London, Jan. 19.
Sir John Jordan, interviewed on his return from attending the meetings of the League of Nations Opium Commission at Geneva, said that the chief subject discussed was the advisability of a boycott of opium produced by Persia and Turkey if they still refused to conform to The Hague Opium Convention.
Great diversity of opinion was expressed, he said. Some thought that such action! would only result in an increase of production in India and extensive smuggling from Turkey and Persia. A representative of India suggested that opium should be sold at a fixed price to prevent the great rise which would make opium smuggling profitable. The matter was finally postponed but Turkey subsequently intimated her intention of entering the League, which would involve signing the Convention, while Persia also intimated her intention to withdraw the reservations she had hitherto made.
Sir John Jordan expressed the opinion that when Turkey. Persia and India came in together it should be possible materially to reduce the world production of opium. There was really no evidence of a reduction since The Hague Convention, although there had been local improvements.
After referring to the very bad marked recrudescence of opium production in China, Sir John Jordan expressed disappointment that, although the British, American and Chinese delegates strongly pressed for the holding of at least one public meeting of the Commission, the proposal was rejected.—Reuter.
Jan. 20.
Sir John Jordan, in a letter to the ''Times,"" emphasizes that excess output is the main cause of abuse of narcotic drugs. He says that there is a movement in China again to legalize the traffic in consequence of the recrudescence of cultivation of opium and the difficulty of controlling illicit traffic. The temptation to do so is appalling in view of the present bankrupt condition of Peking finance but he believes that Chinese. public opinion will reassert itself against the attempt.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.