CO129-385 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 334

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international commission to supervise any agreement reached by the conference and assented to by the interested Governments.

The Italian Government has pointed out the importance of the question of the question of the traffic in Indian hemp drugs to that Government, and has suggested that the conference might advantageously deal with the question of this traffic.

The Netherlands Government, while agreeing to the general principles of the tenta- tive programme, at the same time observed that for the Netherlands Indies, where the culture of the poppy does not exist, and where the opium Régie is or will be introduced, the question of most importance to the Netherlands Government is for the conference to arrive at an agreement as to measures to be taken to combat the smuggling of opium.

The Russian Government, while approving in principle of the general tenor of the tentative programme, took exception to item (), inasmuch as there is almost no production of opium in Russia, and for that reason the restriction and control of the cultivation of the poppy, as provided for by that item, would be superfluous as far as Russia is concerned, and would oppose a serious obstacle to the development of one of the branches of Russian agriculture.

The other Powers have accepted the tentative programme as a basis for discus- sion, reserving their particular views upon it, which will be expressed at the conference itself.

It

You will see, therefore, that, although the tentative programme proposed by the United States has been in some respects narrowed by the reservations made by several of the Powers, generally speaking the scope of the work of the conference has been broadened by the suggestions that it include in its deliberations the question of the manufacture of and trade in morphine and cocaine and the Indian hemp drugs. therefore seems to this Government desirable that production of and traffic in all habit- forming drugs which have been proved to be a menace to the moral, physical, and economic welfare of the world should be considered by the conference and adequately dealt with by it in the spirit of resolution 5 of the International Opium Commission, which places a ban on all drugs which appear on scientific inquiry to be liable to abuse and productive of the ill effects of opium, its derivatives, or preparations.

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

CO

40538

OPIUM.

[November 18.]

FOR

Rece Rro 18 C 11

CONFIDENTIAL.

SECTION 1.

[45605]

Sir,

No. 1.

Foreign Office to India Office.*

Foreign Office, November 18, 1911. WITH reference to your letter of the 14th ultimo, I am directed by Secretary Sir F. Grey to transmit to you, for the information of the Marquess of Crewe, copy of a note from the Netherlands Minister,† enclosing a memorandum drawn up by the United States Government, which, in the absence of a definitive programme, is intended to serve as the basis of the labours of the forthcoming International Opium Conference.

I am also to enclose a statement, prepared at this Office, showing in tabular form the objections and reservations made by certain Powers to some of the items in the programme originally suggested by the United States Government.

Sir E. Grey presumes that it will now be necessary to prepare instructions, as definite as possible in the circumstances, to be issued to the British representatives at the conference, and I am to suggest that a small inter-departmental committee, consisting of a representative of this department and of the India and Colonial Offices and the Board of Trade, should meet as soon as possible to draft the instructions.

Sir E. Grey proposes to inform M. van der Goes, in reply to his note, that the acceptance by His Majesty's Government of the United States memorandum as the basis for discussion must not be interpreted as admitting criticism by the conference of matters relating to the domestic opium administration of any part of the British domaions.

0

[2272 -1]

I am, &c.

F. A. CAMPBELL.

Also to Colonial Office and Bourd of Trade, mutatis mutandis. † Netherlands Minister, November 15, 1911.

Not printed.

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