China is a signatory to the Hague Convention and the import certificate devised by the Opium Council which has been accepted by all the signatories demands that China shall issue the import certificate by which morphia and narcotic drugs enter China, Here the vexed problem of extraterritoriality comes in. The above regulations do not affect foreign drug stores in foreign concessions, and=foreign houses will still apply to their Consuls for permits to import, so that China is in the anomalous position of having signed a compact which she cannot fulfil, not because of her unwillingness, but her inability. She is up against Treaty rights, and in the meantime we look to all foreign Consuls to continue to issue import permits to their nationals only in accordance with. the League certificate.
At the moment, the legally im} ported morphia is absolutely insignificant when compared with the smuggled amount, but we are working for the time when production in all countries will be limited to wnedical requirements, therefore we welcome this very necessary legislation proposed by the Ministry of the Interior.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.