CO129-486 - Public Offices - 1924 — Page 274

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5.

The first condition for securing' an effective limitation

of production is that all countries should adhere to the Opium onvention and should accept the import certificate system, Jountries will also have to undertake to communicate without lelay all data relating to the aroa under cooa cultivation and to imports and exports, (including consignments by parcel post), with a view to facilitating mutual control. It will also be becessary to ensure that countries which do not et presont bultivate coca do not undertake its cultivation in the fitur 0. The problem night be more easily solved if coca cultivation could be sto pod in Formose, Coylon and the other districts in which it is as yet in its infancy. Its suppression in those places might prove necessary in view of the fact that the cultivation in other countries will have to be reduced to

a much greater degree.

We shall then have to consider whether the cultivation

of cooa leaves for home consumption in Peru and

A

Bolivia should

be left unrogulated, end, if so, whether the secret exportation

of the ooca leaf and of raw coorire could be prevented

more difficult question.

& much

An attempt must be made to establish en equitable proportion for the allocation between producing countries of the quantity of cona leaf to be employed in the manufacture of gocaiuo. In view of the varying cocaine content of the coo leaf in difierent countries, and in different harvests in tho sale country, this proportion must be based not only on tho quantity of coca leaf but also on its cocaine content.

Care will have to be taken that notwithstanding the restrictive measures which may be taken in the cultivation of the coca leaf, the world market remains sufficiently profit- able for production to be maintained. Moreover, should cultivation be limited to certain countries, noasures will have

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