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sity of the situation and on action which had been taken in British oriental possessions to prevent the opium habit being substituted by the morphine and cocaine habits. There were previous restrictions on the importation and sale of morphine and cocaine in the eastern colonies and protected States, but since the meeting of the International Opium Commission the legislation on the subject has been amended so as to impose greater restrictions, and it may be said that the morphine and cocaine laws of the eastern Crown colonies and protected States are noteworthy examples of restrictive legislation and will become wholly effective when the sources of supply of these drugs in Germany, France, Great Britain, and the United States are under efficient control, as provided for in the International Opium Convention.

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The British Government was not only concerned about the morphine traffic from Europe to its own colonies and possessions, but also to China, where the use of this drug and cocaine threatened to supplant opium. A quotation from the address of the Hon. Murray Stuart, of the Hongkong Government, is of interest in this connection. On October 29, 1910, Mr. Stuart pointed out that two years before public attention had been drawn very emphatically to the increased consumption of morphia in China, although the Chinese customs statistics seemed to prove the contrary. For, whereas they showed in 1902 an import of morphia into China of 195 and odd pounds, only 120 ounces were shown for 1904. Yet everybody knew that during the six previous years the increase in the consumption of morphia in China had been truly enormous, phia was being smuggled into China under some other name. When the antiopium movement in China reached the stage at which the Chinese Government threatened all opium smokers with heavy fines and penalties if they persisted in continuing the habit, there arose throughout the land a demand for an opium cure. An antiopium pill made its appearance on the market, and an enormous demand for this antidote set in. But the cure proved to be simply another form of taking the drug. These pills, on being subjected to analysis, were found to contain an antidotal drug, no stimulant or scientific ingredients, but simply morphia made into a tabloid with ordinary household flour. Some time before Mr. Stuart had asked the legislative council for information as to the amount of morphine and compounds of opium imported into Hongkong. The answer given by the Government was that between the first of March and 30th of September, 1910, over 7,000 pounds of morphine were imported into the colony, the whole amount being shipped from London. It was very easy for Mr. Stuart to point out that, with a great show of virtue, the London Government had insisted on the colony marching in line with China in the suppression of opium smoking to the extent of large sacrifice of public revenue, and all the while the export of opium from England to China in the more deadly form, morphine, was permitted to flourish and increase, and he asked the council to pass a resolution humbly praying the secretary of state for the colonies to lay before the Parliament the propriety of assisting the government of Hongkong in its endeavors to discourage the opium vice in its most injurious form by restricting the export from England of the means-morphia-of gratifying it. On a later page it will be shown that the International Opium Convention contains the means whereby the exportation of morphine in unnecessary quantities will be brought to a stop.

In British India official opinion still leans to the view that opium eating is on the whole not injurious to those members of the Indian population who practice it. The vast majority of medical men hold the contrary view; but it will be some time before that view prevails. Meantime the Indian Government is strengthening its laws so as to confine the habit and keep it in channels which they regard as legitimate. But the considerations which have caused the Government of India to regard a certain amount of opium eating as legitimate in present circumstances do not apply to the smoking habit, which has never taken root in the country, and is strongly condemned by public opinion. The Indian Government have therefore endeavored for a good many years past to reduce it to a minimum by repressive action. Thus, while some 20 years ago there were some 600 shops for the sale of smoking preparations, the sale of such preparations was subsequently and still remains absolutely prohibited. Vigorous measures are enforced by the police and the excise preventive service for punishing infractions of the law, such as are occasionally attempted in large aud metropolitan centers like Calcutta and Rangoon.

It will be seen from what has been stated under this heading that Great Britain had not only acted on the results of the International Opium Commis

sion up. to the time The Hague Conference assembled, but was prepared to go to the fullest extent in cooperation with the other governments to make the conclusions of that commission effective.

ITALY.

Italy is one of those happy countries in which the opium vice in any form does not exist, and despite the fact that the Italian Government has little material interest in the opium question, it has nevertheless continued to cooperate with the other Governments in the international phases of the question.

