SMUGGLING OF OPIUM.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 20 August 1928, Page 2

SMUGGLING OF OPIUM.

LEAGUE INQUIRY PROPOSED. GREAT ACTIVITY IN TRAFFIC. (British Olficial Wireless.) RUGBY Aug. 18. The British Government hals placed upon the agenda for the forthcoming council meeting of the League of Nations a- proposal for the appointment of a league commission to inquire into the present position regarding the use of opium and the present ineffectual efforts being made to -prevent the smuggling of opium into the Far East. The ground for the proposal is that all efforts that have -sc far been made n« the result of the decisions of the international opium convention of 1912 and of the opium conference or 1924 and 1925 have been largely rendered of no avail owing to the enormous amount of smuggling. This has reached such proportions that the governments are finding it difficult to fulfil their promises made at the first opium conference to suppress the consumption of prepared opium within a period of 15 yeans. The growth of opium poppy in China has led to great (smuggling -activity and it- is the desire of the British Government that league experts should make an inquiry on the spot to see whiat further measures -call be taken to control the whole trade and thus gradually cany out the desire of the signatories of the agreement that within a. given period of years, by means of gradual suppression, the use of opium, or at all events the legal use of opium, -shall be entirely (stopped. Smuggling is at present the principal obstacle in the way, and it is with theobject of .studying this and the means of stopping it that the commn-sision of inquiry is requested. Other governments with territories in the Far East Imm ren-lied -sunnortins the British