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2. I approve generally of the draft Ordinance enclosed in the latter despatch, and the only observations that I desire to offer are the following:-

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(1) In Section 11 the words "not being or having the status of a ship of should be inserted after the word "ship in the fifth line. It is, perhaps, not absolutely a necessary amendment, but the phrase is one usually employed in the legislation of other Colonies, and for the sake of uniformity I should prefer it to be inserted.

(2) I consider that to avoid all possibility of the growth of an export trade in opium, a section should be added forbidding the cultivation of the opium poppý (Papaver somniferum) in the Colony or its dependencies.

(3) In view of Article 24 of the Convention I think that a section should also be added to the effect that the Ordinance shall come into force on a date to be fixed by proclamation by the Governor.

3. I with the Attorney-General in thinking that re-export of " opium,"

agree as defined in Section 2 of the draft, can be controlled by regulations under the Ordinance, and care will no doubt be taken that regulations shall be framed.

4. I am communicating to the Governments of the other West African Colonies and Protectorates a copy of the draft Ordinance, with a request that with the additions proposed in this despatch, identical legislation shall be adopted in those dependencies.

5. I would add, however, that in view of the fact that the Convention cannot come into force for some time it is not necessary that the draft Ordinance should be passed into law at an early date.

23163

SIR,

(No. 204.)

43

No. 70.

BRITISH GUIANA.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received July 23, 1912.)

Government House, Georgetown, Demerara, 27th June, 1912. WITH reference to your Circular despatch of the 16th May,* requesting to be furnished with copies of laws and regulations and statistical information prescribed in Article 21 of the International Opium Convention signed at The Hague on the 23rd January last, for the information of the contracting States, I have the honour to transmit copy of a minute by the Comptroller of Customs giving the particulars required.

2. In addition to the Laws quoted by the Comptroller of Customs, I eaclose copies of an Ordinance passed in 1911 (No. 14 of 1911)† to amend the Customis Ordinance of 1884. This Ordinance repeals the first schedule to the 1884 Ordin- ance, and enacts a new one, of goods prohibited to be imported or restricted, Clauses 10 and 11 of which relate to opium and ganje and replace Clauses 13 and 14 of the repealed tables.

I have, &c.,

CHARLES T. COX.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TC.O. 885

22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TQ |

22989

(No. 114.) SIR,

No. 69.

MALTA.

I have, &c.,

L. HARCOURT.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received July 23, 1912.)

[Answered by No. 113.]

The Palace, Valletta, 17 July, 1912. WITH reference to your Circular despatch of the 16th May, 1912,* relating to the International Opium Convention signed at the Hague on the 23rd January last, I have the honour to report that no laws or administrative regulations respecting opium, raw or prepared, are in existence in this Colony. There is no appreciable trade in the article, and the necessity of legislating on the subject has not been felt in the past.

2. As regards medicinal opium and its preparations, I enclose copies of Ordinance XVII. of 1901 (the Second Sanitary Ordinance†) in which these sub- stances are classified as poison and dealt with accordingly in Chapter IV., Article 30, et seq., and Chapter VII., Article 63 et seq.

3. Malta having now adhered to the Convention, it becomes necessary to introduce legislation in order to give effect to its provisions, and it would be of much assistance if this Government could be favoured with a reference to any special laws, rules, or other statutory provisions that may have been enacted on the subject.

4. No statistics are available of imported raw or prepared opium, morphine, cocaine, and their respective salts, or of the other drugs or their salts or prepara- tions referred to in the Convention. These substances are imported in very small quantities for medicinal purposes only, and are entered in the Customs returns under the general term “drugs,”

I have, &c.,

LESLIE RUNDLE,

Governor.

Enclosure in No. 70.

MINUTE BY THE COMPTROLLER OF CUSTOMS.

HONOURABLE GOVERNMENT SECRETARY,

THE only laws in the Colony dealing with opium are—

(1) The Opium Ordinance, No. 3 of 1889.

(2) The Customs Duties Ordinance.

(3) The Customs Ordinance, No. 7 of 1884, Section 29.

2. The following are the Customs Regulations having special reference to opium :-

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80. The examination of all wines, spirits, tobacco, opium, and similar high duty goods is to be performed at the Colonial Bonded Ware- house except when otherwise allowed by the Comptroller, and officers in charge of receiving stores are to see that such goods are forwarded to ware- house with all convenient speed accompanied by a Customs Official and a 111. Entries for opium, ganje, and similar goods must bear a clear indication of the nature of the goods according to the tariff description given in the Customs Duties Ordinance.

cart note.

"Opium and ganje. &c., being high duty goods officers must exercise great care in raising the revenue account on importation. The examination must be thorough, and every internal tin or package is to be weighed gross; if the weight and number be approximately the same per case, one tin or more if necessary must be opened and the contents weighed. The quantity thus ascertained is to be accepted as the basis for arriving at the weight for duty of each case of the shipment. If the number of tins or their weight per case varies, each case or similar group of cases of the shipment will be treated as above described.

· 112. Under the Customs Ordinance No. 7 of 1884 opium cannot legally be imported into the Colony except in vessels of 120 tons burden, and except in packages each containing not less than 20 pounds net weight and forming part of the cargo, and duly reported.

Under the Opium Ordinance No. 3 of 1889 opium can only be imported by a wholesale dealer. All imported opium must be warehoused, and the conditions of delivery from the Bonded Warehouse are provided for in the Opium Ordinance.

• No. 18.

† Not reprinted,

• No. 18.

† Not reprinted,