File 2908/1907 Pt 3 ‘Persian Gulf:- Quarantine; German complaint’ [‎116r] (231/250)

facultative, but not to be applied as a general rule, on “clean” ships.
(We do not repeat here the conditions, already reported, attached to
these various decisions.)
In icgard to rat-plague on clean ships, rat destruction is compulsory on
ships on board which rat-plague is known to exist. It is facultative
(i.e., applied “if judged necessary”) on ships on board which an
unusual rat mortality has been observed.
In regard to rat-plague on shore, it is not to be notifiable, in the
absence of human plague. In the presence of human plague, rat-plague,
if existent, is to be notified at the same time as the human disease; and,
in subsequent reports on the progress of the epidemic, and at its end,
the measures taken to control rat-plague are also to be reported.
In. considering the acceptability of the above decisions, we are guided
by the following considerations :—
t he decisions as they stand are not only much less drastic than we
anticipated they would he before entering on the work of this Conference,
but are considerably less so than the measures actually proposed to the
Conference.
The reduction in stringency of the measures proposed was brought
about during the discussions largely to meet our views. We do not
say “ wholly 3 to meet our views, because on many points our views
were fully shared by the Kussian and other Delegations. But on not a
few points alterations were made solely to meet our wishes. We admit
that on some points—notably on those connected with rat destruction
on healthy ships—we were not able to gain all that we wished. But we
venture to assert that, under the circumstances, and in view of the
opinions held by the other Delegations, nothing better could be obtained
than the compromise actually arrived at; and we cannot but think
that the conclusions concerning rat-plague and rat destruction might
be safely accepted hj His Majesty’s Government as they stand. Some
further considerations, which have assisted us in coming to this
conclusion, will be dealt with in a later part of this Despatch/
We have already expressed at length our opinions as to the accepta
bility of the new or modified decisions respecting the followino*:—The
Constantinople, Alexandria, and Tangier Boards of Health, the Inter
national Sanitary Bureau, and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; and on all of these
questions we are now in possession of your Lordship’s instructions.
In regard to the Tangier Sanitary Board we note that we are
jt r it a * 7 ? i !-> i , instructed* to “ make a reserve
* Lord Lansdowne to British Delegates, -ji -i ;
No. 1 1 , of 17th November 1903. o\ ith icgord to the provision of
“ the necessary funds, basing it on
“ the principle that every country is bound, generally speaking, to
“ defray the expenses considered by the Government necessary for 3 the
“ preservation of the national health.”
These instructions reached us too late to act upon them in any
meeting of the Conference, and we therefore venture to ask whether
your Lordship would still wish us to make a formal reserve on this
matter, when signing the Convention on the 30th instant, as was done
in regard to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and other questions, when signing the
Paris Convention of 1891. We are ourselves of opinion^ that, as
nothing passed at the Conference indicating that it was intended that
the cost of the Morocco lazaret should fall on shipping, it would be
better not now to call attention to the point, and to reserve it to be
dealt with by diplomatic means if, in the event, it should be proved
that our shipping is realty threatened.
We have set forth at some length the above modifications and
additions to the existing Conventions which must result from the
adoption of the new Convention, in order that your Lordship mav be in
a position to judge of the acceptability or non-acceptahility of the new
Convention as a whole. We venture to state that, iu our opinion, after
balancing the gains and losses of the present Conference, the net result
is an advance, as compared with former Conventions, in the direction of