Britain to Abolish Smoking when China Stops Planting: Effective Control in India London, Jan, 17.
The "Observer," discussing the reopening of the opium question at Geneva, says that America's desire for the suppression of the. Indian Crop. is founded anxiety, which must be fully re-far as India is impugned, Amy view of the facts appears mistaken, The paper quotes Lord Olivier's Jdenial that drugs from India reach America, and points out that the Indian export of opium, though relevant to the problem as a whole, is not relevant to the particular difficulties which the United States brings in—Reuter.
Geneva, Jan, 19, The Second Opium Conference! opened with a long speech by Vi count Cecil, in which he expressed the strong views of the British Gov-|¢ lornment in favour of practical ce clusions. He declared that Great Britain desired to end opium smoking, and emphasized the fact th the' derivatives of opium were the most serious aspect of the problem. The Conference would be a failure if they failed to deal with it.
He stated that opium eating in India was a purely domestic question, and not a matter for international interference.
The control of opium in India was effective, and Indian opium was not used in the: manufacture of harmful drugs.
He paid a tribute to the past efforts of China to restrict "the feultivation of the poppy, as also to the efforts of British Colonial administrations in this direction.
Viscount Cecil offered, on behalf of the British Government, to undertake to abolish opium smoking in British Far, Eastern territories smoking was temporarily authorized, within a period of not more than 15 years from the date Jon which effective measures taken by China to suppress the cultivation stage should be decided by the League Commission, whose decision would be final.
Viscount Cecil's speech was warmly applauded, lier (France) endorsed Viscount Cecil's remarks.
The upshot of the debate was not
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.