United States Treaty Series/Volume 1/Universal Postal Union (1906)
UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION
[TRANSLATION]
Convention
Universal Postal Convention concluded between Germany and German Protectorates, United States of America and the Island Possessions of the United States of America, Argentine Republic, Australia, 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, plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the above-named countries, being assembled in Congress at Rome, by virtue of Article 25 of the Universal Postal Convention concluded at Washington on the 15th of June, 1897,[3] have, by common consent and subject to ratification, revised the said Convention in conformity with the following stipulations: Article 1
Definition of the Postal Union
The countries between which the present Convention is concluded, as well as those which may adhere to it hereafter, form, under the title of Universal Postal Union, a single postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of correspondence between their Post Offices.
Article 2
Articles to which the Convention applies
The stipulations of this Convention extend to letters, post cards, both single and with reply paid, printed papers of every kind, commercial papers, and samples of merchandise originating in one of the countries of the Union and intended for another of those countries. They also apply to the exchange by mail of the articles above-mentioned between the countries of the Union and countries foreign to the Union, whenever the services of two of the contracting parties at least are used for that exchange.
Article 3
Conveyance of mails between contiguous countries; third services
1. The Postal Administrations of contiguous countries or countries able to correspond directly with each other without availing themselves of the services of a third Administration determine, by common consent, the conditions of the conveyance of the mails which they exchange across the frontier or from one frontier to the other.
2. In the absence of any contrary arrangement, the direct sea conveyance between two countries by means of Packets or vessels depending upon one of them is considered as a third service; and this conveyance, as well as any performed between two Offices of the same country, by the medium of sea or territorial services maintained by another country, is regulated by the stipulations of the following Article.
Article 4
Transit rates
1. The right of transit is guaranteed throughout the entire territory of the Union.
2. Consequently, the several Postal Administrations of the Union may send reciprocally through the medium of one or of several of them, either closed mails or articles in open-mail, according to the needs of the traffic and the convenience of the postal service.
3. Articles exchanged in closed mails between two Administrations of the Union, by means of the services of one or of several other Administrations of the Union are subject to the following transit charges to be paid to each of the countries traversed or whose services participate in the conveyance, viz.:
1o For territorial transits:
| a. | 1 franc 50 centimes per kilogramme of letters and post cards and 20 centimes per kilogramme of other articles, if the distance traversed does not exceed 3,000 kilometres; |
| b. | 3 francs per kilogramme of letters and post cards and 40 centimes per kilogramme of other articles, if the distance traversed exceeds 3,000 kilometres but does not exceed 6,000 kilometres; |
| c. | 4 francs 50 centimes per kilogramme of letters and post cards and 60 centimes per kilogramme of other articles, if the distance traversed exceeds 6,000 kilometres but does not exceed 9,000 kilometres; |
| d. | 6 francs per kilogramme of letters and post cards and 80 centimes per kilogramme of other articles if the distance traversed exceeds 9,000 kilometres. |
2o For sea transits:
| a. | 1 franc 50 centimes per kilogramme of letters and post cards and 20 centimes per kilogramme of other articles if the distance traversed does not exceed 300 nautical miles. Sea conveyance over a distance not exceeding 300 nautical miles is, however, gratuitous if the Administration concerned already receives, on account of the mails conveyed, the remuneration applicable to territorial transit; |
| b. | 4 francs per kilogramme of letters and post cards and 50 centimes per kilogramme of other articles, exchanged over a distance exceeding 300 nautical miles between European countries, between Europe and ports of Africa and Asia on the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, or between one of these ports and another, and between Europe and North America. The same rates are applicable to conveyance, by services open to the whole Union, between two ports of a single State, as well as between the ports of two States served by the same line of Packets when the sea transit involved does not exceed 1,500 nautical miles; |
| c. | 8 francs per kilogramme of letters and post cards and 1 franc per kilogramme of other articles, for all transits not included in the categories given above in paragraphs a and b. |
In the case of sea conveyance effected by two or more Administrations, the charges paid for the entire transit cannot exceed 8 francs per kilogramme of letters and post cards, and 1 franc per kilogramme of other articles; these charges are, when occasion arises, shared between the Administrations participating in the service, in proportion to the distances traversed, without prejudice to any other arrangement which may be made between the parties interested.
4. Correspondence exchanged in open-mail between two Administrations of the Union are subject to the following transit charges per article, and irrespective of weight or destination, namely:
letters |
2½6 centimes each; |
post cards |
2½ centimes each; |
other articles |
2½ centimes each. |
5. The transit rates specified in the present article do not apply to conveyance within the Union by means of extraordinary services specially established or maintained by one Administration at the request of one or several other Administrations. The conditions of this category of conveyance are regulated by mutual consent between the Administrations concerned.
Moreover, in all cases where the transit, either by land or by sea, is at present gratuitous or subject to more advantageous conditions, such state of things is maintained.
Nevertheless, territorial transit services exceeding 3,000 kilometres may profit by the provisions of paragraph 3 of the present Article.
