INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS

FEBRUARY 16, 1931.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. TEMPLE, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the

following

REPORT

[To accompany H. J. Res. 474]

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to which was referred House Joint Resolution 474, to authorize an appropriation for the expenses of the sixteenth session of the International Geological Congress to be held in the United States in 1932, having had the same under consideration, reports thereon with the recommendation that the resolution do pass with the following amendment:

On page 1, line 7, after the word "elsewhere", insert the words. "without reference to the classification act of 1923, as amended." The passage of this resolution is recommended by the President in his message to Congress of January 17, 1931, which follows:

To the Congress of the United States:

I commend to the favorable consideration of the Congress the inclosed report from the Secretary of State to the end that legislation may be enacted to autho ize an appropriation of $110,000 for the expenses of the sixteenth session of the International Geological Congress to be held in the United States in 1932.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

January 17, 1931.

The PRESIDENT:

HERBERT HOOVER.

The geological groups in the United States have extended an invitation to the International Geological Congress to hold its sixteenth session in the United States in June, 1932.

International Geological Congresses have been held throughout the civilized countries of the world since 1878 at three or four year intervals, except during the period of the Great War. The United States has been host to but one of these congresses, the fifth, held in Washington, D. C., in 1891. Sweden was host to the congress in 1910, Canada was host in 1913, and the Union of South Africa was the host to the congress held in 1929.

One of the best ways to bring about the advance of scientific knowledge in a given field, including the better understanding of the discoveries, their relations HR-71-3-VOL 224

and values in that field, is through congresses and organizations of this character, in which scientists are brought together for deliberation and discussion.

These congresses are attended by the leading educators in research and applied geology, and the leading practicing geologists and geological engineers of the civilized countries. The technical sessions are devoted to the discussion of topics of world-wide interest in geology, and the excursions are devoted to direct examinations of the most significant geologic features that are displayed in the host country. Each of the recent congresses has adopted, as a major topic for discussion, one or more of the most important of the world's mineral resources, and, as a consequence, the proceedings of that congress contain an authoritative résumé of the existing information on those resources; these proceedings thus become compendia of information on the selected topics for years to come. The eleventh congress, held in Sweden in 1910, issued a volume on the Iron Ore Resources of the World; the twelfth congress, held in Canada in 1913, issued a volume on the Coal Resources of the World; and the fifteenth congress, held last year in South Africa, will issue a volume on the Gold Resources of the World. The major topic adopted for the sixteenth congress in 1932 is the Petroleum Resources of the World, and in conformity with the practice of other governments it is proposed that this Congress issue a technical report of the congress and a scientific volume on the Petroleum Resources of the World. The information, when compiled, should be of great value.

At the request of the Secretary of the Interior, I therefore have the honor to recommend that the Congress be asked to enact legislation authorizing an appropriation of $110,000 for the expenses of the sixteenth session of the International Geological Congress to be held in the United States in 1932.

CONFERENCE ON THE LIMITATION OF THE MANUFACTURE OF NARCOTIC DRUGS

FEBRUARY 16, 1931.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. TEMPLE, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. J. Res. 480]

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to which was referred House Joint Resolution 480, authorizing an appropriation to defray the expenses of participation by the United States in the Conference on the Limitation of the Manufacture of Narcotic Drugs to be held at Geneva, Switzerland, on May 27, 1931, having had the same under consideration, reports thereon with the recommendation that the resolution do pass without amendment.

The passage of this resolution is recommended by the President in his message to Congress of January 21, 1931, which follows:

To the Congress of the United States:

I commend to the favorable consideration of the Congress the inclosed report from the Secretary of State to the end that legislation may be enacted to authorize the appropriation of $35,000, for the expenses of participation by the United States in the Conference on the Limitation of the Manufacture of Narcotic Drugs to be held at Geneva, Switzerland, on May 27, 1931.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

Washington, January 21, 1931.

The PRESIDENT:

HERBERT HOOVER.

An invitation has been extended to the Government of the United States by the Secretary General of the League of Nations on behalf of the Council of the League of Nations, to send one or more delegates invested with the necessary plenary powers, to represent it at the Conference on the Limitation of the Manufacture of Drugs (covered by art. 4 (b), (c), and (g) of the Opium Convention of Geneva) which will be held at Geneva on May 27, 1931.

The invitation from the Secretary General of the League of Nations stated that invitations were being sent only to the governments of the manufacturing Countries and to certain consuming countries, but a resolution adopted by the Assembly of the League of Nations in September, 1930, provided that invitations should be sent to all States, members or nonmembers of the League of Nations. Although the resolution of the Assembly of the League of Nations adopted at its session in September, 1929, referred only to a limitation of the manufacture of the drugs covered by article 4 (b), (c), and (g) of the Opium Convention of Geneva, the discussions concerning the conference in the league opium advisory committee

in January and February, 1930, and during the plenary conference held in London from October 24 to November 11, 1930, on the invitation of the British Government, indicate that it may be possible to bring about the discussion by the conference of certain drugs outside of the above-mentioned categories which, in the opinion of this and of certain other governments, should be covered by an international agreement concerning the limitation of manufacture of narcotic drugs.

