that it has assigned to New Zealand, with the Cook Islands and other island dependencies, the vote which Ante, p. 31. Article 27, 7°, of the Convention attributes to the whole of the other British colonies." Netherlands Colonies. of stipulations. II. In modification of Article 27 of the Convention, a second vote is accorded to the Netherlands Colonies, in favour of the Netherlands East Indies. III. Modification In modification of the stipulations of paragraph 1 of Article 5, it is agreed that, as a temporary measure, Postal Administrations, which in consequence of the organisation of their internal service, or for other causes, cannot adopt the principle of the increase of the unit of weight for letters from 15 to 20 grammes, and that of the reduction of the charge above the first unit of weight to 15 centimes for each supplementary rate instead of 25 centimes, are authorised to postpone the application of these two stipulations or of one or other of them, so far as regards Îetters originating in their service, until the day when they are in a position to apply them, and to conform in the meantime to the measures prescribed on this subject by the Congress of Washington. Registration fee outside of IV. In modification of Article 6 of the Convention, which Europe. fixes at 25 centimes the maximum charge for registration, it is agreed that countries out of Europe are authorised to maintain this maximum at 50 centimes, inclusive of the delivery of a registry receipt to the sender. Provisional right accorded Persia, etc. China. Transit rates, Siberian Railway. V. By way of exception to the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 12 of the Convention, Persia has the right of collecting from the addressees of printed papers of all kinds received from foreign countries a tax of 5 centimes per article distributed. This right is accorded to it provisionally. The same right is accorded to China in the event of its adhering to the principal Conventions. VI. By way of exception to the provisions of Article 4 of the Convention and to the corresponding paragraphs of the Regulations relative thereto, it is agreed as follows in regard to the transit rates to be paid to the Russian Administration on account of correspondence exchanged by way of the Siberian Railway: 1° The accounting for transit charges in respect of the Accounts. articles mentioned above shall be based, from the date of the opening of the aforesaid railway, on special returns taken every three years during the first 28 days of the month of May or of the month of November (alternately) of the second year of each triennial period, such returns to take effect retrospectively from the first year. 2o The statistics of May 1908 shall regulate the payments to be made from the date of the commencement of the traffic in question until the end of the year 1909. The statistics of November 1911 shall apply to the years 1910, 1911, and 1912, and so on. Payments. tistics. 30 If a country of the Union commences the despatch Separate staof its articles by way of the Siberian Railway during the period covered by the above-mentioned statistics, Russia has the right to demand the taking of separate statistics relating exclusively to such articles. payments. 4o The payment of transit charges due to Russia for Provisional the first and, if necessary, for the second year of each triennial period, is to be made provisionally at the end of the year on the basis of the preceding statistics, subject to a subsequent settlement of accounts in accordance with the results of the new statistics. 50 Transit in open-mail is not admitted by the aforesaid railway. in Transit open mail not admitted. Transit rates Japan has the right to apply the stipulations of each paragraph of the present article in regard to the settle- due Japan, etc. ment of transit rates due to Japan for the land or sea transit of articles exchanged by way of the Japanese railway in China (Manchuria) and so far as concerns the inadmissibility of transit in open-mail. VII. Salvador, which forms part of the Postal Union, not having been represented at the Congress, the Protocol remains open to it in order that it may adhere to the conventions which have been concluded there or only to one or other of them. It remains open with the same object: a. To Nicaragua and to Peru, whose delegates at the Congress were not furnished with full powers; 6. To the Dominican Republic, whose delegate was obliged to be absent when the Acts were signed. The Protocol likewise remains open to the Chinese Empire and the Empire of Ethiopia, whose delegates to the Congress have announced the intention of those countries to enter the Universal Postal Union on a date to be fixed hereafter. VIII. Adhesion. Salvador. Nicaragua and Peru. Dominican Republic. China and Ethiopia. The Protocol remains open to those countries whose Protocol left representatives have to-day signed only the principal tain countries. open for cer Notification of adhesion. Convention binding on States ing. Convention, or only a certain number of the Conventions settled by the Congress, in order to admit of their adherence to the other Conventions signed this day, or to one or other of them. IX. The adhesions contemplated in the foregoing Article VII. must be notified to the Government of Italy by the respective Governments in diplomatic form. The term accorded to them for that notification will expire on the 1st of July 1907. X. In the event of one or more of the contracting parties ratify to the Postal Conventions signed to-day at Rome not ratifying one or other of those Conventions, this Convention shall be none the less valid for the States which shall have ratified it. Signatures. Approval. In faith of which the under-mentioned plenipotentiaries have