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The CHAIRMAN proposed to prepare a short draft report, to be ready by the afternoon or the following day.
This suggestion was adopted.
2. Present Position with regard to the Ratification of the International Opium Convention,
The SECRETARY read her report (O. C. 60).
The CHAIRMAN said that a very serious situation had arisen through the increase of exports of Persian and Turkish opium to the Far East due to the reduction of the exports of the coun- tries which had ratified the Convention.
Mr. CAMPBELL (India) said that the Committee would find interesting details in the summary prepared for the last meeting; for instance, the exports from India to Formosa had been almost entirely replaced within the last two years by exports of Turkish and Persian opium.
Sir John JORDAN asked for information on the importation of morphine and opium into Japan. He believed that it had very largely increased during 1921, and that the situation in the Far East was very serious.
The CHAIRMAN said that Turkey and Persia were the source of a very large illicit trade. Ships left Busrah in ballast or with innocent cargoes and loaded opium at Persian ports.
Mr. CAMPBELL said that there were three important exporting countries India, Persia and Turkey only one of which exercised a strict control over the opium trade. The result of control- ling one-third of the production was that all the illicit trade, and probably some of the licit trade, was driven to the countries producing the other two-thirds. There were no physical con- ditions to prevent Persia and Turkey from growing as much opium as the world required.
The only result of India's self-denial hitherto had been to reduce her revenue and to render the effective control of the opium trade even more difficult.
The CHAIRMAN said that something must be done. A representative of Persia had been present at the last session of the Assembly and had taken part in the work of the Assembly Committee which considered the subject. Possibly something might be done at the approaching meeting of the Assembly to secure the co-operation of Persia.
The question should be placed on the agenda of the next session of the Advisory Committee; it was one of capital importance.
Mr. CAMPBELL, in reply to a question, said that importation overland from Persia into China was only possible, commercially speaking, when prices in China were very high. The price of opium in parts of China recently had been below the Indian cost of production.
The CHAIRMAN proposed that this question should be placed on the agenda of the next session of the Committee.
This suggestion was adopted.
3. Adherence to the System of Importation Certificates proposed by the League, and Recommendation relating to the Date of the Coming into Force of this System: Present Position.
The SECRETARY read her report (O. C. 60) and a supplementary report.
The CHAIRMAN asked whether Belgium would adopt the system proposed by the League of Nations, and, if not, in what respects her own system differed from it.
The SECRETARY said that, according to a letter just received, Belgium would adopt the League system.
The CHAIRMAN asked M. Bourgois whether he could give any information with regard to France's attitude.
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M. BOURGOIS (France) stated that the Ministry of the Colonies had already taken certain steps. The system was in process of elaboration by the Ministries concerned and the Secretariat would be notified as soon as a definite decision was reached. The system would only be put into force, however, as far as other countries also put it into force; the earliest possible date would be January 1st, 1923.
The CHAIRMAN said that the Committee's efforts to have the system of importation certificates put into force by a fixed date had failed.
M. ARIYOSHI (Japan) stated that the Japanese Government had adopted the system of im- portation certificates.
Dr. ANSELMINO (Germany) said that Germany also had adopted the system.
The CHAIRMAN remarked that, in practice, importing countries found it more convenient to import from countries which required no formalities; the British Government, which had adopted the importation certificate, had received complaints to that effect from British exporters, and he read to the Committee extracts from letters sent to the Government on the subject. The present situation was unfair to the countries which had adopted the certificate system. The system could only work if it were generally adopted.
Sir John JORDAN said that its adoption in principle only, or by certain countries alone, would render the work of the Committee ineffectual.
M. BOURGOIS (France) proposed that a new date should be fixed for the introduction of the system, and suggested January 1st, 1923.
M. van WETTUM (Netherlands) had been informed that the Netherlands had raised objections to the wording of the proposed form of certificate but he did not know what these objections were.
Mr. CAMPBELL (India) said that he thought these objections had already been disposed of.
M. van WETTUM pointed out that these objections were of another kind.
M. BOURGOIS Confirmed the statement that France would only put the system into force if the other countries did the same.
Sir John JORDAN said that this attitude made it impossible to reach any result.
M. BOURGOIS said he would like at least to know which countries would introduce the system; in any case the most important producing countries, such as Switzerland, would have to adopt it.
The SECRETARY stated that Switzerland hoped to ratify the Convention in December and that Switzerland had said that her first action then would be to adopt the certificate system.
The CHAIRMAN said that this question would come before the Assembly, which might take some action on the subject.
Mr. CAMPBELL said that, owing to the possibility of obtaining raw opium freely from Turkey and Persia, the universal acceptance and honest administration of the importation certificate system was now probably the only practical way of controlling the opium traffic.
As it was impossible at present to control exports from the source, the only alternative was for each con- suring country to control imports.
With reference to the proposal to fix January Ist as the date, the CHAIRMAN asked whe- ther it would be possible to prevail upon the countries which had adopted the system to put it into force before January 1st with regard to the countries which had also adopted the principle of importation certificates.
Sir John JORDAN said that a few countries must set an example; he agreed that no precise date should be fixed for the introduction of the certificates.
M. BOURGOIS said that France had already entered into an agreement with Great Britain concerning these importation certificates.
The CHAIRMAN said it was the case that France was now applying the system in practice with regard to Great Britain, and it was also in operation between Great Britain and a number of other countries with whom the British Government had entered into individual negotiations.
Dr. ANSELMINO said that he hoped that Germany would adopt the system generally on January 1st, 1923.
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