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Dr. L. H. Goucu (Chief, Entomological Section, Ministry of 
Agriculture, Egypt): Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen—The pre- 
vious speakers have not referred to Egypt. In Egypt the 
present regulations are an extension of the legislation of ten 
years ago which totally prohibited the importation of cotton 
seed. Cotton seed and growing cotton plants are still totally 
prohibited, and, in addition, all other plants entering the 
country have to be fumigated. An amendment of the law is 
under consideration permitting the importation without fumi- 
gation of plants arriving with satisfactory inspection certificates. 
Such certificates cannot, however, always be trusted, and fumi- 
gation may yet have to be imposed, if the plants to which the 
certificates refer are found to be infected. In spite of the total 
prohibition of cotton seed, a small quantity of seed has been 
imported in badly ginned cotton from India, and in this way 
the pink boll worm has reached us. I should not like to see 
Egypt give away its right to fumigate, or to examine and 
reject plants, which, although properly certificated, are found 
by us to be diseased. 
Sir James Witson: Mr. Chairman—I was one of the Dele- 
gates representing Great Britain at the Conference at Rome 
which the Chairman mentioned in his opening speech, so that 
I may claim some knowledge of this question. I am glad of 
the opportunity of saying a few words with reference to what 
has been said by some of the previous speakers. There is no 
doubt that, in spite of the wording of the Draft Convention, 
each country will pay some attention to the adequacy of the 
agency which gives certificates. You cannot expect a certi- 
ficate from one country which is known to be backward to be 
accepted in exactly the same way as a certificate from a more 
advanced and trustworthy country. The Draft Convention 
itself retains to each country the power to do what it likes with 
plants after they come to the country, and does not prevent 
any country from having an inspection made of any particular 
consignment regarding which it is not quite sure. I think 
perhaps that has not been quite understood. I can mention 
that the Hungarian Government has definitely notified its inten- 
tion to adhere to the Convention, and from what I heard from 
some of my fellow Delegates at the International Agricultural 
Institute at Rome, it seems probable that a number of other 
European Governments will adhere. On the other hand, T 
understand the South African Government are not inclined to 
adhere, because their present restrictions, they say, are greater 
than those which the Draft Convention proposes to require, 
and they are afraid that if they adhere to the Draft Convention 
they will have to relax their restrictions against certain coun- 
tries. I am inclined to think they are mistaken in that inter- 
