His Majesty the King of Spain, and in his name Her Majesty the Queen-Regent of the Kingdom, M. W. Ramirez de Villa-Urrutia, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;

His Majesty the King-Sovereign of the Independent State of the Congo, M. Paul de Smet de Naeyer, his Minister of State, Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium; and M. Hubert Droogmans, Secretary-General of the Finance Department of the Independent State of the Congo;

The President of the French Republic, M. A. Gérard, Envoy Extraor dinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to His Majesty the King of the Belgians.

Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, Sir Francis Plunkett, her Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians; and Mr. H. Farnall, of the Foreign Office;

His Majesty the King of Italy, M. R. Cantagalli, his Envoy Extraor dinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;

Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, Jonkheer Rudulphe de Pestel, her Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;

His Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves, M. AntoineMarie, Count of Tovar, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;

His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias, M. N. de Giers, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;

His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, M. Auguste-L.-Fersen, Count Gyldenstolpe, his Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians;

His Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans, Etienne Carathéodory Effendi, High Dignitary of his Empire, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of the Belgians; Who, furnished with powers in good and due form, have adopted the following provisions:

ARTICLE I.

From the coming into force of the present Convention, the import duty on spirituous liquors, as that duty is regulated by the General Act of Brussels, shall be raised throughout the zone where there does not exist the system of total prohibition provided by Article XCI of the said General Act, to the rate of 70 fr. the hectolitre at 50 degrees centigrade for a period of six years.

It may, exceptionally, be at the rate of 60 fr. only the hectolitre at 50 degrees centigrade in the Colony of Togo and in that of Dahomey. The import duty shall be augmented proportionally for each degree above 50 degrees centigrade; it may be diminished proportionally for each degree below 50 degrees centigrade.

At the end of the above-mentioned period of six years, the import duty shall be submitted to revision, taking as a basis the results produced by the preceding rate.

The Powers retain the right of maintaining and increasing the duty beyond the minimum fixed by the present Article in the regions where they now possess that right.

ARTICLE II.

In accordance with Article XCIII of the General Act of Brussels, distilled drinks made in the regions mentioned in Article XCII of the said General Act, and intended for consumption, shall pay an excise duty.

This excise duty, the collection of which the Powers undertake to insure as far as possible, shall not be lower than the minimum import duty fixed by Article I of the present Convention.

ARTICLE III.

It is understood that the powers who signed the General Act of Brussels, or who have adhered to it, and who are not represented at the present Conference, preserve the right of adhering to the present Convention.

ARTICLE IV.

The present Convention shall be ratified within the shortest possible period, and such period shall not in any case exceed one year.

Each Power shall address its ratification to the Government of His Majesty the King of the Belgians, which shall give notice thereof to all the other powers signatory of the present Convention. The ratifications of all the Powers shall be deposited in the archives of the Kingdom of Belgium.

As soon as all the ratifications have been produced, or at latest one year after the signature of the present Convention, their deposit shall be recorded in a Protocol which shall be signed by the Representatives of all the Powers who shall have ratified.

A certified copy of this Protocol shall be addressed to all the Powers interested.

ARTICLE V.

The present Convention shall come into force in all the possessions of the Contracting Powers situated in the zone defined by Article XC of the General Act of Brussels on the thirtieth day after the date of the preparation of the Protocol of Deposit mentioned in the preceding Article.

In faith whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention, and have affixed their seals thereto.

Done at Brussels, the eighth day of the month of June, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine.

(Signed)

ALVENSLEBEN.
GÖHRING.

Baron LAMBERMONT.

A. VAN MALDEGHEM.

W. R. DE VILLA-URRUTIA

P. DE SMET DE NAEYER.

H. DROOGMANS.

A. GÉRARD.

F. R. PLUNKETT.

II. FARNALL.

R. CANTAGALLI.

R. DE PESTEL.

Comte DE TOVAR.

N. DE GIERS.

AUG. F. GLYDENSTOLPE.

FT. CARATHÉODORY.

1890.

CONVENTION CONCERNING THE FORMATION OF AN INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE PUBLICATION OF CUSTOMS TARIFFS.

Signed at Brussels July 5, 1890; ratification advised by the Senate December 13, 1890; ratified by the President December 17, 1890; proclaimed December 17, 1890. (U. S. Stats., vol. 26, p. 1518.)

Convention concerning the formation of an International Union for the publication of Customs Tariffs, to which the following States are Parties:

The Argentine Republic, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Chili, the Independent State of the Congo, the Republic of Costa Rica, Denmark and her colonies, France and her colonies, Great Britain and sundry British colonies, British India, the Dominion of Canada, the colonies of West Australia, the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Tasmania, Newfoundland and Victoria, Greece, Guatemala, the Republic of Hayti, Italy and her colonies, Mexico, the Netherlands and their colonies, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal and her colonies, Roumania, Russia, Salvador, the Kingdom of Siam, Spain and her colonies, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States of America, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The undersigned, being duly authorized, have concluded the following convention, subject to the approval of their Governments:

ARTICLE 1. An association under the title of "International Union for the publication of Customs Tariffs" shall be formed by the countries above enumerated, and by all such as may hereafter adhere to the present convention.

ART. 2. The object of the Union is to publish, at the common expense, and to make known, as speedily and accurately as possible, the customs tariffs of the various States of the globe and the modifications that may, in future, be made in those tariffs.

