CO129-396 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 265

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(m), and (n), while, on the other hand, they laid it down as a condition of their partici. pation in the conference that it should also deal with the question of stringent restrictions on the manufacture and trade in morphine and cocaine, and this condition was accepted by the other participating Powers.

The Italian Government, again, suggested that the conference might advantageonsly deal with drugs produced from the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa or indica),

4. Our instructions emphasised the fact that His Majesty's Government held it essential that "the conference should thoroughly and completely deal with the question of restricting the manufacture, sale, and distribution of morphin and cocaine." This, indeed," you added, "is a subject to which His Majesty's Government attach especial importance in view of the spread of the morphia and cocaine habit in India, in China, and in other Eastern countries. Indian and Chinese experience shows that legislation against the importation of morphia and cocaine must fail to be thoroughly effective owing to the ease with which it can be evaded in practice, and consequently suggests the desirability of co-operation on the part of the home and foreign Governments in the shape of control over manufacture and distribution." We were therefore to use our best efforts to secure the assistance of the Governments represented at the conference towards obtaining this end."

5. Our instructions went on to indicate the various points (specified above) in the original American tentative programme for the conference to which His Majesty's Government had taken exception and which therefore they were not prepared to discuss. We were further told that the following matters should also be considered as excluded from treatment by the conference :-

(1.) The arrangements made between His Majesty's Government and China respecting the progressive restriction of the importation and production of opium in China.

(2.) All other existing treaties between the two countries.

(3.) Any resolution specifically affecting the domestic regulation of the production and use of opium and cognate questions of internal administration in India or any portion of the British dominions.

We were, therefore, to refuse to discuss these subjects, although not precluded from communicating to the conference, if desired, any information in regard to systems of regulation in India or the colonies that night be of assistance in its labours.

6. In accordance with this last proviso, Sir William Meyer submitted to the conference a paper dealing with the measures taken by the Government of India to control and restrict the consumption of raw opium in India and a second

proper,

paper treating of the policy adopted in Burmab, where the usual method of consumption is the smoking of prepared opium. This latter memorandum also referred to the measures taken by the Government of India against the smoking habit in the rest of India. At a later stage a memorandum was likewise put in showing the methods taken in British colonies, mainly those in the Far East, to restrict the consumption of opium, morphine, and cocaine. These memoranda are included in the official report of the proceedings of the conference, but as we shall have occasion to refer to them, we append copies of them (Appendices I to III).

7. Later we received supplementary suggestions as to the measures which His Majesty's Government thought it desirable that we should propose to the conference in the matter of restricting the manufacture of, and trade in, morphia and cocaine, and these will be referred to later on.

8. The conference assembled on the 1st December, 1911 (first session), and, after a speech of welcome from his Excellency M. de Marees van Swinderen, the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was subsequently elected honorary president of the conference, Bishop Brent, the leader of the American delegation, was unanimously elected to the actual presidency-on the proposal of M. Cremer, the first delegate for the Netherlands, supported by Sir Cecil Clementi Smith and M. von Müller, the first delegate for Germany-and delivered an eloquent inaugural address.

9. The second session (4th December) was occupied by the framing of rules of procedure and the constitution of committees, viz. :---

(a.) A Programme Committee, consisting of one member from each delegation, which was to prepare and submit to the conference a programme of work, based on the original draft programme of the United States Government as modified by the objections made

* The first of these three documents is given, in the form of a speech, ou p. 28 of Vol. I of the "Artes et Domments," the secund and third appear in the second volume.

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in respect thereto by other Powers. This programme was also to deal with the supple- mentary proposals made by Great Britain on the subject of morphine and cocaine, and by Italy in regard to hemp drugs. It was further decided that any additional matter on which the conference might later embark should likewise be a subject of preliminary examination by the programme committee.

(b.) A Drafting Committee ("Comité de Rédaction"), consisting of five (afterwards six) members, and including representatives of Great Britain, Germany, Holland, and Russia, and subsequently of the United States. The original reference to this committee was to draft into proper conventional form the resolutions passed by the conference, but later on, as will be seen, its functions were considerably enlarged.

(c.) A press committee, consisting of three members, whose duty it was to decide what information should be communicated to the press, it having been resolved that the meetings of the conference should be private.

(d.) A fourth committee, the Technical Committee, though never formally cou- stituted, also assumed shape, and eventually definite recognition. It consisted of the medical and scientific members of the various delegations.

10. It was also definitely decided at this session that, while French must as usual be the official language of the conference, each delegate might speak in his own language, and that translations of French documents might be furnished to those delegates who desired to have them. As a matter of fact, owing to the large number of delegates who understood English better than French, most of the speeches were made in English, even the French and German delegates frequently repeating in English what they had already said in French, and there was likewise an English summary of the proceedings, though it was always understood that the French text was the only authoritative one, and that the English version was a summary rather than a translation. We feel it only right to take this opportunity of placing on record our sense of the courtesy and consideration with which the other delegations accepted the situation.

11. At the third session (7th December) a warning note was sounded by the French and Portuguese delegations in regard to the difficulties that might arise owing to the small number of countries represented at the conference, and the danger of outside Powers deriving profit from the self-denying ordinances which the participating Powers might impose upon themselves in regard to trade in opium, &c.; and it may be mentioned here that at the fourth session a resolution was carried, on the proposal of the Persian delegate, that all the conclusions arrived at by the conference should be presented to outside Powers with a view to their co-operation being obtained. Ultimately (as will be subsequently explained) this difficulty was met in another way by providing that before the convention drawn up by the conference is ratified, the non-participating Powers of Europe and America should be invited to give their signatures to it, and thus place themselves on the same footing. as the original signatory Powers.

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12. Definitions of the terms "raw,' prepared," and "medicinal" opium, which had been submitted by the Programme Committee, after report by the Technical Committee, were then accepted. These definitions were those which now find place at the head of chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the convention; but there was a further paragraph in the definition of raw opium which extended its application to what is known commercially as powdered and granulated opium. This latter paragraph, as submitted by the Programme Committee, departed from the terms drawn up by the Technical Committee, and, inasmuch as in this altered formn it appeared to include under "raw opium" what were in effect medicinal or officinal substances, this paragraph was subsequently struck out, leaving the definition of raw opium as it now stands. result is that powdered or granulated opium would only be "raw opium" if it did not fall under one of the other definitions, ie, in so far as it was merely the raw product of the poppy simply powdered or granulated. To render this point quite clear, and in accordance with instructions received from you, we made a specific declaration After some discussion it was to this effect at the twenty-first session (17th January).

The

then decided to ask the Technical Committee to report whether any further alteration of the definition of raw opium was desirable. The committee held that the declaration made on behalf of the British delegation might be deemed sufficient, or else that some maximum percentage of morphine would have to be introduce i; the former alternative was endorsed by the conference as a whole at the twenty-third session.

It may be added that, apart from this particular point, the definitions as they now stand follow the broad lines between opium eaten and opium smoked, which has always been adopted in India. Opium which is eaten is "raw" opium, while smoking preparations are "prepared "opium.

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