CO129-363 - Public Offices & Others - 1909 — Page 355

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

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It must be

CHINA TRADE.

CONFIDENTIAL.

proposal now put forward by the Government of the United States. patent that, in view of the action of His Majesty's Government in regard to the closing of the opium divans in the Far Easterni colonies; to the arrangements now initiated, and only initiated, for exercising a greater control over the trade and use of opium in those colonies; to the fact that China is still in the throes of its gigantic struggle to suppress the cultivation of the poppy, which no Power can help her to carry on; and that India must herself work out the many excessively difficult problems which she has already begun to study; it would, I submit, have only a hampering and most embarrassing effect if at this juncture those who are charged with the administration of India and the Eastern colonies had before them the appointment of an international conference, which has the power, as proposed, of dealing definitely with all the subjects enumerated in the United States programme.

It seems to me wholly premature to hold such a conference. It cannot yet be clear in which direction, for instance, the British Government could obtain assistance from other Governments by an international convention. Even the United States have not had time to judge of the effect of their recent legislation, in consequence of which since April last no opium may be imported into that country. If there was one point more impressed by the Shanghae Commission than another it was that, owing to the entire absence of uniformity in regard to the different nationalities in the countries in which opium is consumed, it was not practicable to make regulations applicable to them all for the control and ultimate suppression of the opium habit.

So far as I am aware, the British Government is not likely to seck the co-opera- tion of any other Power in carrying out its regulations dealing with poppy cultivation and the use of opium, unless it may be Persia or Turkey; and the latter of these countries refrained from taking any part in the international commission at Shaughae. But where, I believe, co-operation may by-and-by be of great and, indeed, inestimable value will be when the Powers have made a searching and complete enquiry into the subject of the manufacture and distribution of morphine and other similar highly deleterious drugs, the abuse of which has far graver results than that of opium, whether smoked or eaten. Further, scientific and commercial enquiry is urgently called for as regards many of the so-called anti-opium remedies, which are alleged to have more baneful effects than the taking of opium itself.

In view of the opinions I have expressed, I presume that it is not necessary to deal with the items contained in the tentative programme for the international conference which is advocated by the Government of the United States. I feel, however, that I ought not to omit to draw special attention to the one marked (II): "The propriety of restudying treaty obligations and international agreements under which the opium traffic is at present conducted.”

It will be seen that at Shanghae the delegation of the United States, supported by the Chinese delegation, endeavoured to bring under review the treaties and agreements referred to. This was successfully resisted by the British delegation, which was ably supported by the Japanese delegation. It cannot be necessary for me to dilate on the inexpediency of allowing any matter of that kind to come under the considera- tion of an international conference. The interest and responsibilities of this country are far greater in regard to the subject matter than those of any other country that would be represented at such a conference, and I have little doubt that His Majesty's Government will not be prepared to submit the propriety of any treaties and agree- ments they have entered into for discussion by any tribunal that may be formed.

I have, &c.

CECIL CLEMENTI SMITH,

[43977]

No. 1.

[December 2.]

SECTION 1.

India Office to Foreign Office.-(Received December 2.)

India Office, November 30, 1909.

Sir,

I AM directed by the Secretary of State for India in Council to reply to your letter, dated the 19th November, 1909, forwarding for remarks a letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury respecting an incident attendant on the suppression of the opium traffic in the province of Fuhkien.

I am to suggest, for Sir Edward Grey's consideration, that it might be well to obtain from Sir John Jordan a report on the incident in question. In overruling the orders of the local officials of the Kucheng district, the Chinese Board of Foochow may have had before it certain facts which were not necessarily within the cognizance of Bishop Price.

Viscount Morley understands that the treaty provisions which the Bishop desires to see relaxed, though they protect foreign opium while in transit from the port to its destination in the interior and prevent differential taxation from being imposed on it, do not otherwise interfere with the retail trade.

In previous cases of a somewhat similar character, His Majesty's Government have not questioned the right of the Chinese Government to regulate as it thinks fit the licensing of retail shops for the sale of foreign opium, or to restrict or prohibit the consumption of opium among the population. Thus in Nanking and Canton, where stringent regulations of this kind are in force, the action of His Majesty's Minister has been limited to seeing that they are not used to create monopolies or to discriminate unfairly against foreign opium, and do not interfere with the wholesale trade in foreign opium between Chinese dealers and importing firms. The Imperial Chinese Govern- ment has recognised the equitable nature of these requirements, apart from any special obligations that may arise from treaties, and any other view would hardly be tenable, so long as the production of opium in China itself immensely exceeds the amount imported, and an agreement exists between the two Governments for the pari passu, reduction of the native cultivation and the foreign inport. The Kucheng incident may prove on further inquiry to be capable of explanation on one or other of the above- mentioned grounds.

I am, &c.

R. RITCHIE.

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