The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-17
JAP PANESE ILLUSTRATE AGREEMENT Nippon Demands Right To Import Drug With
 out Restrictions FLATLY. REFUSES
 TO SIGN PACT Conference Looks To U. $. Representatives To
 Solve Problem
  PORTUGAL ALSO
 DELAYS ACTION ro.tv Countries Confer At Gen. eva On Ways To Prohibit
 Oriental Traffic
PORTUGAL ALSO
 DELAYS ACTION
fBy Associated Press.)

GENEVA, Nov. 16.-Wlth the international conference on far eastern opium prob lens ending tonight sensa- tionally, all the. delegates are discussing with seagerness the probable attitude of the Unit, ed States at the second ana more important internationai opium conference which VIII begin tomorrow.
 So surchanged with suspicion IS the atmosphere at Geneva in consequence of charges and counter charges plvot- inc around the contention that coun- tries are engaging in opium traffic. that few. if any, official American dele ratisnS uill have to go into confer soce more full Of potential difficulties than that which opens it's sessions to- morrow. But the American position on opium and narcotic drugs is held by the delegates generally to be SO d;s;nterested that there seems general expectation that the American deiega- tion of five, headed by Representative Porter, will be able to bring ~sometning helpful out of Geneva.
 No Objects Achieved
 The preliminary conference establish cd neither of the objects for whlch if was convoked. It failed to, form any estimate of the amount Of opium re- ouired for smoking purposes or any es- timnte of the date when the lmporta- tion of opium for smoking could pc brought to an end and 1t took no meas ures to curb the illicit production oi opium in China.
 Japan announced she would not sign inc convention which had been rougnH elaborated until she was assured or free, dom of opium importation. fortusai announced she reserved her signatute because of dissatisfaction over the treu.- ment of the opium situation III MaIto and China and made reservations pc cause the European powers havlns laa eastern colonies refused to lnstltuLe there a system of rationing ana resis tration of opium smokers wlth we" to putting an end to the opium eVll'
 Although the American attitude IS nht disclosed, the impression preVahs of Geneva tonight that MT. Porter ana h;s colleagues, following the example sat at the Washington arms conference, will enter tomorrow's conference w.tH a clean cut program and deiihite set of proposals in the form or dfaI; convention. Furthermore, It IS DeileVea that the last word has not been sald on the question of suppression or opium smoking in the Far East.
 Ii is understood the Americans will yscommend that all importation of raw oy;,,m into Far Eastern countries for s,nok;ng purposes shall be discontinued ,v;tb;n definite period of years. 1T th;s nroves true the United States Will have brought forward problem wnlch +he first conference has refused even to discuss.
 More than 40 countries are expected .o rticiDate in the international con forence its object is primarily to take ,,r,. the nroblem of the traffic in dan rarovs narcotic drugs. It will endeaVor sn limit to the medical and scientific neods of the world the manufacture or r,ornbine. heroin and cocaine and the production of opium and coca ieaVes' from which these narcotic drugs are derived.
 Ii is estimated that about IF tons of NOium have been smuggled into the United States in the last two years
 The smuggling into Americas of the derivatives of opium and coca has been heavy but no estimate is available
 A dramatic day at Geneva had as its climax tonight cn eloquent appeal by Mir. Sze, the Chinese minister at Washington. that the powers having colonies in the Far East agree to spend the money derived from the opium traffic in the amelioration in the con dition of the opium addicts and in the promotion of the social welfare of Chinese coolies, who are the chief opium victims.
 All the powers refused to accept the suggestion, contending that budgetary technicalities, prevented such fixed all location of opium profits.