CO129-406 - Public Offices - 1913 — Page 343

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.! 341

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

C.O

36672

RECE

[September 23.]

SECTION 1.

J

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Sir,

IRm 23 OCT 13

No. 1.

British Delegates to Second Opium Conference to Sir Edward Grey.-

(Received September 23.)

London, September 20, 1913. IN our report on the proceedings and results of the Second Opium Conference we refer to the refusal or failure of certain of the dominions, colonies, dependencies, and protectorates of His Majesty to adhere to the Opium Convention of the 23rd January, 1912.

We did not think it suitable, in a report intended for publication, to enter at length into the reasons for which we consider it desirable that another attempt should be made to induce those colonies to adhere, but the matter appears to us to be of sufficient importance to justify us in addressing you separately on the subject.

According to the list enclosed in your despatch of the 30th June, the following are the colonies which have not hitherto adhered to the convention: The Union of South Africa, Bechuanaland Protectorate, Swaziland, Basutoland, Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, Barbados, Bermuda, Bahamas, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, British Honduras, British Guiana, and Mauritius.

The adhesion or abstention of Bechuanaland, Swaziland, Basutoland, Northern Rhodesia, and Southern Rhodesia, and, perhaps we may say, also of Mauritius, may be regarded as a matter of small importance from the point of view of the international control of the trade in opium, morphia, and cocaine, though from the point of view of the universality of agreement at which we are aiming it might be advantageous to be in a position to announce the unanimous adhesion of the British Empire. In regard, however, to the other colonies mentioned in the list, the case is by no means the

same.

It will be remembered that we have all through the negotiations laid stress on the necessity of general, if not universal, co-operation of the civilised nations if the contemplated measures for checking the illicit trade in opium, morphia, and cocaine are to be made really effective. Even leaving out of the question, in the case of these colonies, the possibility of the establishment in their territories of chemical works for the manufacture of the drugs-though in the case of the Union of South Africa this is clearly a possibility-there is the other argument which we have so often employed to be considered, namely, that countries not bound to the convention would be open to the unrestricted importation of the drugs, and that their ports could be freely made use of for the illicit transhipment of the drugs to destinations in countries which have signed the convention, thus defeating one of its principal objects.

This applies especially to the Union of South Africa with its large and busy ports on the route to the Far East, but it also applies in a lesser degree to the islands of the West Indies and to our possessions in Central and Southern America in regard to the possibility of using their ports for the transmission of the drugs to the countries of the western hemisphere. We have, however, been given to understand that these latter colonies intend to adhere, and are merely waiting to do so until they shall have passed the necessary legislation. We need only refer to what has been repeatedly said at the conference and in our report, that the fact that a Government has not enacted the legislation contemplated by the provisions of the convention forms no bar to immediate signature, and we hope that the same arguments as were to be used to the Governments of Austria-Hungary, Norway, and Sweden may be employed in inducing those colonies to adhere at once.

The Government of the Union of South Africa have, in spite of the reiterated request of His Majesty's Government, expressed their regret that they cannot become a party to the convention on the ground that they could not undertake to introduce the legislation necessary to give effect to the convention within the period of time fixed by the provisions of the convention.

We consider that for the reason stated above the adhesion of the Union of South Africa to the convention is of the utmost importance, and that it would be difficult satisfactorily to defend its abstention before the next conference. We hope that this

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