GERMANY.

The German Imperial and State laws in regard to opium and its allies are all that can be desired, and are effectively enforced. This may also be said of the German colonies and protectorates. In Kiaochou, on the China coast, steps have been taken which mark the sincere desire of the German Government to cooperate with the Chinese in stamping out the opium vice. But to Germany the morphine and cocaine questions are serious, not because of any abuse of these drugs in German territory, but because of the large financial in- . vestment in their manufacture. When the British proposals in regard to morphine and cocaine were made to the United States it was thought that the large German interest in the manufacture and export of these drugs would interfere to prevent German cooperation with the United States for their control. But this proved to be unwise thinking, and it will be shown later that Germany, by virtue of the International Opium Convention, stands ready with the other powers to solve this problem, even at considerable financial sacrifice ou the part of her manufacturers and exporters.

HOLLAND.

The immediate concern of the Netherlands Government in opium is that a considerable revenue is derived by the Netherlands Indies Government from the importation, manufacture, and distribution of opium for smoking purposes; but it has been the high endeavor of both the home Government and the Governments of the East Indian islands to ultimately abolish the pernicious habit amongst the natives. Since the adjournment of the International Opium Commission, many ordinances have been passed by the Batavia Government aimed to extend Government control over the habit of opium smoking, and this has so far succeeded that the Netherlands Government and people look forward to the obliteration of the habit in the near future. No doubt there will be many difficulties to meet, as the net revenue from the opium régie last year was in the neighborhood of 18,000,000 florins. But that this revenue will shortly be abandoned in favor of a more legitimate revenue is clearly evidenced by the hearty cooperation which has been extended by the Netherlands to the United States in its endeavor to secure international agreement on the opium problem.

PERSIA.

Of Persia it may be said, in addition to what was stated on page 664 of the Journal for July, 1909, that early in 1911 the Persian Government enacted legistion aimed to abolish opium smoking and other misuses of opium in Persia.

PORTUGAL.

Although in Portugal itself there is no abuse of opium, its colony of Macao the China coast still continues to import large quantities of the drug and manufacture it into smoking opium, which is used locally, or exported for reveme purposes. This opium, however, has been practically outlawed by every comtry a party to the International Opium Convention, and by the provisions of that convention the trade should be speedily ended.

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Russia fortunately has no opium problem, nor has Japan, except in the island of Formosa, where an opium régie exists for the avowed purpose of finally suppressing the opium vice.

SIAM.

Although no opium is produced in Siam, large quantities are imported and manufactured into smoking opium under a system of Government monopoly for the use of Chinese resident in that country. But it is the purpose of the Siamese Government to gradually extinguish the vice, and ordinances aimed to this end have been passed since the adjournment of the International Opium Commission. The Siamese Government also purposes legislation for the control by the Siamese Government over the amount of morphine and cocaine which may be imported, and the rendering of account by sellers showing that they have disposed of their supplies in a legitimate manner.

FRANCE.

Since the adjournment of the International Opium Commission, French publie opinion has been aroused on the question of the abuse of opium and morphine in the large seaports of that country, and the Government is making strong efforts to root out the evil. In French Indo-China the Government has control. It has taken strong measures to bring to an end the abuse of opium in the colonies, and it is earnestly believed that in a short time the abuse of opium will be reduced to a minimum. Further, the French Indo-Chinese Government has forbidden the exportation of opium prepared for smoking to those countries which prohibit its entry.

Upon the above summaries, it may be repeated that the resolutions of the International Opium Commission were more than moral in their effect. They created suflicient energy to enable the Governments concerned to enact practical, effective legislation. The United States is the exception, as will be shown later. With these preliminaries we may now pass to the International Opium Conference and its results.

HAMILTON WRIGHT.

NOTE. Appendix IV, which here follows, consists of a few introductory and concluding words accompanying the text of the report made to the Department of State on May 15, 1912, by the delegates to the First International Opium Conference (see For. Rel. 1912, pp. 207-221) with the omission of the digression in the report (For. Rel. 1912, pp. 216-217), concerning the British-Chinese agreements of 1907 and 1911.

