CO129-385 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 153

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sizing the difficulty and danger of taking further

restrictive measures until the morphia and cocaine

trade is effectively controlled. How this is to be

done will be for the International Conference to

consider, but, from the point of view of the Eastern

Colonies, the more stringently it is regulated the

better.

We might provide the Delegates with a general

statement of the system of opium administration

in the Eastern Colonies and Protectt.

Meantime proceed as in par. 2 of this minute.

AVC

201!!

We had better Keeps in time with the Indian

form. It meghe difficult bgive a statement

2

with no opening the

present practice with. door & discurson of it.

Jagree;

20

Letter to suspend judgment as to communicating information until after the interdepart mental

E

discussion

I agree,

20.11

but I hope the inter departmental

Couns. will agree

information

to commence

*..

20-11-11

uccoting

C

MI. Liddes

Sir J. Anderson

Mr. Stubbs and I attended the

Conference at the F.0. yesterday. All the Dele-

gates were present, as well as representatives of

the four Govt. Departments.

纛

We went through the instructions annexed,

drafted by Mr. Max Muller, who was in the Chair.

When it came to the question of excluding from

consideration by the Conference questions of

internal administration in India and the Colonies

(pages 6 and 7 of draft ) I was asked whether

the draft met our wishes. I replied that, whilst

we did not wish to embarrass the Covt. of India,

the draft went rather beyond what we wanted. We did

not think that the Delegates should be precluded

from giving information as to the systems adopted

in our different Colonies and Protectorates in

the Far East, though we thought that they should

not enter into discussion on the matter. I pointed

out that it would produce a bad effect not only

at the Conference but in Parliament at home

if it were supposed that we wished to withhold

information.

Sir C.C.Smith spoke strongly in favour of

giving information, and said that it would