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C. The following signatory Powers were prepared to ratify so soon as the necessary legislative sanction had been obtained :-
1. Argentine.
2. Brazil.
3. Chile.
4. Ecuador,
5. Spain.
6. Haïti.
7. Luxemburg.
8. Mexico.
9. Costa Rica.
10. France (was disposed to ratify with a reserve for Indo-China and India).
D. The following signatory Powers had not yet announced their intention of ratifying-
1. Germany (had intimated that she was not disposed to ratify at
present).
2. Dominica.
3. Montenegro.
4. Roumania.
5. Russia (was disposed to ratify so soon as the application of the convention
could be sufficiently general to be effective).
6. Salvador.
7. Switzerland (had made a reserve in regard to ratification that it would not be possible to promulgate the necessary legislation within the time specified by the Couvention).
8. Uruguay.
9. Bolivia.
10. Bulgaria.
11. Colombia.
12. Cuba.
13. Peru.
14. Nicaragua.
15, Norway.
16. Panamá.
17. Paraguay.
18. Greece (had withdrawn the reserve in respect to her newly-acquired
territories).
E. Austria-Hungary had not yet signed the convention owing to reasons of a constitutional nature, but had declared her firm intention to adhere, and had undertaken to adopt the measures necessary to ensure its application as soon as the convention should be put in force by the signatory Powers.
F. Two Powers had hitherto refused to sign the Convention :-
1. Turkey (for economic reasons).
2. Servia (because she had been unable to study it sufficiently).
The third Conference has secured
--
1. An all but unanimous expression of opinion on the part of the signatory Powers represented in favour of the convention coming into force without awaiting signature by two of the invited Powers. Germany alone opposed this resolution. That is to say, an affirmative reply has been recorded to the question propounded to the third Conference by the second, with only one negative voice.
2. An absolutely unanimous request to the Dutch Government to press for early ratification by all the signatory Powers which had not yet ratified, in order that the convention may come into force as soon as possible. Germany, which had declined to assent to the enforcement of the convention without securing the signature of all the invited Powers, acquiesced in this proposal, as did also the representatives of several signatory Powers, which had, for one reason or another, not yet ratified.
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3. A recognition by the Conference, although with several abstentions, of the feasibility of enforcement by a group of the Powers who might be ready to co-operate for that purpose, without awaiting the automatic enforcement of the convention provided for in article 24 after ratification by all the signatory Powers. The date as from which such group enforcement might take place was fixed as the 31st December, 1914, and a special protocol is to be provided for Powers desiring to co-operate to this end for signature by them.
Incidentally the assembly of the Conference may perhaps be also credited with securing, through the Dutch Foreign Office, the deposit of ratifications by Italy, Belgium, Sweden, and China, and the signature without reserve by Greece.
At the close of the first Conference twelve Powers had signed the convention which they had participated in drafting, and thirty-four other Powers were invited to attach their signatures.
At the close of the second Conference thirty-four out of the total of forty-six Powers had signed the convention, and twelve had not then done so, while eight Powers had either ratified it or were disposed to do so.
At the close of the third Conference, forty-four out of the total forty-six Powers have signed the convention, eleven have ratified it, and fourteen more are disposed to do so, while not one of the remaining nineteen signatories has expressed any intention of not proceeding to put the convention in force. Moreover, all the signatories present were desirous that respectful representations should be pressed upon those which had not deposited their ratifications to do so as soon as possible.
We are under no illusion as to the influence which events which have occurred since the rising of the Conference must have upon all international concert of the nature contemplated by the Opium Convention. Humanitarian aims of the kind which invoked these three Conferences and inspired their constructive work must suffer eclipse or serious retardation during a time of warfare. We nevertheless recall that one of the first objecte attained in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna, after the close of the Napoleonic wars, and on the initiative of the British representative, was an international declaration of the abolition of the slave trade.
We trust that when, in the course of time, international relations are resumed, the progressive stages in abolishing the abuse of opium and other kindred drugs may be resumed, and that the efforts of the three International Conferences may achieve the beneficent objects which from first to last inspired those who have borne their part in these deliberations.
We would once again express our sincere acknowledgment to the Netherlands Govern- ment, to M. Loudon, the Foreign Minister, M. Cremer, the president of the Conference, and M. van Deventer, the chairman of the Comité de Rédaction. From each of these gentlemen we invariably received the greatest courtesy and the most friendly co-operation.
We have, &c.
W. G. MAX MÜLLER. W. J. COLLINS.
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