CO129-477 - Public Offices - 1922 — Page 237

236

Innocent

wherein lies the tragedy of the whole situation.

persons with no thought of using drugs, are being forced into

the habit so as to provide a wider clientele for these drug

vendors, which in turn mean larger sales and bigger profits.

In the same way, the smuggling of drugs from abroad, is stim-

ulated and encouraged to an extent hitherto unknown in this

locality. Japanese ships in the past year have been particular

offenders in this respect, and large amounts of drugs have been

taken from these vessels. What amount has been successfully

entered into the country, is of course an unknown factor.

British ships coming into this port, have so far escaped any

imputation as vehicles for the introduction of narcotics, but

this I think is primarily due to the fact that very few

British vessels come to this port from the Orient, where the

centre of the drug traffic is situated, I am sorry to say,

however, that several infractions of this character on British

vessels of the Blue Funnel Line, have occurred in Seattle,

during the past year, where considerable quantities of drugs

were attempted to be smuggled into the country, by members of

the crew,.

I reported these facts to the Board of Trade, in

the hopes that by summary punishment this pernicious traffic

would be stopped, but I have received no report of the action

taken, and in the mean time, these infractions of the law

continue.

The above facts demonstrate the menace now confronting

the Pacific Coast, and explain the reason for calling the

Narcotics Conference in Portland, above referred to. They in

no wise, however, justify the allegations made at this

Conference, by Mayor Baker and Dr. Andrew C. Smith, on Great

Britain's official participation in this drug traffic, which

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