CO885-(21-23) — Page 390

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O 885

22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

8052

(No. 37.)

SIR,

110

No. 151.

MAURITIUS.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 8th March, 1913.)

[Copy to Foreign Office, 22nd March, 1913. L.F.]

Government House, Port Louis, 28th January, 1913. I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith a return showing the imports and exports of opium during the

year 1912.

2. To the laws mentioned in paragraph 2 of my despatch, No. 155, of the 11th July, 1912, there should be added Ordinance No. 17 of 1904, the object of which was to make chemists and druggists also liable to the import and licence duties on opium. By the effect of Ordinance No. 17 of 1904, and of the other amending laws already noted, Ordinance No. 2 of 1867 is practically reduced to date to the following:-

Article 1.—It shall be lawful to import opium, either crude or prepared in any way.

•

Article 4-All persons who shall retail opium, crude, prepared, or refined, or any preparation or compound thereof, respectively, shall be bound to take out a licence, in addition to any other licence duty payable by such persons.

3. A Bill, on the lines of the draft Ordinance enclosed in your despatch, No. 212, of the 30th October, 1912,† has been prepared which repeals all existing laws on the subject, and will be introduced into the Council of Ġovernment early next session.

I have, &c.,

Enclosure 1 in No. 151.

J. R. CHANCELLOR.

IMPORTATION OF CRUDE AND REFINED OPIUM DURING 1912.

Opium, Crude.

Country of Origin.

United Kingdom

India

Turkey

111

Enclosure 3 in No. 151.

BILL entitled "An Ordinance to give effect to the measures decided upon in the Inter- national Opium Convention, signed at the Hague on the 23rd day of January, 1912, and to regulate the importation into, exportation from, and the storage and disposal of opium, morphine, cocaine, and similar drugs in the Colony." Be it enacted, &c., &c.,

1. In this Ordinance the term:-

"Raw Opium" means the spontaneously coagulated juice obtained from the capsules of the Papaver somniferum which has only been submitted to the necessary manipulations for packing and transport.

Prepared Opium" means the product of raw opium obtained by a series of special operations, especially by dissolving, boiling, roasting, and fermentation, designed to transform it into an extract suitable for consump- tion; and includes dross and all other residues remaining when opium has been smoked.

·

Medicinal Opium" means raw opium which has been heated to 60° centigrade, and contains not less than 10 per cent. of morphine, whether or not it is powdered or granulated or mixed with indifferent materials.

Morphine" means the principal alkaloid of opium, having the chemical formula C,H,NO,

"

Heroine means the diacetyl morphine, having the formula C., H2,NO1. Cocaine" means the principal alkaloid of the leaves of Erythroxylon coca, having the formula C,H,NO,

Similar Drugs" include -

(a) all preparations, whether officinal or non-officinal, as well as the so-called anti-opium remedies, which contain more than 02 per cent. of morphine, or more than 0.1 per cent. of cocaine;

(b) heroine, its salts and preparations, containing more than 0:1 per

cent. of heroine;

(c) all new derivatives of morphine, of cocaine, or of their respective salts, and every other alkaloid of opium which has been demonstrated by scientific research to be liable to similar abuse, and in its abuse productive of like ill-effects.

"Opium" when used without any qualifying epithet shall be taken to Heroine," Raw Opium," Medicinal Opium,” Morphine,"

include

· Cocaine," and "Similar Drugs."

"

+

Store

means any place appointed by the Governor for the storage of opium on its arrival in the Colony.

Signification

of terms.

Quantity Imported. Kilograms.

2,326 1,110,835

2.

It shall not be lawful to import into or to export from the Colony any pre- Importation pared opium.

and exporta.

100

tion of pre- pired opium unlawful.

Total

1,113,261

3. All opium imported into the Colony shall be deposited, at the cost, risk, and Opium to be peril of the person or persons importing the same, in such store as shall be appointed by the Governor for that purpose.

deposited

in store.

Opium, Refined.

Country of Origin."

Quantity Imported.

Kilograms.

4. No opium shall be delivered or withdrawn from a store except on the written Opium with authority of the Director of the Health Department, or of an officer of the Health authority of Department authorised by him as hereinafter provided.

drawn on

United Kingdom France

751

Director, Health Dapartment.

1,055

Total

1.806

5. The Director of the Health Department may authorise in writing any officer Director, of the Health Department in the Colony to sign the authority required by this Health Ordinance for the withdrawal of opium.

EXPORTATION.

Nil.

Heroine, cocaine, and morphine are included in apothecary-wares.

• No. 95.

↑ No. 126.

Department may delegate authority.

6. It shall not be lawful to authorise any withdrawal of opium from a store Withdrawals except to medical practitioners, dentists, and pharmacists.

7. Where any opium imported into the Colony is, without the proper authority, found in the possession of any person, or kept in a place other than a store, such person or the occupier of such place, unless he can prove that the same was deposited there without his knowledge or consent, and also the owner of, or other person guilty of keeping, the opium shall be guilty of an offence.

only by medi- cal practi- tioners, &c.

Opium not to pace uther

Le kept in a

than a store with at

th city.