drawn up the present final Protocol, which shall have the same force and validity as if its provisions were inserted in the text itself of the Conventions to which it relates, and they have signed it on a single copy which shall remain in the Archives of the Government of Italy and of which a copy shall be delivered to each party. Done at Rome, the 26th of May, 1906. Having examined and considered the provisions of the aforegoing final protocol, signed in Rome on the 26th of May, A. D. 1906, relative to the Universal Postal Convention of Rome, signed the same day; the same is by me, by virtue of the powers vested by law in the Postmaster-General, hereby ratified and approved by and with the advice and consent of the President of the United States. In witness whereof I have caused the seal of the Post Office Department of the United States to be hereto affixed this thirteenth day of October, A. D. 1906. [SEAL.] GEO. B. CORTEL YOU, Postmaster-General. I hereby approve the above-mentioned final protocol. and in testimony thereof have caused the seal of the United States to be hereto affixed. [SEAL.] By the President: ELIHU ROOT, Secretary of State. WASHINGTON, October 16, 1906. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. REGULATIONS. fected. Detailed Regulations for the Execution of the Conven- Countries aftion concluded between Germany and German Protectorates, United States of America, and the Island Possessions of the United States of America, Argentine Republic, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chili, Chinese Empire, Republic of Colombia, Congo Free State, Empire of Corea, Republic of Costa Rica, Crete, Republic of Cuba, Denmark and Danish Colonies, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ecuador, Spain and Spanish Colonies, Ethiopian Empire, France, Algeria, French Colonies and Protectorates of Indo-China, the whole of the other French Colonies, Great Britain and various British Colonies, British India, the Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, British Colonies of South Africa, Greece, Guatemala, Republic of Hayti, Republic of Honduras, Hungary, Italy and the Italian Colonies, Japan, Republic of Liberia, Luxemburg, Mexico, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Norway, Republic of Panama, Paraguay, Netherlands, the Dutch Colonies, Peru, Persia, Portugal and Portuguese Colonies, Roumania, Russia, Salvador, Servia, Kingdom of Siam, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunis, Turkey, Uruguay, and United States of Venezuela. The undersigned, having regard to Article 20 of the Measures Universal Postal Convention concluded at Rome on the adopted. 26th of May, 1906, have, in the name of their respective Administrations, settled by common consent the following measures for ensuring the execution of the said Convention. I. Forwarding of the mails. most rapid route. 1. Each Administration is bound to forward, by the, Forwarding most rapid routes at its disposal for its own mails, the closed mails and the articles in open-mail which are delivered to it by another Administration. temporary sus In the event of an Administration finding itself obliged, Notice of by exceptional circumstances, to suspend temporarily the pension of dedespatch of closed mails and articles in open-mail which spatch of closed are delivered to it by another Administration, it is bound at once to notify the fact, if necessary by telegraph, to the Administration or Administrations concerned. mails, etc. Supplemental charges. Arrangement of exchanges in closed mails. change. 2. Administrations which avail themselves of the option to levy supplementary charges, as representing the extraordinary expenses pertaining to certain routes, are free not to forward by those routes, when other means of communication exist, any insufficiently paid articles for which the employment of the said routes has not been expressly prescribed by the senders. II. Exchange in Closed Mails. 1. The exchange of articles in closed mails between the Administrations of the Union is regulated by common consent between the Administrations concerned, and according to the necessities of the service. Notice of ex- 2. If an exchange is to take place through the medium of one or more countries, timely notice must be given to the Administrations of those countries. When closed mails are obligatory. up 3. It is, moreover, obligatory, in this latter case, to make closed mails whenever a request to that effect is made by one of the intermediate Administrations on the ground that the number of articles sent in open-mail is such as to hinder its work. Notice of 4. In case of alteration in a service of closed mails changes in routes. established between two Administrations through the medium of one or several other countries the Administration which has originated the alteration gives notice thereof to the Administrations of the countries through the medium of which this exchange is effected. Special charges for ex III. Extraordinary Services. The extraordinary services of the Union giving rise to traordinary special charges, the fixing of which is reserved by Article services. 4 of the Convention for arrangement between the Administrations concerned, are exclusively: Indian mail. 1° Those which are maintained for the accelerated conveyance by land of the Indian Mail; Colon and Panama. Rates of postage. 20 That which is established for the conveyance of mails by railway between Colon and Panama. IV. Fixing the Rates of Postage. 1. In execution of Article 10 of the Convention, the Administrations of the countries of the Union which have not the franc for their monetary unit, or which maintain postal Agencies outside the Union, levy their rates of postage according to the following equivalents:— |