File 87/1926 Pt 4 'Arabia: Bin Saud: Treaty negotiations: attitude of H.M.G. in regard to their right to manumit slaves' [‎506v] (110/134)

S. The speech of Sir William Vincent on 25th September, on the occasion of the adoption of
the Convention by the Assembly, is reproduced in Appendix III. Amonfr other speakers, the
Portuguese delegate pressed the advisability of defining forced labour. He considered this a
suitable task for the International Labour Office in connection with its present enquiry. He had
received instructions from his Government to sign the Convention. The Italian delegate would
have preferred to abandon Article 5 and to provide for the suppression of forced labour in all its.
forms. His Government would require to consider the Convention before signing it. The French
and Netherlands Delegations were also without power to sign. It is understood, however, that the
delegates of some 21 States signed the Convention immediately after its adoption in the Assembly.
It is not known whether reservations were made on behalf of any other countries besides India and
Persia.
*h Some question arose as to whether there was an obligation upon the Indian Delegation to
declare before the Assembly the exact terms of the reservations wdiich it proposed to make on
signature. It was argued by certain members of the League Secretariat that the proper procedure
would be to state publicly the terms of the reservations, especially as the Indian Delegation had
decided to alter the wording of its reservation in regard to Article 3 after having announced in
Committee the terms proposed to be employed. On the other hand, it appears that other
Conventions concluded at Geneva had been signed subject to reservations which had not been
announced at the time when the Conventions were adopted. In the circumstances. Sir William
Vincent, as will be seen from the opening words of his speech, though he stated before the
Assembly the terms of the reservations which he would make on signature of the Convention,
made it clear that he did not commit the Indian Delegation to any definite view as to wffiether public
announcement of reservations prior to signature was requisite.
10. The conclusion of the Convention within the limits of a three weeks session of the Assembly
at which so many other important questions w r ere under discussion was an achievement of considerabfe
difficulty, and almost up to the last moment it was doubtful whether an agreement would be reached.
Nevertheless, the Indian Delegation considers that the Convention will serve a valuable purpose in
furthering the progressive abolition of any system of servitude which contains the elements of
slavery, and trusts that, subject to the reservations made on signature, it will be found on
examination acceptable for India.
W. H. VINCENT.
Annex XX.— Report of the Agenda Committee on the Draft Resolution on Alcoholism
moved hy the First Delegates of Finland, Poland and Sweden.
(Rapporteur : The President of the Assembly.)
It will be remembered that the Agenda Committee had to examine two proposals coming from
members of the Assembly. At the meeting of 15th September it was decided to refer to the Agenda
Committee the draft resolution* moved by the hist delegate of Finland, of Poland and of Sweden
on the question of Alcoholism.
I will simply read the Report of the Agenda Committee :—
“The Agenda Committee met on 15th September and examined the Draft Resolution on
Alcoholism moved by the first delegate of Finland, of Poland and of Sweden, which w'as referred
to ii. The Committee, having examined the draft resolution, declared that the question is of
* In its practical activities in the field of social, economic and humanitarian questions the League lias more and more
been compelled to deal with the question of alcoholism. Thus the report to the Seventh Ordinary Session of the Assembly
on the work of the Council and of the Secretariat contains the information that the Traffic in Women and Children
Committee was unanimously of the opinion that an interdependence existed between the two evils, namely, alcoholism and
prostitution (page 111), and the Child Welfare Committee, after having considered the report furnished by the International
Hureau against Alcoholism, requested the Council to ask the Governments to protect children and young people from the
danger of alcoholism by every possible means (page 114).
The difficulty of the mandatory Powers and the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations in dealing
with the importation and consumption of liquor in the mandated territories is well known, as well as the lack of clearlv
defined terms and of uniform methods in this respect (pages 57 and 6H).
Moreover, the absence of co-ordinated international action against alcoholism is felt in the most civilised countries. As
an example may be mentioned the smuggling of alcoholic liquor which is much in evidence on the frontiers of all countries
and especially on the seas, and which, to the disgrace of civilisation, renders vain the most praiseworthy efforts of the
peoples and Governments to settle the alcohol questien.
On various sides (United States, States around the Baltic Sea) recourse has been had to conventions passed between
States in order to extirpate the evil, but without uniform international action there can be no hope of success.
Various organisations founded to protect society against alcoholism have for a long time been endeavouring to secure
international office action against this scourge of the world.
The International Conference of Studies against Alcoholism which met at Paris on April 3rd, 4th and 5th, 1919, under
the presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. of M. Vandervelde, now Foreign Minister of Belgium, requested the Peace Conference to consider whether
it would he possible to ask the League of Nations to take the question of alcoholism under detailed examination.
The International Conference against Alcoholism which met at Geneva on September 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 1925, voted a
series of resolutions relating to the questions of the colonies, of smuggling and of the conflicts between alcohol-exporting
States and States with advanced alcohol legislation, and requested the Council of the League of Nations to examine in
what way the League could concern itself with the alcohol problem. Finally, the eighteenth International Congress
against Alcoholism, which met at Dorpat (Esthonia) July 21st to 29th, 1926, adhered to the resolutions voted by the
Geneva Conference and requested the League of Nations to interest itself in the alcohol question.
Several Congresses assembling representatives of very many countries have appealed to the League of Nations, hoping
that, with all the authority at its command, it will now undertake a co-ordinating action for the future settlement of
the alcohol question, so important for the future of humanity.
1 here are divergencies of opinion as regards the alcohol question and the best means of solving it. What has to be
done now is to examine the question thoroughly and scientifically and to endeavour thus to prepare the proper measures to
be taken.
\V hen the different Governments and the different currents of opinion join together for a common task, undertaken in
the spirit of the League of Nations and on the basis of impartial scientific research, one may hope that this work will bear
fruit which will prove beneficial to humanity.
The undersigned therefore venture to request that the Assembly should decide to include in the programme of the work
of the League of Nations the question of alcoholism and should ask the Council to take measures to this effect.
(Sd.) Emilk Setat.a (Finland)
Auguste Zaueski (Poland).
J. E. Lofgren (Sweden).