DRUGS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16874, 11 February 1929, Page 7

DRUGS

WORSE THAN WAR FLOODING EAST LONDON, Jan. 26. "It is a serious thing that such a crime should be committed by two highly-civilised countries, and that individual:! and firms arc prepared to make money out of the blood and shame of their victims. The drug traffic is more deadly than war." The Italian delegate, Signor Cavazzoni, to the League of Nations Advisory Committee on Opium and thus denounced an appalling traffic in drugs to the Far Fast through Switzerland and Holland. The commission, says the Geneva correspondent of the Times, concluded it.) examination of the drugs question by considering what the president called the most important document concerning the illicit traffic ever placed before a commission—namely, the Dutch Government's report upon the operations of the Naarden chemical factory in Holland. This has largely imported morphine, heroin, and cocaine from Switzerland, and exported them through Vienna. The report stated that the factory was no longer permitted to make or handle such drugs; also that the Vienna agents had been arrested or deported, and many consignments seized. The British delegate, Sir Malcolm Delevingne, tabled a report showing that Naarden produced 35,600 ounces of morphine, 113,000 ounces of heroin, and 3350 ounces of cocaine, over two ton 3of which were consigned to China. MILLIONS OF VICTIMS A Swiss firm, Sandos and Co., sent to Naarden, "in transit," 60,000 ounces of heroin alone, said Sir Malcolm. Signor Vavazzoni pointed out that even 50,000 ounces of heroin could create tens of millions of victims. The situation should be faced, and control .should be tightened. The Japanese delegate, Mr. Sato, said it was calculated that th<> medical needs of the whole of China as regards heroin were under 5 per ce"r>t. of the amount despatched from Naarden. OPIUM AS ALTERNATIVE It was only justice to China, raid Mr. Sato, to' remember this inllux when China's exports were condemned. While the flood of heroin was undammed, opium smoking might be a protection against a deadlier habit. The Swiss delegate, M. Carrioie, explained that the Swiss Government believed that the Naarden firm were thoroughly respectable. His Government had" undoubtedly been imprudent, but Switzerland must not be saddled with the sole blame. The new system of certificates should prevent an illicit traffic of such dimensions. The president, winding up the debate, said that the commission could rejoice that one of the biggest centres of' the world's illicit traffic had been broken up, for Naarden accounted for one-third of the world/a production of narcotics. The Dutch Government had dealt a blow from which the trafficker would not soon recover, but it was now operating from another country, and so was the chief Swiss agent. ' The Chinese delegate, Wang Kingky, said that all China was behind the National Government in warring against drugs.