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into force at once. An alternative proposal was made by the British Government that the ratification and enforcement of the Convention should be made one of the terms of the Conditions of Peace. This proposal was eventually adopted, and Articles in similar terms were inserted in all the Treaties of Peace, which provided that ratification of the Treaty should be deemed to be equivalent to ratification of the Convention, and that the necessary legislation to give effect to the Convention should be passed within 12 months from the coming into force of the Treaty.
Further, it was agreed in the Treaties that subject to and in accordance with the provisions of international conventions existing or hereafter to be agreed upon the League of Nations should be entrusted with the general supervision over the traffic in opium and other dangerous drugs.
PART IV. THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE OPIUM CONVENTION.
In 1920, the British Government passed the legislation necessary to give effect in the United Kingdom to the Opium Convention as required by the Treaties of Peace. This legislation, which is entitled "The Dangerous Drugs Act, 1920." and the Regulations and Orders which have been made under it, establish a complete system of control over the drugs to which the Convention applies. No person can lawfully import, export, manufacture or supply the drugs unless he is licensed or authorized for the purpose, and no person may have such drugs in his possession unless he is so licensed or authorized, or unless they have been prescribed for his use by a duly qualified medical practitioner, dentist. etc. Opium smoking is absolutely prohibited.
As regards exports of the drugs, a separate licence has to be obtained in respect of each consignment proposed to be exported.
The necessary measures for the control of the traffic in accordance with the Convention have also been taken (or in a few cases are about to be taken) in all the colonies, possessions and protectorates of the British Empire,
In the case of the self-governing Dominions, the responsibility for the enforcement of the Convention rests with the Dominion Govern- ments, by whom effective measures are being taken.
PART V.--THE WORK OF THE OPIUM ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.
At the first meeting of the Assembly of the League of Nations the question of the arrangements to be made by the League for the execution of the supervisory duties entrusted to it by the Treaties came up for consideration, and it was proposed by Mr. Barnes, one of the delegates of the British Government, that an Advisory Cou- mittee should be appointed "in order to secure the fullest possible co-operation between the various countries in regard to the matter and to assist and advise the Council in dealing with any questions that may arise" special provision being made for the representation on the Committee of the United States of America and other countries,
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not members of the League, whose co-operation was important. This proposal was adopted. The first meeting of the Committee was held in May, 1921. At this meeting, on the notion of the British representative, the Committee decided on two important recom- mendations, the first that all members of the League should be asked to adopt a system of control over imports and exports by means of importation certificates, on the lines on which the British Government had already been proceeding; the other that an inquiry should be made into the world's requirements of the drugs. The system of importation certificates was approved by the Council and Assembly of the League and recommended for adoption to all members of the League. The British Government has accepted the system both for the United Kingdom and for its colonies (other than the Dominious), possessions and protectorates.
PART VI. OPIUM SMOKING in British COLONIES.
By the Second Part of the Opium Convention. the contracting Powers undertook to take measures for the gradual and effective suppression of the manufacture of, internal trade in, and use of prepared opium (ie., smoking opium). Opium smoking is still permitted in certain British Colonies, and it is desirable to state what steps have been taken to carry out the obligations undertaken in the Treaty, and what is the present position.
The Colonies or Possessions where opium smoking is still allowed by law are Hong Kong, the Straits Settlements and Malay States, British North Borneo, Ceylon and Wei-hai-wei.
Hong Kong. With the exception of the small European. Eurasian and Indian colonies, the population is entirely Chinese (according to Census of 1921, Chinese 610,368, others 14,798). The public smoking resorts, known as opium divans, were finally abolished in 1910, and in 1914 the monopoly, which previously had been farmed out, was taken by the Government into its own hands. A reduction in the consumption has been gradually effected, until it has fallen in the last 10 years from 900 chests to 240 per annum. This has been brought about partly by the increasing strictness of the Government control, partly by the raising of the selling price of opium. Purchasers are limited to one tael (=1} oz.) at a time, except in the case of certain registered persons, who may buy three-tael tins, and no one may have more than five taels in his possession. At the same time the price has been gradually advanced from $5.50 to $15 a tael. The consumption amounts at the present time to something less than 1 oz. per annum of raw opium per head of the Chinese population, and as it is anticipated that new smokers will not to any extent take the place of the present old smokers, a continual diminution of con- sumption is expected to occur. To prevent smuggling out of the Colony the opium is packed in such a way that it easily leaks out from its receptacle.
It is considered doubtful whether further restrictive measures would produce any good result. The essential difficulty of the situation
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