coast in stopping this traffic. The authorities traced one shipment that came in in a deck chair, of $50,000 worth of morphine. It left Philadelphia and in 57 days went out to Japan, and was smuggled back into this country.

The CHAIRMAN. That is a point I desire you to touch on, that these drugs are being manufactured in the United States, shipped to foreign countries, and later smuggled back into the United States.

Mr. UNDERWOOD. I can not give you any definite figures on that, because I have not got them here; they are in Seattle. But there are a great many such shipments. You could probably get it from somebody down there in the branch of the Government that has to do with the enforcement of the Harrison Act. Those figures will show that the seizures of opium derivatives made at Pacific coast ports are largely composed of drugs manufactured in England, Germany, France, Switzerland, Philadelphia, and New York, and shipped through this country to Japan or China, and then smuggled back in here. As I told you, one of those shipments was traced back; in 57 days from the time it left Philadelphia it got back to Seattle.

Mr. LINTHICUM. Mr. Underwood, what is the Government doing toward suppressing this under the drug act?

Mr. UNDERWOOD. About a year or more ago you passed what is known as the Jones-Miller law. That law prevents the shipment from this country of drugs, and also prevents the manufacture of more morphine, codeine, and such other drugs as are specified

Mr. LINTHICUM. You do not mean prevents it; you mean it makes it unlawful.

Mr. UNDERWOOD. It makes it unlawful; it is designed to prevent it. It is designed to prevent the manufacture of more narcotics than are needed for scientific and medicinal purposes. It is also intended to prevent the importation into this country of an amount of the crude drug that would be in excess of the amount, manufactured into narcotics, required for scientific and medicinal purposes. Dr. Cumming, the chief of the Bureau of Public Health, the head of the medical department of the Army and the head of the medical department of the Navy are authorized by the law to determine the amounts that are necessary, and I understand they are now doing that. And, in fact, I think only a few days ago they arrived at a decision as to the amount of the crude drug that could be imported into this country.

Mr. LINTHICUM. This is what I am getting at, Mr. Underwood. I am entirely in sympathy with this resolution. I think everything ought to be done to restrict and prevent this traffic. What I want to find out is what the Department of State is doing, under the present laws, to prevent it.

The CHAIRMAN. There is nothing in the State Department. You mean the narcotic bureau?

Mr. LINTHICUM. Yes, the narcotic bureau.

Mr. UNDERWOOD. I think I have answered that question by saying that this commission, composed of these three medical authorities, the highest Government medical authorities we have, within the last two weeks announced-I am not sure that they have made the definite announcement, but they decided the amount of the crude drug that could come in here. In order to make morphine or heroin or codeine you must have a certain amount of crude opium, and they have specified the amount of crude opium that can come into this country.

The CHAIRMAN. May I interrupt you to say that there is such a large surplus of crude opium in the country that the board absolutely prohibited the importation of any more until further order of the board.

Mr. UNDERWOOD. Yes; I believe that is true. I had that in mind, but I was not quite sure of it.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Underwood, we all realize, of course, how difficult it is to ascertain the number of addicts; in fact, it is impossible. But in your judg ment, from your observation and study of this question, has the addiction increased on the Pacific coast during the last five or six years, or has it decreased, or is it about the same?

Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Porter, I can answer that by saying that the China Club has considered this matter. It became primarily interested in drug traffic for the reason that the passage of these drugs through the Pacific-coast ports was affecting a great number of people living on Pacific-coast ports. There were stories circulated, and they were probably true, to the effect that the boys in the high schools were getting them, and the girls at dances, and all that sort of thing. That was largely the reason for our interest in it; it was not a commercial interest, it was a humanitarian interest. The commercial aspect came into it incidentally.

The CHAIRMAN. We have been informed that the addiction was increasing. Mr. UNDERWOOD. I believe that is true.

The CHAIRMAN. That is the point. I understand that they resort to all sorts of devices to get these drugs into the ports of the Pacific. For instance, a ship having a large amount on board will sink tin cans containing it, with buoys attached, so that they can go out later and pick them up and bring them ashore. Mr. UNDERWOOD. Yes; there are various ways of doing that. On the ship on which I returned from China there was a deck chair, one of these lounging chairs, made of bamboo, and it was all filled with morphine.

Mr. LINTHICUM. Mr. Underwood, I mentioned the State Department a while ago. Has not the State Department the power to take these matters up at the request of the President?

Mr. UNDERWOOD. I should think it has. I do not know. It would take some lawyer to determine that. I think it has.

