TEXTS OF CONVENTIONS CONVENTION FOR THE EXCHANGE OF MONEY ORDERS BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1 Desiring to facilitate the transmission of sums of money between France and Algéria, on the one hand, and the United States of America, on the other, by means of money orders, the Government of the French Republic and the Postal Administration of the United States have concluded a Convention to this effect. The undersigned Paul Claudel acting in behalf of his Government and Arch Coleman, Acting Postmaster General of the United States, by virtue of the powers vested in him by law, have agreed to the following Articles; ARTICLE 1 PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS The exchange of money orders between France and Algeria on the one hand and the United States of America on the other hand, is governed by the provisions of the present Convention. ARTICLE 2 DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS The amount of the money orders is to be deposited by the remitter (to whom a receipt is given) and paid to the payee, either in coin or in paper money of legal tender in the country in which the transaction is made, provided that each Administration may make allowance, if necessary for any difference in the exchange value. ARTICLE 3 RATE OF CONVERSION The issuing Administration determines the rate of conversion of its money into the money of the country of destination, and may modify this rate whenever it is deemed necessary. Each Administration shall communicate to the other the rate of conversion adopted and any modifications thereof. 1 This text is a literal copy of the original convention which is on file at the Post Office Department. ARTICLE 4 MAXIMUM AMOUNT The maximum amount for money orders is 2.500 French francs for orders issued in the United States, and $100 for orders issued in France. These maxima may be modified by agreement between the two Administrations. ARTICLE 5 FEES A fee fixed by the Administration of the country of origin is collected from the sender for each remittance. Subject to the provisions of Article 12, below, this fee belongs to the Administration which issues the order. Each Administration communicates to the other its schedule of fees, as well as any modifications made therein. ARTICLE 6 EXEMPTION FROM FEES Money orders in favor of prisoners of war and of interned belligerents, or sent by them, as well as orders exchanged between the inquiry offices established for these prisoners or interned belligerents are exempt from fees. ARTICLE 7 PAYMENT The payment, and if necessary, the delivery of the money orders to the payee, is to be in accordance with the regulations in force in the country of destination. ARTICLE 8 PERIOD OF VALIDITY-LIMITATION Money orders are valid until the expiration of the twelfth month following that of their issue. After this period the amount of the order is placed at the disposal of the country of origin. The sums received by each Administration in respect of orders of which payment has not been applied for by those entitled to it during the period fixed by the laws and regulations of the country of issue of the orders, revert definitely to the Administration of that country. ARTICLE 9 WITHDRAWAL OF MONEY ORDERS- -MODIFICATION OF ADDRESS The remitter of an order may withdraw it from the service or modify the adress thereof under the conditions set forth by the Detailed Regulations of the present Convention so long as the payee has not received either the order itself or the amount of the order. This right, however, may be exercised only during the period of validity of the order as fixed by the preceding Article. ARTICLE 10 THE FORWARDING OF MONEY ORDERS In the event of a change of residence on the part of the payee, money orders may be forwarded at the request of the remitter or of the payee, either into the interior of the country of payment or to a country which maintains an exchange of money orders with the original country of payment. The conditions of such forwarding are set forth in Article 15 of the Detailed Regulations. ARTICLE 11 RESPONSABILITY CLAIMS Amounts paid in for the purpose of being converted into money orders are, within the period of validity fixed by the legislation of the country of origin, guaranteed to the remitters until the orders. have been duly paid. The responsability rests with the Office of payment if it is not in a position to show that payment was effected under the conditions prescribed by its internal regulations. When wrong payment is due to insufficient address of the payee as given by the remitter or by the issuing office, the responsability rests with the remitter or with the issuing Administration, as the case may be, but on condition that the efforts for recovery of the amount of the order from the person to whom it has been incorrectly paid (which must in all cases, be made by the paying Administration) shall have proved fruitless. Claims are accepted only within the period of two years from the date of issue of the order. ARTICLE 12 APPORTIONMENT OF CHARGES The Administration which issues the orders credits to the paying Administration a commission of one-half per cent (%) of the total amount of orders paid less the amounts of orders exempt from fees. The rate of this allowance may be modified by agreement between the two Administrations. Each Administration has the right to use the intermediary service of the other Administration for remittances to countries or colonies with which the latter maintains a direct exchange of money orders. The intermediary Administration is authorized to charge for its services a supplementary fee, which is deducted from the face value of the orders. ARTICLE 14 GENERAL ACCOUNTS A general account recapitulating the sums which the two Administrations owe each other is drawn up each quarter by the creditor Administration. This account, which is forwarded in duplicate to the debtor Administration, shall show the balance in the currency of the creditor country. For this purpose the amount of the smaller credit is converted into the currency of the country having the larger credit, the basis for the conversion being the mean of the official rate of exchange in the debtor country during the period to which the account relates. The balance is the difference between the larger and the smaller credits. ARTICLE 15 SETTLEMENT The accounts are liquidated by the debtor Administration within the time prescribed by the Detailed Regulations. In case of the non-payement of a balance of an account within this period, the amount shall draw interest from the time of the expiration of the period until the date of payment. This interest shall be reckoned at the rate of seven per cent (7%) per annum. ARTICLE 16 MODIFICATION OF THE REGULATIONS CONCERNING GENERAL ACCOUNTS AND THEIR SETTLEMENT The provisions of Articles 14 and 15 may be modified by agreement between the contracting countries whenever it may be deemed desirable. ARTICLE 17 VARIOUS PROVISIONS The two Administrations draw up by common consent the measures of detail and order necessary for the execution of the present Convention. These measures may be modified by common consent should necessity arise. ARTICLE 18 SUSPENSION OF THE SERVICE Each of the two Administrations may under extraordinary circumstances which would justify the measure, temporarily or définitely suspend the exchange of money orders provided immediate notice be given to the other Administration, if necessary by telegraph. ARTICLE 19 ENTRY INTO FORCE, AND DURATION OF THE CONVENTION The present Convention shall replace the Conventions of December 29, 1879 and August 28, 1888, as well as the additional Act of September 3, 1921. It shall take effect on a day to be agreed upon by the Postal Administrations of the two countries. The Convention shall remain in force until one of the contracting parties shall have notified the other, at least six months in advance, of its intention to terminate it. IN WITNESS HEREOF the undersigned have signed the present Convention and have affixed thereto their seals. Signed at Washington on the 19th Aug. 1931 and at on the CLAUDEL ARCH COLEMAN [SEAL] |