An incident arose at the, Opium Conference, this morning, from the. -|remarks of the American delegate, Mr. Stephen Porter, who vehemently. denounced a statement by Viscount Cecil, the British delegate, that the use of opium in America was greater than that in India as a slander on the Americans Viscount Cecil immediately apologized and said that he must have been misinformed.
Mr. Porter declared that the 'United' States Delegation were unable to agree to the proposals of day. a the British Delegation made yester-
At the afternoon's sitting, Mr. Clayton (India) urged that the chief problem was contraband, and advocated international ce-operation to deal with it, He suggested that, in the event of the American delegates proposals, the Conference should decide the matter.
Dr, Sze (China) and Mr. Mac-White (Irish Free State) supported the American propos The debate was adjourned, After Mr, Porter's speech in the morning, the prospects of the sueces# of the Conference are very meagre, Indeed the British deltegates have arranged to leave on January 24, Mr. Porter's speech has unfavourably impressed the British delegates, and, unless the Americans modify their attitude, fan agreement is impossible The most thorny problem is the choice between the American suggestion that dealings in opium shall cease within 15 years from the ratification of the present convention, and the British proposal cabled yesterday. By this latter proposal the British Government would undertake to abolish opium smoking in British Far Eastern territories in which smoking is temporarily authorized within a period of not more than 15 years from the date on which effective measures taken China to suppress the cultivate tion of the poppy had reached a state where there would be no danger of smuggling from China into those territories.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.