Mr. LINTHICUM. Do you know what has been done along that line, if anything?

Mr. UNDERWOOD. I do not know of anything that has been done.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Linthicum, you were not here yesterday, and I assume you did not hear the letter from the Secretary of State.

Mr. LINTHICUM. No; I did not.

The CHAIRMAN. I will gladly show it to you, and also my letter to him, at any time you desire.

Are there any further questions? If not, we thank you very much, Mr. Underwood.

Mr. Underwood informs me that there are on the way from the Pacific coast 300 petitions in support of this resolution, and he would like very much to have them in the record. I doubt whether they will reach us in time, but if they do I assume there will be no objection, except, of course, that we shall cut down the names and merely state the number of them, so as not to encumber the record.

I have before me a letter from the American Red Cross.

HON. STEPHEN G. PORTER:

[Reading:]

WASHINGTON, D. C., February 14, 1923.

U. S. House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. PORTER: While the general policy of the American Red Cross is not to indorse any legislation not introduced by itself, and though it takes part in no political or controversial questions, it is in full sympathy with the purpose of House Joint Resolution 430, relating to the illicit international traffic in habit-forming narcotic drugs.

Any legislation that will tend to lessen the unfortunate condition that exists to-day regarding the misuse of narcotic drugs can not fail to receive the approval of the American Red Cross, which is deeply interested in all human welfare.

May I add to this Red Cross approval my personal sympathy in the legislation proposed by the resolution.

Yours sincerely,

I have also the following resolutions:

MABEL T. BOARDMAN,

Secretary.

HEADQUARTERS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT,
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES,
Washington, D. C., February 12, 1923.

At a meeting of this department, held at 472 L Street NW., on this date, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

Whereas, the unlawful use in the United States of habit-forming narcotic drugs has grown to an alarming degree, with attendant irreparable injury to health and morality, and resultant death from continued use; and

Whereas, this evil not only is a grave menace to society in time of peace, but threatens to impair the Nation's defense in time of war by undermining the moral, mental, and physical strength of the youth of our land; and

Whereas, all other efforts, directed towards control of transportation and sale of these drugs, have failed miserably to check the spread of the menace; therefore, be it

Resolved, by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the District of Columbia Department, in department meeting assembled, That we unqualifiedly indorse House Joint Resolution 430, which seeks to strike at the root of the evil by limiting production of opium and coco leaves, from which habit-forming narcotic drugs are derived, to the actual needs of medicine and science.

Resolved further, That the department commander be directed to appear before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to present these resolutions and personally pledge the enthusiastic support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in the fight against the illicit traffic in habit-forming narcotic drugs. ANTON STEPHAN, Department Commander.

I have also before me a resolution passed by the council of the city of Portland, Oreg.:

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Washington, D. C.

PORTLAND, OREG., February 9, 1923.

GENTLEMEN. The council of the city of Portland, Oreg., at a regular meeting, held February 7, approved by unanimous vote House Joint Resolution 430, requesting the President to urge upon the governments of certain nations the immediate necessity of limiting the production of habit-forming narcotic drugs and the raw materials from which they are made to the amount actually required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes, and the auditor was directed to notify the Committee on Foreign Affairs of such action.

We, the members of Chapter G, affiliated with both the State and national P. E. O. organization, assembled in regular session, realizing the importance of immediate and efficient control of the narcotic evil, do hereby indorse and urge the passage in Congress of the Porter bill.

Mrs. L. B. MOFFETT,

MRS. WALLACE CARTER,
MRS. L. A. GASAWAY,
MRS. H. E. WILSON,

Committee.

There are a number of others there, but I believe we will go ahead with the witness and take them up later.

Mr. LINTHICUM. Mr. Chairman, in this letter from the Secretary of State, I note that the Secretary of State is very deeply interest in this question of the control of narcotics. I also ascertain from the witness that so far as he knows nothing has been done by the State Department at the request of the President. I understand that he is fully authorized to proceed in requesting Great Britain to limit its production, and so forth, is he not? And if so, I can not understand, with such a serious problem confronting the country, why he has not made some request during the past two years. If you can enlighten me as to that I should be glad.

The CHAIRMAN. Do not you think, Mr. Linthicum, that a great deal of force will be added to the representations of the President by the passage of this resolution? Because he will be speaking for both the executive and the legislative branches of the Government. That is my thought.

Mr. LINTHICUM. Oh, I believe that the passage of this resolution will fortify him and express the view of the American Congress. But I can not see, when such a question confronts the country, why something has not been done. If anything has been done, I should like to ascertain from the Secretary what, if anything, has been done.

