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This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[10009]
No. 1.
183
[March 7.]
SECTION 3.
Sir,
Colonial Office to Foreign Office.-(Received March 7.)
Downing Street, March 6, 1912. I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Harcourt to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st February, forwarding a copy of correspondence with the Treasury respecting the legislation which may be necessary to enforce the provisions of the Inter- national Opium Convention.
2. I am to request you to inform Secretary Sir Edward Grey that, in Mr. Harcourt's opinion, the drafting of the necessary legislation must clearly be carried out by the Board of Trade, except in so far as postal questions, as suggested in the "protocole de clôture," may be concerned. These would be for the Postmaster-General to consider. Mr. Harcourt has no doubt that the Board of Trade will afford this department an opportunity of seeing the draft Bill, and will consult him, if they consider it desirable, during the preparation of the draft.
3. Mr. Harcourt will be quite prepared to defend in Parliament the policy of restricting the traffic in morphine, cocaine, and similar drugs from the point of view of the colonies, ie., having regard to the terrible effects resulting in the Far Eastern colonies from the present absence of control over the traffic in the countries of manu- facture; but in his view the parliamentary representatives of the Board of Trade must obviously be in charge of the necessary measures in Parliament, since that is the depart- ment concerned in carrying out the policy of His Majesty's Government so far as trade arrangements in this country are affected.
4. A similar letter has been addressed to the Board of Trade.
*2412 9-3]
I am, &c,
G. V. FIDDES.
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