Parcel post convention between the United States and China. Signed at Peking May 29, 1916, at Washington July 11, 1916; approved by China June 9, 1916, by the President July 12, 1916. May 29, 1916. July 11, 1916. PARCEL POST CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED Parcel post with China. For the purpose of making better postal arrangements between the United States of America and China, the undersigned, Albert Sidney Preamble. Burleson Postmaster General of the United States of America, and Chow Wan Pang and H. Picard-Destelan, Director General and Associate Director General, respectively of the Postal Administration of China, by virtue of authority vested in them, have agreed upon the following articles for the establishment of a Parcel Post system of exchanges between the United States and China. ARTICLE I. The provisions of this Convention relate only to parcels of mail Scope of convention. matter to be exchanged by the system herein provided for, and do not affect the arrangements now existing under the Universal Postal Union Convention, which will continue as heretofore; and all the agreements hereinafter contained apply exclusively to mails exchanged under these Articles. ARTICLE II. any Articles admitted to 1. There shall be admitted to the mails exchanged under this Con- the malls. vention articles of merchandise and mail matter-except letters, post cards, and written matter-of all kinds that are admitted under conditions to the domestic mails of the country of origin and of destination, except that no packet may exceed eleven pounds (or five kilo- Requirements. grams) in weight, nor the following dimensions: Greatest length in any direction, three feet six inches; greatest length and girth combined, six feet; or, in the case of parcels for or from non-steamserved places in China, 25 cubic decimetres (1 cubic foot) in volume; and must be so wrapped or enclosed as to permit their contents to be easily examined by postmasters and customs officers; and except that the following articles are prohibited admission to the mails exchanged under this Convention: Articles which violate the internal laws and regulations of the country concerned, publications which violate the copyright laws of the country of destination; poisons, and explosive or inflammable substances; fatty substances, liquids, and those which easily liquefy; confections and pastes; live or dead animals, except dead insects and reptiles when thoroughly dried; fruits and vegetables which easily decompose, and substances which exhale a bad odor; lottery tickets, lottery advertisements, or lottery circulars; all obscene or immoral articles; articles which may in any way damage or destroy the mails, or injure the persons handling them. Articles prohibited. Freedom from in 2. All admissible articles of merchandise mailed in one country spection, etc. for the other, or received in one country from the other, shall be free from any detention or inspection whatever, except such as is required for collection of customs duties; and shall be forwarded July 11, 1916. by the most speedy means to their destination, being subject in their transmission to the laws and regulations of each country, respectively. ARTICLE III. 1. A letter or communication of the nature of personal correspondence must not accompany, be written on, or enclosed with any parcel. If such be found, the letter will be placed in the mails if separable, and if the communication be inseparably attached, the whole package will be rejected. If, however, any such should inadvertently be forwarded, the country of destination will collect on the letter or letters double rates of postage according to the Universal Postal Union Convention. 2. No parcel may contain packages intended for delivery at an address other than that borne by the parcel itself. If such enclosed packages be detected they must be sent forward singly charged with new and distinct Parcel Post rates. ARTICLE IV. 1. The following rates of postage shall in all cases be required to be fully prepaid with postage stamps of the country of origin, viz: 2. In the United States, for a parcel not exceeding one pound in weight, twelve cents; and for each additional pound, or fraction of a pound, twelve cents. 3. In China, for a parcel not exceeding one pound in weight, thirty-five cents Chinese currency; and for each additional pound, or fraction of a pound, thirty-five cents Chinese currency. 4. The parcels shall be promptly delivered to addressees at the Post Offices of address in the country of destination, free of charge for postage; but the country of destination may, at its option, levy and collect from the addressee for interior service and delivery a charge the amount of which is to be fixed according to its own regulations, but which shall in no case exceed five cents in the United States or fifteen cents Chinese currency in China for each parcel, whatever its weight; except that on parcels for or from non-steamserved places in China an additional Chinese domestic parcel postage shall be levied and collected by the Chinese service. ARTICLE V. 1. The sender will, at the time of mailing the package, receive a Certificate of Mailing from the Post Office where the package is mailed, on a form like Form 1 annexed hereto. 2. The sender of a package may have the same registered in accordance with the regulations of the country of origin. 3. An acknowledgment of the delivery of a registered parcel shall be returned to the sender when requested; but either country may require of the sender prepayment of a fee therefor not exceeding five cents in the United States or fifteen cents Chinese currency in China. 4. The addressees of registered parcels shall be advised of the arrival of the parcels addressed to them, by a notice from the Post Office at destination. ARTICLE VI. 1. The sender of each parcel shall make a Customs Declaration, pasted upon or attached to the package, upon a special Form provided for the purpose (see Form 2 annexed hereto) giving a general description of the parcel, an accurate statement of its contents and value, date of mailing and the sender's signature and place of residence, and place of address. July 11, 1916. 