6. The expenses of transit are borne by the Administration of the country of origin.
7. The general accounting for those expenses takes place on the basis of statements prepared once in every six years, during a period of 28 days to be determined in the Detailed Regulations[4] provided for in Article 20 hereafter.
For the period between the date on which the Convention of Rome comes into force and the date on which the transit statistics mentioned in the Detailed Regulations provided for in Article 20 become operative, transit rates will be paid in accordance with the stipulations of the Convention of Washington.
8. The articles mentioned in paragraphs 3 and 4 of Article 11 hereafter, the reply halves of double postcards returned to the country of origin, articles re-directed or missent, undelivered articles, advices of delivery, post office money orders, and all other documents relative to the postal services are exempt from all charges for territorial or sea transit.
9. When the annual balance of the Transit Accounts between two Administrations does not exceed 1,000 francs, the debtor Administration is relieved of all payment on that account.
Article 5
Rates of postage and general conditions
1. The rates of postage for the conveyance of postal articles throughout the entire extent of the Union, including their delivery at the residence of the addressees in the countries of the Union where adelivery is or shall be organised, are fixed as follows:
The charge on commercial papers cannot be less than 25 centimes per packet, and the charge on samples cannot be less than 10 centimes per packet.
2. In addition to the rates fixed by the preceding paragraph there may be levied:
When the rate of prepayment for the single post card comprises one or other of the surcharges authorised in the two preceding paragraphs, the same rate is applicable to each half of the reply-paid post card.
3. In case of insufficient prepayment, correspondence of every kind is liable to a charge equal to double the amount of the deficiency, to be paid by the addressees; but that charge may not exceed that which is levied in the country of destination on unpaid correspondence of the same nature, weight, and origin.
4. Articles other than letters and post cards must be prepaid at least partly.
5. Packets of samples of merchandise may not contain any article having a saleable value; they must not exceed 350 grammes in weight, or measure more than 30 centimetres in length, 20 centimetres in breadth, and 10 centimetres in depth, or, if they are in the form of a roll, 30 centimetres in length and 15 centimetres in diameter.
6. Packets of commercial papers and printed papers may not exceed 2 kilogrammes in weight, or measure more than 45 centimetres in any direction. Packets in the form of a roll may, however, be allowed to pass through the post so long as they do not exceed 10 centimetres in diameter and 75 centimetres in length.
7. Stamps or forms of prepayment obliterated or not, as well as all printed papers constituting the sign of a monetary value, save the exceptions authorised by the Detailed Regulations provided for in Article 20 of the present Convention are excluded from transmission at the reduced rate.
Article 6
Registered articles; return-receipts; requests for information
1. The articles specified in Article 5 may be registered.
The reply halves of reply-paid post cards cannot, however, be registered by the original senders of such cards.
2. Every registered article is liable, at the charge of the sender:
3. The sender of a registered article may obtain an advice of the delivery of such article, by paying, at the time when he asks for such an advice, a fixed fee of 25 centimes at most. The same fee may be charged for enquiries concerning registered articles, if the sender has not already paid the special fee for an advice of delivery.
Article 7
Articles marked with trade charges
1. Registered articles may be sent marked with trade charges to be collected on delivery between countries of which the Administrations agree to provide this service.
These articles are subject to the same regulations and rates as registered articles.
The maximum trade charge which may be collected on any one registered article is fixed at 1,000 francs or at the equivalent of that sum.
2. In the absence of any contrary arrangement between the Administrations of the countries concerned, the amount collected from the addressee is to be transmitted to the sender by means of a money order, after deducting a commission of 10 centimes for the service of collection and the ordinary rate chargeable for money orders calculated on the amount of the balance.
The amount of an undeliverable money order of this kind remains at the disposal of the Administration of the country in which the article marked with a trade charge originated.
3. For the loss of a registered article marked with a trade charge the responsibility of the postal service is fixed under the conditions laid down in Article 8 hereafter for registered articles not marked with trade charges.
After the delivery of the article the Administration of the country of destination is responsible for the amount of the trade charge, unless it can prove that the conditions prescribed for such articles by the Detailed Regulations contemplated in Article 20 of the present Convention have not been fulfilled. Nevertheless the omission from the Letter Bill of the entry "Remb." and of the amount of the trade charge does not affect the responsibility of the Administration of the Country of destination for failing to collect the amount.
Article 8
Responsibility for registered articles
1. In case of the loss of a registered article, and except in cases beyond control, the sender, or at the request of the sender, the addressee is entitled to an indemnity of 50 francs.
2. Countries prepared to undertake risks arising from causes beyond control are authorised to collect from the sender on this account a supplementary rate of not more than 25 centimes for each registered article.
3. The obligation of paying the indemnity rests with the Administration to which the despatching office is subordinate. To that Administration is reserved a remedy against the Administration responsible, that is to say, against the Administration on the territory or in the service of which the loss took place.
In case of the loss, under circumstances beyond control, on the territory or in the service of a country undertaking the risks mentioned in the preceding paragraph, of a registered article sent from another country, the country where the loss occurred is responsible for it to the despatching Office, if the latter undertake risks in cases beyond control in dealing with its own public.