This Government has long recognized the importance of the subject to be discussed at the conference, both from the point of view of the protection of the people of the United States and as a matter of world humanitarian interest.

The Government of the United States has realized the impossibility of preventing by its own efforts the smuggling into its territory of narcotic drugs manufactured abroad in excessive quantities, on account of their high value and small bulk, which make their detection impossible without investigations which would unduly interfere with legitimate commerce. It has been the aim of this Government to bring about international cooperation in dealing with this problem and to persuade other governments to limit the amount of narcotic drugs manufactured to the amounts required for medical and scientific purposes. To this end it took the initiative in bringing about the International Opium Commission at Shanghai in 1909 and the conference at The Hague, which resulted in The Hague Opium Convention of 1912, the first international agreement on this matter. This Government participated in the second Geneva conference of 1924, under the authorization contained in the joint resolution of Congress of May 15, 1924, but has not signed the resulting convention because it was not considered to be a sufficient advance over The Hague convention of 1912.

It has furthermore been and continues to be the policy of this Government, both in regard to its domestic situation and internationally in cooperation with the other powers, to seek the enactment of pharmacy laws and regulations which will limit the manufacture, the sale, and the use of morphine, cocaine, and their respective salts to the medical needs of the world. (Cf. Hague convention, Ch. III, art. 9.) With this in view, this Government on October 14, 1926, addressed an instruction to the American diplomatic representatives in the countries signatory to The Hague convention directing them to bring to the attention of those governments the steps which have been taken for the control of the manufacture of and traffic in narcotic drugs within the territorial limits of the United States pursuant to the requirements of The Hague convention and to point out the need for similar control in other countries, particularly those producing opium derivatives, if the illicit international traffic in these drugs is to be eradicated.

As a further means of meeting this situation and because of the increasing evidence that illicit narcotics found within the territorial limits of the United States by the preventive forces of this Government originated from sources outside of the territorial limits of the United States, the department, in December, 1927, directed its representatives at various capitals to arrange with the governments concerned for the direct exchange of information, relating to persons and organizations engaged in the illicit international traffic in narcotic drugs, between the officers directly concerned with the control of that traffic in the United States and the corresponding officers in such foreign governments. Arrangements have already been effected for such a direct exchange of information with the governments of 19 countries.

It is of interest to note, in this connection, a recent case indicative of the extent of the efforts to smuggle narcotic drugs into the United States. On December 15, 1930, there was seized on the steamship Alesia at New York 17,500 ounces of morphine concealed in 25 cases manifested as furs, consigned to order at New York.

In view of the importance of this matter to the Government of the United States, I have the honor to recommend that the Congress be requested to enact legislation authorizing an appropriation of $35,000 for the expenses of participation by the United States in the Conference on the Limitation of the Manufacture of Narcotic Drugs to be held at Geneva, Switzerland, on May 27, 1931. As a matter of convenience a tentative draft of the desired legislation is inclosed herewith.

Respectfully submitted.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, January 20, 1931.

CLAIM OF GEORGE J. SALEM AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF EGYPT

FEBRUARY 16, 1931.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. TEMPLE, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H. J. Res. 485]

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to which was referred House Joint Resolution 485, authorizing an appropriation for the expenses of the arbitration of the claim of George J. Salem against the Government of Egypt, having had the same under consideration, reports thereon with the recommendation that the resolution do pass with the following amendment:

On page 1, line 9, after the word "elsewhere" insert the words "without reference to the Classification Act of 1923, as amended." The passage of this resolution is recommended by the President in his message to Congress of January 26, 1931, which follows: To the Congress of the United States:

I inclose herewith a report which the Secretary of State has addressed to me in regard to the claim of George J. Salem against the Government of Egypt. This claim grows out of the improper exercise of jurisdiction over Mr. Salem by the native courts of Egypt respecting a charge of forgery of deeds and out of the retention by the Egyptian authorities of Mr. Salem's deeds for a period of over four years. These actions caused him to lose opportunity for the advantageous sales of his land and entailed the expenses necessary in defending himself in the native courts of Egypt and also in the mixed tribunals of Egypt. In the latter tribunals he sought a remedy for the injury above recited but he received a further injury through what is considered by this Government to be a denial of justice.

It will be noted that the Egyptian Government in a note addressed to the American minister at Cairo, dated March 20, 1930, agreed to the arbitration of the claim. I recommend that an appropriation in the amount suggested by the Secretary of State be authorized in order that the expenses which it will be necessary to incur on the part of the Government of the Mixed First Instance a decision was given against him on the ground that the case against the Egyptian Government was inadmissible. He thereupon appealed to the Mixed Court of Appeals, which entailed further large expenses.