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Attempts

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(3) Proceedings in a magistrate's court relative to any opium or prepared opium so seized shall be commenced as soon as possible after the seizure.

(4) No person acting under the warrant aforesaid shall be liable to any suit for seizing and detaining any opium or prepared opium.

9. Any person who attempts to coinmit, or aids and abets in the commission of, and access any offence against the provisions of this Regulation, or any rules made hereunder,

may be tried and punished as if he were charged with the actual offence.

Fories to, offences.

109

July, 1912,* I have the honour to submit, for the signification of His Majesty's pleasure, authenticated copies of an Ordinance (No. 1 of 1913)† passed by the Legis- lature of St. Lucia, entitled “An Ordinance to give effect to the measures decided upon in the International Opium Convention signed at the Hague on the 23rd day of January, 1912, and to regulate the importation, storage, and disposal of opium, morphine, cocaine, and similar drugs.”

2. A copy of the Attorney-General's report on the measure is attached.

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I have, &c.,

J. HAYES SADLER,

Governor.

(No. 68.)

No. 148.

TRINIDAD.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR.

Downing Street, 20th February, 1913.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 509, of the 31st of December,* and to inform you that His Majesty will not be advised to exercise his powers of disallowance with respect to Ordinance No. 58 of 1912 of the Legislature of Trinidad and Tobago, entitled "An Ordinance to give effect to the measures decided upon in the International Opium Convention signed at the Hague on the 23rd day of January, 1912, and to regulate the importation into [sic], and the storage and disposal of opium, morphine, cocaine and similar drugs.”

2. As regards the points raised in the Attorney-General's report, I am advised that the powers given to the Governor in Council in Section 14 are sufficient to pro- vide the proper authority" without which a patient could not legally be in posses- sion of opium.

3. I am further advised that as regards Section 16, the Ordinance, like the Gold Coast model, appears to secure that no prepared opium shall be imported, and that no raw opium shall come into the hands of any persons but registered and specially authorised medical practitioners, dentists, and druggists.

4. Unless, therefore, you are of opinion that the Ordinance and the Ordinances as to medical practitioners, &c., do not sufficiently enable you to control the persons to whom raw opium may be issued, further legislation on the lines suggested by the Attorney-General would appear to be unnecessary.

5. I have to add that Section 17 was added at my request in view of Article 24 of the Opium Convention, under which legislation need not be introduced until nine months after the ratification of the Convention, and can only come into force on a day to be agreed upon by the Powers.

6. It is not probable that the Convention will be ratified before June next at the earliest, and there will accordingly be no necessity, for some considerable time, to bring the Ordinance into force. It should not in any case be enforced without instructions from the Secretary of State.

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SIR,

I have, &c.,

L. HARCOURT.

Enclosure in No. 149.

REPORT BY ATTORNEY-GENERAL..

St. Lucia.

Report by the Attorney-General on an Ordinance entitled "An Ordinance to give effect to the measures decided upon in the International Opium Convention signed at the Hague on the 23rd day of January, 1912, and to regulate the importa- tion, storage, and disposal of opium, morphine, cocaine, and similar drugs," which passed the Legislative Council on the 6th day of January, 1913.

This Ordinance was passed in accordance with the Secretary of State's instruc- tions in his despatch, Windward Islands, Miscellaneous, of the 26th of July, 1912. It follows the Gold Coast draft Ordinance which accompanied the despatch, and it contains the additions mentioned in the third paragraph of the despatch.

I am of opinion that His Excellency's assent may properly be given.

7th January, 1913.

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No. 150.

ANTHONY DE FREITAS,

Attorney General.

No. 149.

WINDWARD ISLANDS (St. Lucia).

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 4th March, 1913.)

[Ordinance sanctioned, 11th March, 1913. No. 14. L.F.] [Copy of Ordinance to Foreign Office, 13th March, 1913. L.F.]

(No. 20.)

St. Lucia, 15th February, 1913.

REFERRING to your despatch, Windward Islands, Miscellaneous, of the 26th

SIR,

WESTERN PACIFIC.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE HIGH COMMISSIONER.

[Copy to Foreign Office, 25th March, 1913. L.F.] (Gilbert and Ellice Islands.) (Solomon Islands.) (No. 55.)

Downing Street, 5 March, 1913.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 5, of the 13th January, forwarding a copy of a letter from the Resident Commissioner in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate regarding the inclusion of that Pro- tectorate in the International Opium Convention, 1912, together with the draft of a Regulation which has been prepared to give effect to the provisions of the Con- vention in the Solomon Islands and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorates.

2. As it is not intended to enforce legislation on the subject enacted in His Majesty's dominions until similar legislation is undertaken by other Powers, a clause should be inserted in the Regulation providing for it to come into force on a date to be fixed by the High Commissioner.

3. Subject to the insertion of such a clause I approve the draft Regulation.

I have, &c..

L. HARCOURT.

No. 143.

:

• No. 7.

↑ Not reprinted.

‡ No. 117.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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