in the United Kingdom at the Conference. It was generally agreed that it would be impolitic for the delegate to be supplied by one of the Far Eastern Governments and it was pointed out that so far as it was known the other European Governments would be represented by Civil Servants in the Home Administration. On the question whether the delegate should be a technician or not, STR MALCOLM DELEVINGNE expressed the view that the delegate should be someone who had to do with the administration of the Conventions, but that it was not necessary to make any recom- mendation on the point at this stage. It was agreed that the question could be left over for the present.
C. 83014/31 [No. 17].
No. 2.
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL, LEAGUE OF NATIONS, to FOREIGN OFFICE. (Copy received in Colonial Office, 5th March, 1931.) [Answered by No. 8.]
SIR,
League of Nations, Geneva, 28th February, 1931. THE Council of the League of Nations at its 62nd session received the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Control of Opium Smoking in the Far East (Document C. 635, M.254, 1930, XI, Volume I), and decided to invite the Govern- ments concerned to communicate their observations on the Report as soon as circum- stances permitted and not later than 1st July, 1931.
The Council also considered the question of the Conference to be held under the terms of Article 12 of the Geneva Opium Agreement of 1925 in preparation for which the Report of the Commission of Inquiry had been made. On the proposal of
its rapporteur the Council accepted with gratitude an invitation given by the Govern- ment of Siam to hold the Conference in Bangkok, and decided that the Conference should take place in Bangkok, opening within the first ten days of November, 1931, the exact date to be fixed by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Siamese Government.
In accordance with the Council's decision, I have therefore the honour to request you to communicate to me such observations as your Government may care to make on the Commission's Report as soon as circumstances permit, and in any event not later than 1st July, 1931.
I have the honour, further, on behalf of the Council to invite your Government to be represented by one or more delegates with the necessary plenary powers at the Conference to be held at Bangkok, which in accordance with the terms of Article 12 of the Geneva Opium Agreement and in the light of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry will review the position in regard to the application of Chapter II of The Hague Convention and of the Agreement itself. The opening date of the Conference will be communicated to you when the necessary arrangements with the Siamese Government have been concluded.
The Council also desired me to express to your Government its sincere apprecia- tion of the wholehearted assistance and full co-operation which, according to the statement of the Commission of Inquiry, was given to the Commission in its difficult task by your Government as well as by the local Governments concerned.
I am forwarding under separate cover copies of the Commission's Report,* of
the Minutes of the 6th meeting of the 62nd session of the Council and of a letter dated 15th January, 1931, from the Chinese representative on the Advisory Com- mittee on Traffic in Opium and other Dangerous Drugs containing certain observations on the Report. The further volumes of the Report, which consist of Annexes to it, will be sent to you as soon as they have been printed.
I have, &c.,
C. 83014/31 [Nos. 19 and 20].
No. 3.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
to
ERIC DRUMMOND,
Secretary-General.
[1] THE OFFICER ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STRAITS SEttlements. [2] THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG.
(Sent 5 p.m., 11th March, 1931.) TELEGRAM.
[Answered by Nos. 19, 21, and 17.]
[No. 42.] [No. 41.]
INTERNATIONAL Conference on opium smoking in accordance with Article 12 of Geneva Opium Agreement is to be held at Bangkok in November.
* Not reprinted.
}