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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.)

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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 sup port 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. (e) 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.

În 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.

For the Independent State of the For the Republic of Hayti,

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Regulations for the execution of the Convention creating an International Bureau for the publication of Customs Tariffs.

[Art. 13 of the Convention.]

ARTICLE 1. The international Customs Bulletin shall be published in five languages, viz: German, English, Spanish, French and Italian. ARTICLE 2. Each State belonging to the Union shall have the privilege of causing to be translated and publishing at its own expense, the whole or any part of the Bulletin in any language that it may see fit, provided that such language be not one of those adopted by the International Bureau.

Each of the States of the Union shall likewise have the right to reproduce mere extracts from tariffs, or, by way of exception, portions of the Bulletin, either in a local official organ or in its parliamentary documents.

It is understood moreover, that each State is to be at liberty, as has hitherto been the case, to publish all the tariffs in the original language or in a translation, provided that the text published be not the work of the International Bureau.

ARTICLE 3. The International Bureau pledges itself to take the utmost care in the translation of the customs laws and of the official publications that serve to interpret said laws, but it is understood that the Governments interested assume no responsibility with regard to the accuracy of these translations, and that, in case of dispute, the original text shall be their sole guide.

A notice to this effect shall be printed in large type at the foot of the first page of each number.

ARTICLE 4. The size of the Bulletin shall be determined by the Bureau.

ARTICLE 5. Each Government shall make known in which of the languages adopted by the International Bureau it desires to receive the copies of the Bulletin which are to be furnished to it in return for the amount payable by it for the support of the institution.

Any Government may take a certain number of copies in one language, and the remainder in other languages.

ARTICLE 6. The International Bureau can supply the Bulletin to no Governments save those belonging to the Union.

ARTICLE 7. The amount of the quota payable by each State shall be returned to it in subscriptions to the Bulletin of the Union, computed at the rate of 15 francs each.

ARTICLE 8. The expenditures are computed approximately as follows:

Francs.

(b) Cost of printing and sending the Bulletin of the Union.
(c) Rent and keeping in order of the building occupied by the Interna-
tional Bureau, fuel, light, material, office expenses, etc...

(a) Salaries of the officers and employés of the International Bureau, including an addition thereto of 15 per cent.

75,000

30,000

20,000

Total...

125,000

ARTICLE 9. It shall be the duty of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium to take such measures as may be necessary for the organization of the International Bureau, and for putting it in working order, keeping within the limits fixed by the Convention and by these regulations.

ARTICLE 10. The Superintendent of the International Bureau is hereby authorized, subject to the approval of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, to use, during the current fiscal year, such sums, appropriated for the past year, as may not have been then used. These sums shall, the case arising, go to form a reserve fund for the payment of contingent expenses. The said reserve shall in no case exceed 25,000 francs. The surplus will, perhaps, render it possible to reduce the price of subscription to the Bulletin, without increasing the number of copies guaranteed by the contracting States; this surplus may also serve to meet the expense that would be occasioned by the addition of a new language to those enumerated in article 1.

This last measure shall not be carried out without the unanimous consent of the States and Colonies belonging to the Union.

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