CO129-395 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 110

109

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

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

C

[5575

No. 1.

7802

[February 8.

thece

SECTION 14 MAR 12

Sir,

Treasury to Foreign Office.--(Received February 8.)

Treasury, February 7, 1912.

I AM directed by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury to transmit

to you herewith, to be laid before the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copies of

the following correspondence relative to The Hague Opium Conference:

Board of Trade to Customs and Excise of December 19th last. Customs and Excise to Board of Trade of December 20th last. Customs and Excise to Treasury of 6th ultimo.

I am to request you to inform Secretary Sir E. Grey that, if it is eventually decided by His Majesty's Government to adhere to a convention embodying stipulations which would involve the Board of Customs and Excise as the natural agency for giving effect to the policy decided upon, my Lords will be prepared to assent to the proposal that the Customs and Excise Department should be so used as agents, on the understanding that Sir Edward Grey would undertake the defence of the policy adopted and of any legislation required to give statutory effect to that policy.

I am, &c.

ROBERT CHALMERS.

Enclosure 1 in No. 1.

Sır.

Board of Trade to Customs.

Board of Trade, December 19, 1911.

I AM directed by the Board of Trade to state that they are informed through the Foreign Office that a proposal has been put forward at the Opium Conference now sitting at The Hague "that the participating Governments bind themselves to prohibit the importation and exportation of prepared opium."

I an to explain that the conference has agreed upon the following definitions of raw, prepared, and medicinal opium

"Raw Opium-Raw opium is the spontaneously coagulated juice obtained from the capsules of the papaver somniferum, and which has only been submitted to the necessary manipulations for packing and transport.

trade.

Raw opium "includes powdered opium and granulated opium as known to the

"Prepared Opium. -- Prepared opium is the product of raw opium obtained by a series of special operations, especially by heating, boiling, and fermentation, having for their object its transformation into an extract suitable for consumption. Prepared opium shall include dross and any other residues remaining when opium has been

smoked.

"Medicinal Opium.-Medicinal opium is raw opium which has been heated to 60 degrees centigrade, powdered or granulated, mixed if necessary, with indifferent materials and containing not less than 10 per cent. of morphia."

The Board understand from enquiries made of the trade that the quantity of prepared opium in the sense of the above definition imported into or exported from the United Kingdom is negligible, and further that, generally speaking, prepared opium can readily be distinguished from the other two varieties.

Having regard to these considerations the Board would be glad to be informed at your earliest convenience whether your Commissioners have any objection to offer to the proposal in question, which has been accepted by all the other States represented at the Conference with the exceptional of Portugal.

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