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En vue de l'information de M. van Deventer et de la nécessité pour la Délégation de la Grande-Bretagne de demander de nouvelles instructions, le Président retire sa première proposition et propose de renvoyer les différentes résolutions au Comité de Rédaction et de convoquer une nouvelle séance aussitôt que le Comité de Rédaction aura fini son travail.
Cette proposition est adoptée à l'unanimité.
M. Denby, Délégué des Etats-Unis d'Amérique, donne lecture du rapport suivant :
Mr. President and Gentlemen:
I beg to call your attention to the legislation for the control of opium and narcotics in the United States.
In 1909 the U. S. had already on her statutebooks a law excluding from the U. S. opium except for medicinal purposes. In accordance with the proposed Convention which we now have under discussion this law has been during this year radically amended. These amendments provide:
1. For absolute prohibition to have smoking opium in possession or to transport the same, further for the punishment of any person who having knowledge of opium being held or transported shall fail to advise the authorities thereof.
2. That no opium for smoking shall be admitted into the U. S. for trans- portation into another country.
3. That no opium or derivates thereof shall be exported from the U. S. to any country which regulates their entry, unless in conformity with the regulations of such country.
4.
That penalties for violations of above provisions shall be not more than $ 5000 fine or two years imprisonment.
The law is drastic in its terms, possession of opium will be sufficient evidence to convict.
Other domestic laws of the United States are:
An act which became effective January 1, 1910, and which empowered the postmaster general to close the U. S. mails to cocaine and other drugs, and further, laws and projects of laws which regulate the production, distribution and manufacture of habit forming drugs.
As to opium in the Philippine Islands.
A law controlling the import and use of opium in the Philippine Islands came into force March 1, 1908.
The effect has been immediate and convincing as to the efficacy of prohibitory legislation;
in 1905 the amount imported in kilogrammes was 121 600, in 1906 68 100, in 1907 77000, in 1908 28 000, in 1909 52 kilogram.
Prior to the above legislation the sum of 300 000 dollars per annum was derived from duties. In 1909 only 274 dollars were derived from this source. The increased value of the drug has been an incentive to smuggling but to show how effective has been the control, it is to be pointed out that in 1909 only 1388 kilogrammes were seized in attempts at illegal importation. If all smuggled opium were not seized and if we assume that twice as much more came in undetected, we have only about 4000 kilogrammes per annum unlawfully admitted as compared with ten, twenty, or thirty times that amount lawfully admitted in previous years.
It is fairly to be presumed that with a worldwide control of the traffic under the terms of the Convention which is under consideration even this small extent of smuggling could be stopped. The laws of the United States as to the Philip- pines leave little to be desired in control of the opium and drug traffic, but to
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make those laws perfectly effective, the United States Government does depend on the cooperation of the other powers.
Turning to legislation as to American exterritorial jurisdiction in China, I am able to inform you that projects of laws now before the Congress of the United States ready for enactment and partly enacted, carry out fully the provisions of the Convention as to the control which the United States exercises over American citizens in China. One bill controls American pharmacies in American consular districts in China and regulates the administering of morphine and other drugs. Long before the first opium conference in Shanghai in 1909, namely in 1880 the United States had by treaty with China debarred the opium trade in China to American citizens. It was made unlawful for an American citizen to buy or sell, ship or handle opium in China and in fact for decales the flag of the United States has covered no part of this traffic. The Convention which we now discuss provides for certain legislation as to Foreign Concessions in China. The United States has no concessions there. The Convention further provides for con- trol of Foreign Post Offices in China as to receiving opium and drugs. The United States has but one post office in China, that at Shanghai, and that is effectively covered by the powers given to the Postmaster General of the United States by the law which became effective on January 1, 1910.
It cannot be made too clear that in urging the other signatory powers to put the Opium Convention into effect, we are urging something which the United States has already done. The provisions of the Convention are to a great extent the law of the United States to day, and they will certainly be entirely enacted into law, and we hope that all other parties to the Convention will do likewise. Only by your cooperation can worldwide control be established and only by your cooperation can our legislation be entirely effective, even within our own borders. Sur la propositon du Président il est décidé que le discours de M. DENBY sera inséré en anglais dans les procès-verbaux.
Son Exc. M. Marcellin Pellet, Délégué de France, voudrait demander une explication. L'article 23 de la Convention, dernier alinéa, porte:
"Aussitôt que les ratifications de toutes les Puissances signataires, tant pour elles-mêmes que pour leurs colonies, possessions, protectorats et territoires à bail auront été reçues par le Gouvernement des Pays-Bas, celui-ci notifiera à toutes les Puissances qui auront ratifié la Convention la date à laquelle il aura reçu le dernier de ces actes de ratification."
Et le premier alinéa de l'article 24 porte:
"La présente Convention entrera en vigueur trois mois après la date men- tionnée dans la notification du Gouvernement des Pays-Bas, visée au dernier alinéa de l'article précédent."
La date de la mise en vigueur est donc précisément fixée et subordonnée à la ratification. Nous ne pouvons pas en ce moment modifier ces dispositions de la Convention.
Le Président attire l'attention de Son Exc. M. MARCELLIN PELLET sur le deuxième alinéa de l'article 23:
"Dans le cas où la signature de toutes les Puissances invitées n'aurait pas été obtenue à la date du 31 décembre 1912, le Gouvernement des Pays-Bas invitera immédiatement les Puissances à cette date, à désigner des Délégués pour procéder, à la Haye, à l'examen de la possibilité de déposer néanmoins leurs ratifications."
C'est en
vertu de cette disposition de la Convention que la deuxième conférence a été convoquée et celle-ci a décidé on trouve cela dans le Protocole de Clôture sous le chiffre III "que dans le cas où la signature de toutes les Puissances invitées en vertu du paragraphe de l'article 23 n'aurait pas été
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