ART. 3. To this end, an International Bureau shall be organized at Brussels, whose duty it shall be to cause these tariffs, together with such legislative or executive provisions as may introduce modifications therein, to be translated and published.

ART. 4. This publication shall be made in a collection entitled: "International Customs Bulletin (organ of the International Union for the publication of Customs Tariffs)."

The Commercial languages most in use shall be adopted for this purpose.

ART. 5. The persons composing the International Bureau shall be appointed through the agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, which shall advance the necessary funds and see that the institution is properly managed.

ART. 6. In communications addressed by the International Bureau to the adhering Governments, the French language shall be used.

ART. 7. A report concerning the labors and the financial condition of the International Bureau shall be annually addressed to the adhering Governments.

ART. 8. The annual budget of the expenditures of the International Bureau shall be fixed at the maximum of 125,000 francs.

The sum of 50,000 francs shall be placed, the first year, at the disposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, to enable him to meet the expenses of the organization of the Bureau.

Such States and colonies as may hereafter avail themselves of the privilege of adhering, for which provision is made in article 14, shall pay their quotas of the said sum of 50,000 francs, on the basis of apportionment fixed in article 9.

States and colonies withdrawing from the Union at the expiration of the first term of seven years shall forfeit their rights as joint owners of the common fund.

In case of a liquidation, the common fund shall be divided among the States and colonies forming the Union on the basis of apportionment fixed by article 9.

ART. 9. With a view to the equitable adjustment of the quotas of the contracting States, those States shall be divided, according to the amount of their commerce, into six classes, the quota payable by each of which shall be in the proportion of a certain number of units, to wit: 1st class. Countries whose commerce regularly amounts to upwards of four thousand millions of francs: 55 units.

2nd class. Countries whose commerce regularly amounts to from two to four thousand millions of francs: 40 units.

3d class. Countries whose commerce regularly amounts to from five hundred millions to two thousand millions of francs: 25 units.

4th class. Countries whose commerce regularly amounts to from one hundred to five hundred millions of francs: 20 units.

5th class. Countries whose commerce regularly amounts to from fifty to one hundred millions of francs: 15 units.

6th class. Countries whose commerce regularly amounts to less than 50 millions of francs: 5 units.

ART. 10. In the case of countries whose language is not used by the International Bureau, the above figures shall be reduced two-fifths, respectively. The following reductions shall therefore be made: The quota of the first class shall be reduced to 33 units. The quota of the second class shall be reduced to 24 units. The quota of the third class shall be reduced to 15 units. The quota of the fourth class shall be reduced to 12 units. The quota of the fifth class shall be reduced to 9 units. The quota of the sixth class shall be reduced to 3 units. ART. 11. The sum total of the annual expenditure, divided by the sum of the units assigned to the various contracting States, in pursuance of the foregoing provisions, shall give the unit of expenditure. This unit, multiplied by the number of units assigned to each of these States, shall show the amount of the quota payable by it for the support of the International Bureau.

ART. 12. In order to enable the Institution to edit the International Customs Bulletin as accurately as possible, the contracting parties shall send it, directly and without delay, two copies:

(a) of their customs law and their customs tariff, carefully brought up to date.

(b) of all provisions that shall ultimately modify said law and tariff. (c) of the circulars and instructions that shall be addressed by the said Governments to their custom-houses concerning the application of the tariff or the classification of goods, and that can be made public. (d) of their treaties of commerce, international conventions and domestic laws having a direct bearing upon the existing tariffs.

ART. 13. A set of regulations providing for the execution of this convention, having the same force as the convention itself, shall determine the manner of publication of the Bulletin of the Union in everything relating to the budget of the International Bureau and to the internal organization of the service.

ART. 14. The States and colonies that have not yet taken part in this convention shall have the privilege of acceding thereto hereafter. Notice of accession shall be given, in writing, to the Belgian Government, which shall, in turn, communicate such notice to all the other contracting Governments. Accession shall imply adhesion to all the clauses contained in, and the enjoyment of all advantages provided for, by this convention.

ART. 15. This convention shall go into operation on the first day of April, 1891, and shall remain in force for seven years.

If, twelve months before the expiration of the first seven years, no notice of a desire for the cessation of the effects of this convention shall have been given, the Union shall continue to exist for seven years longer, and so on, in periods of seven years each.

Notice of a desire for the cessation of the effects of this convention shall be addressed to the Belgian Government. Such notice shall have no effect save as regards the country giving it, and the convention shall remain in force so far as the other countries of the Union are concerned.

The Governments shall at all times be at liberty to make in this convention, by mutual agreement, such improvements as may be deemed expedient or necessary.

In testimony whereof, the undersigned have signed this Convention, and have thereunto affixed their seals.

Done at Brussels, July the fifth, one thousand eight hundred and ninety.

For the Argentine Republic,

CARLOS CALVO Y CAPDEVILA. For Austria-Hungary,

EPERJESY.

For Belgium,

LAMBERMONT,

LEON BIEBUYCK,

KEBERS.

For Bolivia,

JOAQUIN CASO.

For Chili,

N. PEÑA VICUÑA.

For Tasmania,
MARTIN GOSSELIN,
A. E. BATEMAN.
For Newfoundland,
MARTIN GOSSELIN,
A. E. BATEMAN.
For Victoria,

GRAHAM BERRY.
For Greece,

P. MULLE.

For Guatemala,

ALEXIS CAPOUILLET.