No. 177.
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4. Before the Bill was presented to the Legislative Council an addition to Section 7 was proposed by Dr. Cran. The proposed addition was communicated to the Secretary of State, and in [reply] Mr. Secretary Harcourt, by a cable received here 30th August, 1913, stated that he had no objection thereto.
5. The addition above referred to allows opium referred to in a Customs entry presented by a registered medical practitioner, or a dentist, or a registered druggist, to be delivered to him without first having been deposited in a store appointed by the Governor, The Principal Medical Officer must countersign every such Customs entry.
6. I have examined the Bill and am of opinion that the Governor's assent may properly be given thereto.
143
place before the end of the year. But on the assumption that it is ratified early in January, 1914, the necessary legislation need not be submitted to the Union Parlia ment until the first session after the expiration of six months from the Convention coming into force, i.e., the first session after October, 1914.
7. In view of these circumstances His Majesty's Government earnestly trust that your Ministers will be able, on further consideration, to recommend that the Convention should be signed on behalf of the Union and will be able to introduce in due course the necessary legislation.
I have, &c.,
L. HARCOURT.
E. L. S. ATLAWES,
Acting Attorney-General.
35059
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TTTTT CO. 885
22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC: COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
35059
No. 176.
UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA:
THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL.
(No. 454.) MY LORD,
[Answered by No. 181.].
Downing Street, 25 October, 1913. WITH reference to Lord de Villiers' despatch, No. 715, of the 31st of October, 1912,* I have the honour to transmit to Your Excellency the accompanying copy of a report by the British delegates to the Second Opium Conference. Sir E. Grey has expressed his entire concurrence in the views expressed in this report.
2. You will see that the delegates urge strongly that the Union of South Africa should adhere to the Convention, and His Majesty's Government fully share their view of the importance of the co-operation of the Union. Apart from the great im- portance of establishing complete control over, and the eventual suppression of, the traffic in opium, there is no doubt that the manufacture and distribution of cocaine. morphine, and similar drugs demand the closest and most rigid supervision. It has been remarked in China that the restrictions placed upon the consumption of opium have been followed by an alarming rise in the consumption of cocaine and drugs which are both easier to smuggle and more deleterious in effect.
3. The necessity for international co-operation is pointed out clearly in the delegates' report. In the absence of adhesion to the Convention it would be open to the manufacturers of cocaine to set up factories in the non-adhering States from which the drugs could be exported: and, further, the ports of such States could be used with impunity for the transhipment of drugs intended for illicit importation into those countries which have accepted the Convention. In other words, it would be possible to defeat one of the most important objects of the Convention; an object which appeared to His Majesty's Government to be of such weight that their partici- pation in the Conference at the Hague was conditional on the effective discussion of the question and the formulation of methods of dealing with the evil.
4. In sympathy with this policy His Majesty's Government have cordially supported the efforts which have been made to induce those foreign Powers which have hitherto held aloof to sign the Hague Convention, and they would earnestly urge on your Ministers a reconsideration of the attitude which the Government of the Union has felt it desirable to adopt.
5. The minute enclosed in Lord de Villiers' despatch pointed out that, owing to the amount of legislation of a very important character that required to be under- taken, the Union Government found it impossible at that juncture (October, 1912), to become a party to the Convention, the signature of which would commit the Government to a definite course of action which they would be unable to carry out.
6. In this connexion I would refer you to my despatch, No. 442, of the 25th of September, 1912. in which I showed that even if the Convention were ratified and came into force at the earliest date, your Ministers would have practically a year in which to consider and prepare such legislation as might be necessary. Convention has not as yet been ratified, and I doubt whether ratification will take The
* No. 110.
• No. 133.
Enclosure in No. 172.
SIR,
COLONIAL OFFICE to FOREIGN OFFICE.
Downing Street, 27 October, 1913.
I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Harcourt to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th of October,* forwarding a copy of a despatch from the British Delegates to the Second Opium Conference, and to request you to lay before Secretary Sir Edward Grey the accompanying copy of a despatcht which has been addressed to the Governor-General of the Union of South Africa.
2. As regards the South African Protectorates mentioned by the Delegates,
Mr. Harcourt apprehends that there will be no difficulty in inducing them to agree
to the signature of the Convention on their behalf, if the Government of the Union are prepared to agree.
3. The Governments of all the West Indian Colonies mentioned by the Dele- gates have signified their willingness to adhere to the Convention and to take steps to procure the necessary legislation to carry out its provisions; but only a few of these Colonies have, as yet, actually passed such legislation. The Colony of Mauritius, and some of the West Indian Colonies to which reference is made, have Legislatures in which there is an unofficial majority, and although the Exe- cutive Government, in whose hands such matters rest, may agree to the signature of the Convention, there is no certainty that the Legislature will pass the necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the Convention. If, as is possible, though not, in Mr. Harcourt's opinion, probable, one or more of the Legislatures in question should refuse to enact the necessary measures, the position will be that. while the Government of the Colony has agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Convention, it is unable to give any effect thereto.
4. The Bahamas and the three Colonies of the Windward Islands (Grenada, St. Lucia, and St Vincent) have passed the necessary legislation, and the Cor- vention may be formally signed on behalf of those Colonies without further delay, if Sir E. Grey so desires. The other Colonies (Barbados, Bermuda, British Guiana, British Honduras, the Leeward Islands, and Mauritius) will be asked to expedite the passing of legislation on the subject, but, though it may be anticipated with some confidence that these Colonies will eventually adhere to the Convention, Mr. Harcourt would prefer, for the reasons stated above, to defer announcing their adhesion for the present.
I am, &c.,
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No. 178.
ST. HELENA.
H. W. JUST.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR.
(No. 42.)
SIR,
Downing Street, 3rd November, 1913.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 58, of the 30th of September‡ and to inform you that His Majesty will not be advised to exercise his power of disallowance with respect to Ordinance No. 5 of 1913, of St. Helena, entitled " The Opium Ordinance, 1913."
No. 172.
↑ No. 176.
No. 171.