The Washington times., 1924-10-17
FARLEY
0CURBDRUG
traffic
Principal Nations Of World to
Meet at Geneva Next
Month
BY LLOYD LEHRBAs,
international News Service.

A great international attempt TO
curb the distribution Of opium and
other narcotics will eliminate III
Geneva early next month when the
principal nations OF the world viii
gather for the first anti-narcotics
convention that has been held since
The Hague convention In 1914.
Doctor Alfred Sao-ke SEE, Chinass
minister to the United States, left
Washington today for New York
from where he will sail on the
s. s. Columbus tomorrow to attend
the conference on behalf OF China,
one Of the nations most interested.
The American delegations names
have not been announced yet but
1t Is reported that Congressman
Stephen q. Porter; Of Pennsylvania,
who has taken an active interest In
the drive against opium, will be
one of the American representatives.
Doctor w. w. Willoughby of Johns
Hopkins will act as an advisor to
the Chinese. s,
Two Parleys Planned.
Two conventions are to be held.
On November 8 representatives Of
seven nations will meet to formulate
specific regulations for the suppress
sion Of the use Of prepared opium.
Doctor SEE will represent China
along with delegates from Great
Britain on behalf OF India land its
colonies; Portugal, on behalf OF the
Macao colony in China, one OF the
greatest opium marts In the world;
France, on behalf OF Cochin China:
Japan, on behalf Of Formosa, and
Holland on behalf Of her Asiatic
colonies.
Under The Hague convention all
the nations agreed to suppress the
use OF prepared opium but there
has been no unison Of effort and
the Geneva conventNn will attempt
to correlate the various anti-opiuTn
programs into specific articles lead.
ing toward the abolition Of the
practice.
on November IL all nations which
were a party to The Hague c0nven-
ton, including the United States,
will meet to draft treaties to limit
the production OF raw opium, tighten
the regulations concerning the
manufacture of drugs, and consider
including c0cao leaves, from which
morphine is made, among the raw
products to be regulated by treaty.
Persia Flooding World.
At the present time opium ID
grown In China, Serbia, Greece,
Turkey, India and Persia, although
in all those countries except Persia
and China effective laws regulating
its growth are in force. Persian
opium is stiil flooding the markets
of the world, however, and inter
necine strife in China has caused
a recrudence of poppy culture there
to an alarming extent.
The situation In China is expected
to furnish the opium treaty makers
with one of the most difficult
problems the anti.drugs crusaders
have faced since the first efforts
were made to cuioe traffic In mar.
cotics.
The United States, Japan, Great
Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Hol-
land and France are the chief drug
manufacturing nations and although
reports gathered indicate that they
are all carrying out their pledge
made at The Hague In the letter Of
the treaties, there is some diverg-
ence from the spirit Of the ander-
takings. 1t is understood that ef-
forts will be made to tighten up
the manufacture of drugs by agree.
ing on specific regulations limiting
and guarding drug manufacturing
under international conventions in.
stead Of by the Individual national
laws now in force.