CO129-363 - Public Offices & Others - 1909 — Page 354

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.

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CHINA TRADE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[44776]

No. 1.

Rece

[December 9.]

SECTION 2.

Sir,

Colonial Office to Foreign Office.-(Received December 9.)

Downing Street, December 8, 1309.

I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you, for the information of Secretary Sir Edward Grey, with reference to letter to the Colonial Office of the 25th November, 1909, copy of a despatch from Sir C. C. Smith on the subject of the proposed Opium Conference at The Hague.

I am, &c.

FRANCIS J. S. HOPWOOD,

(Confidential.) Sir,

Inclosure in No. 1.

Sir C. Clementi Smith to Colonial Office.

The Grange, Welwyn, December 2, 1909. I HAVE the bonour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter marked Con- fidential, requesting my observations on the proposal of the Government of the United States for the assembly of an international conference on the opium question and on the terms of the programme outlined.

Among the resolutions brought forward by the United States delegation at Shanghae was one similar to the proposal now made for the consideration of His Majesty's Government. It was as follows:-

That whereas the reports submitted to the International Opium Commission by the delegations present directly or indirectly recognise that the foregoing resolutions cannot be made effective except by the conjoint action of the Governments concerned.

Be it resolved, therefore, that the commission as a whole record its sense in favour of the principle of an international conference for the solution of the problem.

The British delegation intimated that such a matter was not within the scope of the commission, and that they were unable to agree to it. Subsequent discussion in committee resulted in the United States delegation withdrawing it altogether.

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I think it right to draw attention to what took place in Shanghae, because I notice that in Mr. Adee's circular instruction of the 1st September it is stated -after setting out the resolutions passed by the commission--that although no formal declaration was made, it was a matter of discussion and was recognized by the commission as a whole that the foregoing resolutions, however important morally, would fail to satisfy enlightened public opinion unless by subsequent agreement of the Powers they and the minor questions involved in them were incorporated in an international convention."

In my opinion, the Government of the United States have becu misinformed as to the views of the Shanghae Commission. The United States delegation came armed with the draft resolution (No. 7) to the commission. I took every opportunity I could to ascertain what was thought of it by the other delegations. I satisfied myself that there was a consensus of opinion-except perhaps on the part of the Chinese and German delegations which steadfastly supported all the resolutions emanating from the United States--adverse to the proposal, which was not confined And of this I to the technical ground of which the British delegation availed itself.

am perfectly sure, that the United States delegation would not have withdrawn it had there been the slightest prospect of getting it adopted.

On the general question I unhesitatingly advise against an acceptance of the

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