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LORD CECIL said that what he required was authority to blunt so far as possible the edge of the following kind of damaging criticism to which our position seemed to him to be open. We think opium smoking so reprehensible that we make it a criminal offence here. Yet we supply the material for this crime to our Colonies and draw revenue from it. Again, under The Hague Convention we have agreed to take steps progressively to put an end to it, subject to local difficulties. Yet the measures we are now adopting are not directed towards diminishing the practice. True, the argument that our hands are tied by conditions in China is a complete practical answer. But ought we not to say "As soon as China begins suppressing the poppy, we will Then we ought to go as far as we can in removing begin suppressing opium smoking?

the reproach as to Malaya's dependence on opium revenue. In sum, we must be in a position to make a statement which will put us right in the eyes of the world and especially of the Dominions.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN thereupon drafted a formula which was given to the depart- mental representatives to elaborate in consultation with Lord Cecil.

From this process the following texts emerged in the course of the afternoon of 15th January. Lord Cecil had approved them and taken them with him to Geneva. He will try to get the other Delegations to agree to I, in order that, if agreement is reached, it may be adopted as a protocol to the First Conference Convention. It is hoped that agreement will be promoted by a letter from Sir John Jordan, which Lord Cecil has also taken with him, saying that he (Sir John) entirely approves these texts and that they represent his views.

4609/25.

91

No. 74.

LORD CECIL (GENEVA) to MR. A. CHAMBERLAIN (FOREign Office). (Copy received in Colonial Office 5th February, 1925.)

MY DEAR AUSTEN,

[Answered by No. 75.]

British Delegation, Hotel des Bergues,

Geneva, 25th January, 1925. FOR my own satisfaction and to be quite sure that I am acting in full accordance with your views, I have drawn up a short memorandum of what I understand to be the Government's policy on the opium question.

With regard to paragraph 4 which refers to the French Declaration, I should like to point out that it leaves our obligations under the British Declaration untouched. All it does is to put on the producing countries an obligation to bring snuggling to an end. This, I think, might give satisfaction to the Americans; it would not be opposed by China, and it would preserve our solidarity with France. I hope therefore you may not see any objection to it.

Yours, &c.,

CECIL.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

TREENIC.O.882/11

لسائلسان...

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

I.

(1) His Majesty's Government undertake that opium smoking shall be abolished in the British Far Eastern territories in which such smoking is temporarily authorized, within a period of not more than fifteen years from the date on which the effective execution of the measures taken by China to suppress the growth of the opium poppy has reached such a stage as to remove the danger of opium smuggling from China into those territories.

(2) As soon as it is established in the manner indicated in the following para- graph that the effective execution of the said measures has reached the stage referred to above, the necessary measures will be initiated to enable the complete prohibition of smoking to be effected at the end of the said period.

(3) The question when the effective execution of the measures mentioned in paragraph (1) has reached the stage referred to in that paragraph shall be decided by a Commission to be appointed by the Council of the League of Nations, whose decision shall be final.

(4) It is understood (a) that, so soon as the period of 15 years referred to in paragraph (1) has begun to run, opium smoking by persons who are not smokers at that date shall forthwith be prohibited, and (b) that the complete prohibition of opium smoking to be effected at the end of the said period of 15 years is not inconsistent with special and temporary provisions for persons in whose case it is certified by the medical authorities of the State concerned that they cannot be completely deprived of the drug without serious danger to life or health.

II.

We shall be prepared to abolish opium smoking within the period of ten to fifteen years in the conditions indicated in the declaration and we shall study in the meantime the alternative fiscal measures which will be necessary when that time comes.

S. P. WATERLOW,

16th January, 1925.

Enclosure in No. 74.

MEMORANDUM.

1. We have decided to sign the Agreement arrived at by the First Conference;

but we are not averse to adding to it by Protocol or otherwise an agreement or declara- tion as to the suppression of opium smoking in accordance with the policy hereinafter defined.

2. We desire to see completed and signed an effective Convention limiting and controlling the manufacture and distribution of narcotic drugs.

3. We recognize our obligation under The Hague Convention to bring to an end the use of prepared opium for smoking and intend to act fully up to it, but we do not believe that a prohibition of the import and sale in our Far Eastern Possessions of Government opium would, by itself, assist in securing that object unless it were accompanied by measures in the producing countries so as to limit the production and export of opium as to eliminate smuggled opium as an alternative source of supply. (The wording of this clause differs slightly from the British Declaration to meet the American criticism that the " danger "of smuggling must always exist so long as any opium at all is grown in China.)

4.

We are therefore unable to accept the American proposals but we are ready to undertake that within ten or fifteen years of the elimination of smugglnig we will prohibit the import and sale of Government opium. Provided it is clear that our obligation does not begin till this condition is fulfilled we should see no objection to an undertaking by the producing countries that they will within a limited time, say five years, put an end to smuggling and that it should be left to a Commission of the League of Nations to decide and report whether they have done so. If the report is that they have, our obligation is to begin. If the report is that they have not, our obligation is to be suspended until a future Commission report that they have.

5. In the meantime we reiterate our undertaking to continue to take whatever steps are practicable to bring opium smoking to an end such as supervision, propa- ganda, education, medical treatment of addicts, &c., and we urge the appointment of a small Commission by the Council of the League, with, if desired, an American Chairman, to investigate what we are doing and report if there is anything more we can usefully do.