CO129-445 - Public Offices - 1917 — Page 240

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30288

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

OPIUM.

[February 2814 JUN 17

CONFIDENTIAL.

[44342]

No. 1.

SECTION 2.

Sir.

Board of Trade to Foreign Office.-(Received February 28.)

Board of Trade, February 26, 1917. WITH reference to your letter of the 25th January, enclosing copy of a letter from the Edinburgh Committee for the Suppression of the Indo-Chinese Opium Traffic, I am directed by the Board of Trade to transmit to you herewith copy of a letter from the National Health Insurance Commission on the subject, together with a statement which has been furnished by the War Trade Department of the quantities of morphia, morphine, and morphia salts licensed for export during the year 1916.

The recorded exports of morphia and morphia salts to Japan (including Formosa and Japanese-leased territories in China) during the years 1913-15 were, according to the trade returns of the United Kingdom, as follows :—

1913 1914. 1915

Ozs. 252,110

352,180

204,742

The licensed exports to Japan in 1916 were, however, 1,029,616 ozs, and the Board have no doubt that if the exports to that country by parcel post during the years in question (which are not separately recorded) had been included the total exports would have been seen to be equally disproportionate to the legitimate requirements of Japan. The Board are therefore disposed to suggest, for Mr. Secretary Balfour's consideration, that the licensing authorities should be instructed to restrict exports from the United Kingdom to Japan to the quantity which may reasonably be assumed to be required in that country for legitimate medical purposes, and they presume that the National Health Insurance Commission will be able to furnish some estimate of the total Japanese requirements for such purposes.

I am, &c.

GARNHAM ROPER.

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Sir,

Enclosure 1 in No. 1.

National Health Insurance Commission to Board of Trade

Buckingham Gate, December 21, 1916.

I AM directed by the National Health Insurance Commission (England) to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, and enclosure, and to say that they were in correspondence with the War Trade Department in June last on the subject of the quantities of morphia and morphia salts exported from the United Kingdom to Japan, and that the fact became apparent that the figures given by the Customs authorities, which were approximately the same as those given in Parliament on the 16th November, 1916, by the President of the Board of Trade in reply to Mr. T. Taylor, did not include any quantities exported by parcel post. In the course of dealing with applications for licences to export morphia and its salts to Japan, it has been observed that very large quantities are sent in this way, and it is probable therefore that the figures as to export would be very largely increased if it were possible to include accurate statistics of consignments sent by post.

The Commissioners consider that the quantities of morphia and morphia salts exported to Japan and Japanese territories are largely in excess of the quantities that could be regarded as necessary for legitimate medicinal purposes, and they have very little doubt that considerable quantities are smuggled into Chine

I am to add that the suggestion made by the Rev. G. S. Mair, that morphia should be subjected to the regulations recently instituted with regard to opium and cocaine would not have any substantial effect in limiting the exports of morphia to the Far

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