2. The parcels in question shall be subject in the country of destination to all customs duties and all customs regulations in force in that country for the protection of its customs revenues; and the customs duties properly chargeable thereon shall be collected on delivery, in accordance with the customs regulations of the country of destination. ARTICLE VII. Each country shall retain to its own use the whole of the postages, registration and delivery fees it collects on said parcels; consequently, this Convention will give rise to no separate accounts between the two countries. ARTICLE VIII. 1. The parcels shall be considered as a component part of the mails exchanged direct between the United States and China, to be despatched to destination by the country of origin at its cost and by such means as it provides; but must be forwarded, at the option of the despatching office, either in boxes prepared expressly for the purpose or in ordinary mail sacks, marked "Parcel Post", and securely sealed with wax, or otherwise, as may be mutually provided by regulations hereunder. Collection of duties. Retention of fees. Method of transportation. sacks. 2. Each country shall promptly return empty to the despatching Return of empty office by next mail, all such bags and boxes. 3. Although parcels admitted under this Convention will be transmitted as aforesaid between the exchange offices, they should be so carefully packed as to be safely transmitted in the open mails of either country, both in going to the exchange office in the country of origin and to the office of address in the country of destination. Packing. 4. Each despatch of a Parcel Post mail must be accompanied by Descriptive list. a descriptive list, in duplicate, of all the parcels sent, showing distinctly the list number of each parcel, the name of the sender, the name of the addressee with address of destination, and the declared contents and value; and must be enclosed in one of the boxes or sacks of such despatch (see Form 3 annexed hereto). ARTICLE IX. Post, p. 63. Exchanges of mails under this Convention from any place in either Exchange offices. country to any place in the other, shall be effected through the post offices of both countries already designated as exchange post offices, or through such others as may be hereafter agreed upon, under such regulations relative to the details of the exchange as may be mutually determined to be essential to the security and expedition of the mails and the protection of the customs revenues. ARTICLE X. 1. As soon as the mail shall have reached the office of destination, that office shall check the contents of the mail. Receipt of mail. Substitute parcel 2. In the event of the parcel bill not having been received, a sub- bill. stitute should be at once prepared. 3. Any errors in the entries on the parcel bill which may be discovered should, after verification by a second officer, be corrected and noted for report to the despatching office on a form "Verification Certificate," which should be sent in a special envelope. If a parcel advised on the bill be not received, after the nonreceipt has been verified by a second officer, the entry on the bill should be canceled and the fact reported at once. If a parcel be observed to be insufficiently prepaid, it must not be taxed with deficient postage, but the circumstance must be reported on the verification certificate form. Correction of errors. Nonreceipt of parcel. Insufficient postage. July 11, 1916. Should a parcel be received in a damaged or imperfect condition, full particulars should be reported on the same form. 4. If no verification certificate or note of error be received, a parcel mail shall be considered as duly delivered, having been found on examination correct in all respects. ARTICLE XI. 1. If a parcel cannot be delivered as addressed, or is refused, it must be returned without charge, directly to the despatching office of exchange, at the expiration of thirty days from its receipt at the office of destination; and the country of origin may collect from the sender for the return of the parcel, a sum equal to the postage when first mailed. 2. When the contents of a parcel which cannot be delivered are liable to deterioration or corruption, they may be destroyed at once, if necessary, or if expedient, sold, without previous notice or judicial formality, for the benefit of the right person; the particulars of each sale being noticed by one post office to the other. 3. An order for redirection or reforwarding must be accompanied by the amount due for postage necessary for the return of the article to the office of origin at the ordinary parcel rates. ARTICLE XII. The Post Office Department of either of the contracting countries will not be responsible for the loss or damage of any parcel, and no indemnity can consequently be claimed by the sender or addressee in either country. ARTICLE XIII. The Postal Administration of the United States of America, and the Postal Administration of China shall have authority to jointly make such further regulations of order and detail as may be found necessary to carry out the present Convention from time to time; and may, by agreement, prescribe conditions for the admission to the mails of any of the articles prohibited by Article II of this Convention. ARTICLE XIV. This Convention shall take effect and operations thereunder shall begin on the first day of August, 1916, and shall continue in force. until terminated by mutual agreement; but may be annulled at the desire of either Department upon six months' previous notice given to the other. Done in duplicate and signed at Washington, the eleventh day of Associate Director General of Posts of China. Director General of Posts of China. July 11, 1916. The foregoing Parcel Post Convention between the United States Approval. of America and China has been negotiated and concluded with my advice and consent, and is hereby approved and ratified. In testimony whereof I have caused the Seal of the United States to be hereunto affixed this 12th day of July, 1916. [SEAL.] By the President: FRANK L. POLK, Acting Secretary of State. WASHINGTON. WOODROW WILSON. President of China. The foregoing Parcel Post Convention between China and the Approval by United States of America has been negotiated and concluded with my advice and consent, and is hereby approved and ratified. In testimony whereof I have caused the Seal of China to be hereunto affixed this ninth day of June, 1916. the |