CO129-426 - Public Offices - 1915 — Page 202

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that he regarded the proceedings of the Conference as lacking in practicality, and the resolutions submitted by the committee as academic. He however recognised the importance of the resolution which had been carried unanimously on the proposition of the American and British delegations.

M. van Deventer presented the Committee's Report, prefacing his remarks by stating that both the Chambers of the States-General had approved the ratification of the convention.

The report laid stress on the fact that the second resolution carried in an amended form at the previous sitting by 16 votes to 2 (with 11 abstentions) dealt with the mode of coming into force of the convention in the case of all the signatory Powers co-operating for that purpose. The Chinese proposition contained two principles, one dealing with the putting into force of the convention by certain only of the signatory Powers, and the other attempting a differentiation as between those Powers whose ratification was delayed solely for constitutional reasons, and those who deferred ratification for other than constitutional reasons. Although the Committee had prepared and submitted a formula embodying the latter principle it did not, in view of the previous criticism which the proposal had encountered, advise its further consideration by the Conference. To meet the other principle contained in the Chinese proposition it submitted the following vau :—

III. The Conference is of opinion that if, at a date to be determined by the Conference, all the signatory Powers have not deposited their ratifications, it shall be lawful ("loisible") for the signatory Powers whose ratifica- tions shall have been deposited by that date to put the convention in force. The same power shall be open to those signatory Powers who shall successively deposit the ratifications after that date.

And as consecutive to this vaut it submitted also the following proposals:

IV. That the date contemplated under III shall be.

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V. That the 'Comité de Rédaction be authorised to prepare a special protocol in which the signatory Powers which are prepared to make use of the power referred to under III shall be able to declare their intention of putting the convention in force.

VI. That the power of acceding to the convention shall continue open to those

Powers which have not yet signed it.

In the discussion which ensued we supported the Committee, in the preparation of whose report we had taken an active part, remarking that there was now a unanimous desire that the signatory Powers should ratify as soon as possible, that there was all but unanimity that the convention might be enforced by the signatories notwithstanding the abstention of two or three Powers. With so much manifestation of good-will it appeared that this Conference would have satisfactorily reviewed the situation, in which no fewer than forty-three Powers found themselves in agreement, and would serve the purpose of quickening progress towards the end in view.

Resolution III was then carried unanimously.

The date inserted in resolution IV was the 31st December, 1914, and in this form it was carried-16 voting for and 10 abstaining (viz., Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Persia, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland).

Resolutions V and VI were transposed in order, No. V being amended by providing that the special protocol should be prepared by the Minister of Foreign Affairs at The Hague instead of by the Committee. They were both carried unanimously.

The final session of the Conference was held on June 25th, when the welcome announcement was made by M. Loudon that Greece had signed the convention without any reserve.

The Protocol de Clôture, which had been drafted by the Comité de Rédaction, was approved and subsequently signed by all the delegates without any reservation whatever.

It recited that in a series of meetings held from the 15th-25th June the Conference had examined the question submitted to it by the vau of the second Conference, and had placed on record the following opinions ("a émis les avis suivants") :–

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A.-I. That it is possible for the International Opium Convention of the 23rd January, 1912, to be brought into force, notwithstanding the fact that some Powers

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invited in accordance with paragraph 1 of article 23 had not yet signed the convention.

II. That the coming into force of the convention between all the signatory Powers shall take place when the Powers which have already signed, and those which have expressed their intention of adhering to it, shall have ratified it. The date of coming into force shall be that fixed by paragraph 1 of article 24.

III. That if by a date to be determined by the Conference all the signatory Powers have not yet deposited their ratifications, it will be lawful for the signatory Powers whose ratifications shall have been deposited by that date to put the convention in force. The same power shall obtain for the signatory Powers who shall successively deposit their ratifications after that date.

IV. That the date indicated in No. III be the 31st December, 1914.

V. That the possibility of acceding to the convention do remain open to the Powers which have not yet signed.

B. The Conference has decided :-

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That a protocol by which the signatory Powers desirous of acting in accordance with the provision under No. III shall be able to declare their intention of putting the convention in force shall be opened at The Hague,

"His Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands being satisfied that the desire has been unanimously expressed by the open for Conference, has consented to prepare this protocol, which will remain signature."

C. The Conference has unanimously carried the following resolution :--- "The Conference invites his Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands to transmit, in the name of the Conference, an urgent and respectful representation to the signatory Powers which have not yet ratified the Convention nor expressed their intention of doing so, with a view to inducing them to declare their readiness shortly to deposit their ratifications, in order that the convention may come into force as soon as possible."

Then follow the signatures of the plenipotentiaries of thirty Powers.

A perusal of the final protocol and the procès-verbaux will, we think, serve to show that we have carried out, literatim and verbatim, the instructions with which we were favoured.

We can claim, as we did at the close of the second Conference, that this third Conference has served to review the international position and accelerate the pace."

Before summarising the results which we think have been attained as the results of the third Conference, we will report the position of the several Powers concerned as regards ratification of this convention at the close of the Conference, based on information which we obtained from the secretariate :---

A. The following signatory Powers had ratified the convention :-

1. United States of America.

2. Belgium.

3. China.

4. Denmark.

5. Guatemala.

6. Italy.

7. Portugal. 8. Siam.

9. Sweden.

10, Venezuela.

11. Honduras.

B. The following signatory Powers were ready to ratify :-

1. Great Britain.

2. Japan.

3. Netherlands.

4. Persia.

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