The CHAIRMAN. Suppose we postpone that discussion until we reach the paragraph relating to the activities of the League of Nations, and then I can answer you, perhaps, more satisfactorily. I merely desire to call you attention, however, to the statement in my letter, because it expresses my own thought

Mr. LINTHICUM. Would the Chairman object to addressing a letter to the State Department and asking what has been done?

The CHAIRMAN. Oh, I do not see that there is any necessity for that. There has been nothing done. As I said, I will gladly go into that matter when we reach the paragraphs relating to the League of Nations. Then the matter will be entirely clear to you.

Mr. LINTHICUM. I hope it will be clearer than it is now.

The CHAIRMAN. The power to control this matter was delegated by Article XXXIII of the treaty of Versailles to the League of Nations, and it failed to do anything, but rather, by its action, encouraged the traffic. That will all come out in the evidence later. It is now time for America to take the lead in the matter.

Mr. MOORES. May I ask, Mr. Porter, if the situation is not very analogous to the situation with regard to the trade conventions, in that the trade convention has no effect unless it has the support of both bodies of Congress?

The CHAIRMAN. I do not want to apply that rule, because there is a probability that this matter ultimately will be determined by treaty, and there is no doubt that the President, acting through the Secretary of State, has the exclusive initiative in the making of treaties, the Senate having the power of negation.

Mr. MOORES. But the practice has grown up with regard to trade conventions of committing the House to it as well as the Senate, by legislation.

The CHAIRMAN. Personally I think, Mr. Moores, it is a good practice. I believe when the Nation wants the President to take up a matter of this sort he ought to be backed up by the official action of Congress, so that there I will be no doubt of the results so far as the ratification of his action is concerned.

Mr. LINTHICUM. I entirely agree with you on that.

Mr. MOORES. Mr. Linthicum, the ratification of a treaty, when it requires legislation, can not be carried out successfully without the cooperation of both bodies of Congress.

Mr. LINTHICUM. I understand that.

The CHAIRMAN. I might put it another way, Mr. Linthicum. It is my purpose in this resolution to give the President what practically amounts to plenary power over this matter.

Mr. LINTHICUM. But he has that.

The CHAIRMAN. No; he has not. And he will have nine months during the recess of Congress to carry on these negotiations. You will note the last resolving clause provides that the President is requested to report the result of his action to Congress.

Mr. LINTHICUM. The point I make is just this, that the President had the power to negotiate all treaties and to submit them to the Senate. Then if he wants any legislation for appropriations, that must be submitted in a bill to Congress. But he has the power to negotiate these treaties, and when the press has been full of this situation, when the cry has come from all sections of the world on this question, why the President has not requested the State Department to take some action I can not understand. You say he had not done so. If this will urge him to do so, I am even more strongly for the resolution. The CHAIRMAN. I perhaps went a little too far in saying that nothing had been done, because in one instance very decisive action was taken. But it is confidential; I will gladly tell the committee all about it in executive session. There is a very sound reason for the fact that the State Department has not acted.

Mr. LINTHICUM. I imagine the reason Great Britain has not acted is because she gets about one-tenth of her revenue from the tax on this trade in India. The CHAIRMAN. That is also true of Persia and Turkey.

Mr. COLE. There are many complications in the way, and this resolution is intended to straighten it out, is it not?

The CHAIRMAN. Exactly. Doctor Bundesen, the committee will be glad to hear you now.

STATEMENT OF DR. HERMAN N. BUNDESEN, COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

The CHAIRMAN. Doctor, will you please state your full name and the position you occupy, for the record?

Doctor BUNDESEN. Dr. Herman N. Bundesen, commissioner of health of the city of Chicago.

The CHAIRMAN. How long have you held that position, Doctor?
Doctor BUNDESEN. A little over a year.

The CHAIRMAN. How long have you practiced medicine?

Doctor BUNDESEN. Well, I graduated from Northwestern University in 1909. and then went into the Regular Army Medical Corps and remained there until 1913, when I became connected with the department of health in the city of Chicago, and have been connected with it in various positions since 1913, until the time I became commissioner of health.

The CHAIRMAN. Doctor, you are present at my request. I understand you have prepared a statement which you desire to read?

Doctor BUNDESEN. I should prefer to make just a few statements from it. The CHAIRMAN. Very well.

Doctor BUNDESEN. In making this statement I wish to confine myself to my practical experience as commissioner of health with conditions as they exist in the city of Chicago. I would like to preface those remarks with the state