NOTE. On September 1, 1913, the Netherlands Minister notified the Department that the Opium Convention had been signed on June 25, 1913, by Great Britain in behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia; by Chile on July 2, 1913; by Nicaragua July 18, 1913; and by Peru July 24, 1913; and that the Governments of Denmark and Siam had deposited their acts of ratification of the convention. (File No. 511.4A1/1422.)

The same Minister delivered to the Department on September 22, 1913, a certified copy of the Protocol de Cloture of the Second International Opium Conference; and on October 12, 1913, he delivered copies of the Proceedings of that conference. (File Nos. 511.4A1/1429 and 1438.)

On November 29, 1913, the Netherlands Minister notified the Department that the Opium Convention had been signed on August 27, 1913, by Sweden with the following reservation: "Opium not being prepared in Sweden, the Swedish Government will for the present content itself with prohibiting the importation of prepared opium, but at the same time declares itself ready to take the measures set

forth in article 8 of the Convention if experience demonstrates the advisability thereof." Also that the Convention had been signed by Norway on September 2, 1913; and ratified by Denmark, Siam, Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela. (File No. 511.4A1/1437.)

In the same communication the Minister gave notice that the Convention had not yet been signed by Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Roumania, Servia, Greece, Switzerland, Turkey nor Uruguay.

File No. 511.4A1/1438.

No. 16.]

The American Minister to the Secretary of State.

AMERICAN LEGATION, The Hague, December 10, 1913. SIR: I have the honor to report that I have received the instrument of ratification of the Convention for the suppression of the use of opium and other deleterious drugs signed at The Hague on January 23, 1912, referred to in the Department's instruction No. 7 of the 25th ultimo, and that I have this day deposited this instrument of ratification with the Government of The Netherlands.

I have [etc.]

HENRY VAN DYKE.

1 Not printed.

COLOMBIA.

RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES WITH COLUMBIA.1

File No. 711.21/64.

The Minister of Colombia to the Secretary of State.

[Translation.]

No. 10.]

LEGATION OF COLOMBIA, Washington, November 25, 1911.

MR. SECRETARY: The necessity, which in the opinion of the Government of Colombia still exists, of settling as soon as possible in a just and honorable way the claims it has made and with untiring insistence maintained, resulting from the attitude and conduct of the Government of the United States with respect to the separatist movement of the Colombian Department of Panama in 1903, and the experience of recent years having demonstrated the utter unlikelihood of such a result being attained by means of a direct agreement, the Government of Colombia believes and has directed me so to declare to your excellency, that the time has come to urge anew upon the Government of the United States that-abandoning a course notoriously ineffective and adopting the one that the present administration of this country amid general applause advocates with so much zeal and success for the termination of all controversies of an international character-it assent to entering with us into a simple convention or treaty of arbitration under which the differences herein referred to shall be unappealably adjudicated, thus bringing to an end the present anomalous state of the relations between the two countries and placing them for the future and to their material honor and profit on a footing of the most sincere cordiality not only in their political but also in their commercial and economic aspects.

The outcome of the attempt that was made to regulate the situation by means of a direct agreement embodied in the treaties of 1909 was in truth most unfortunate. Let it be enough to say that it was on the point of causing a serious disturbance of public order in Colombia which was arrested only by the Government's withdrawing the treaties from the consideration of the National Assembly, whose debates on the question, even though they lacked a genuine popular origin, did voice the prevalent sentiment of the country and brought about a change in the personnel of the administration and the voluntary and hasty expatriation of the head of the Government. The Colombian plenipotentiary who signed those conventions had to keep out of the country thereafter and not until a few months ago did he think it safe, after failing in a previous attempt, to return.

The present Chief of the nation, without having to analyze the cause of the sentiment that is now practically unanimous, must, as

1 Continued from For. Rel. 1911, p. 88.

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