4. Until the contrary be proved, the responsibility rests with the Administration which, having received the article without making any observation, cannot establish the delivery to the addressee or the regular transfer to the following Administration, as the case may be. For articles addressed "Poste Restante," or held at the disposition of the addressees, the responsibility ceases on delivery to a person who has proved his identity according to the rules in force in the country of destination, and whose name and description correspond to those indicated in the address.
5. The payment of the indemnity by the despatching Office ought to take place as soon as possible, and at the latest within a year of the date of the application. The responsible Office is bound to refund to the despatching Office, without delay, the amount of the indemnity paid by the latter.
The Office of origin is authorised to make payment to the sender on account of the Office, whether intermediate or of destination, which, after application has been made in due course, has let a year pass without settling the matter. Moreover, in cases where an Office whose responsibility is duly established has at the outset declined to pay the indemnity such Office must take upon itself, in addition to the indemnity, the subsidiary expenses resulting from the unwarranted delay in payment.
6. It is understood that the application for an indemnity is only entertained if made within a year of the posting of the registered article; after this term the applicant has no right to any indemnity.
7. If the loss has occurred in course of conveyance without its being possible to ascertain on the territory or in the service of what country the loss took place, the Administrations concerned bear the loss in equal shares.
8. Administrations cease to be responsible for registered articles for which the owners have given a receipt and accepted delivery.
Article 9
Withdrawal of articles; correction of address, etc.
1. The sender of a letter or other article can have it withdrawn from the post or have its address altered, so long as such article has not been delivered to the addressee.
2. The request for such withdrawal is sent by mail or by telegraph at the expense of the sender, who must pay as follows:
3. The sender of a registered article marked with a trade charge can, under the conditions laid down for requests for alteration of address, demand the total or partial cancelling of the amount of the trade charge.
4. The stipulations of this Article are not obligatory for countries of of which the legislation does not permit the sender to dispose of an article in its course through the post.
Article 10
Fixing of rates in money other than the franc
Those countries of the Union which have not the franc for their monetary unit fix their charges at the equivalents, in their respective currencies, of the rates determined by the various Articles of the present Convention. Such countries have the option of rounding fractions in conformity with the table inserted in the Detailed Regulations mentioned in Article 20 of the present Convention.
The Administrations which maintain post offices forming part of the Union in non-Union countries fix their rates in the local currency, in the same manner. When two or several Administrations maintain such offices in the same non-Union country, the local equivalents to be adopted by all such offices are fixed by mutual arrangement between the Administrations concerned.
Article 11
Prepayment; reply coupons; exemptions from postage
1. Prepayment of postage on every description of article can be effected only by means of postage stamps valid in the country of origin for the correspondence of private individuals. It is not, however, permitted to make use, in the international service, of postage stamps produced with an object special and peculiar to the country of issue, such as the so-called commemorative postage stamps of temporary validity.
Reply post cards bearing postage stamps of the country in which these cards were issued are considered as duly prepaid, as also are newspapers or packets of newspapers without postage stamps but with the superscription "Abonnements-poste" (subscription by mail), which are sent in virtue of the Special Arrangement for newspaper subscriptions, provided for in Article 19 of the present Convention.
2. Reply coupons can be exchanged between the countries of which the Administrations have agreed to participate in such exchange. The minimum selling price of a reply coupon is 28 centimes, or the equivalent of this sum in the money of the country which sells it.
This coupon is exchangeable in all countries parties to the arrangement for a postage stamp of 25 centimes or the equivalent of that sum in the money of the country where the exchange is requested. The Detailed Regulations contemplated in Article 20 of the Convention determine the other conditions of this exchange, and in particular the intervention of the International Bureau in manufacturing, supplying, and accounting for the coupons.
3. Official correspondence relative to the Postal Service exchanged between Postal Administrations, between these Administrations and the International Bureau, and between Post Offices in Union countries, is exempt from prepayment by means of ordinary postage stamps, and is free from liability to charge.
4. The same privilege is accorded to correspondence concerning prisoners of war, despatched or received, either directly or, as intermediary, by the special Information Offices established on behalf of such persons in belligerent countries or in neutral countries which have received belligerents on their territories.
Correspondence intended for prisoners of war or despatched by them is likewise exempt from all postal charges, not only in the countries of origin and destination, but in intermediary countries.
Belligerents received and held in a neutral country are assimilated to prisoners of war, properly so-called in so far as the application of the above-mentioned stipulations is concerned.
5. Articles posted on the high seas in the letter box on board a vessel or placed in the hands of postal agents on board or of the commanders of ships may be prepaid by means of the postage stamps, and according to the tariff of the country to which the said vessel belongs or by which it is maintained. If the mailing on board takes place during the stay at one of the two terminal points of the voyage or at any intermediate port of call, prepayment can only be effected by means of the postage stamps and according to the tariff of the country in the waters of which the vessel happens to be.
Article 12
Postage kept by collecting country
1. Each Administration keeps the whole of the sums which it collects by virtue of the foregoing Articles 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11, exceptions being made in the case of the credit due for the money orders referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 7, and also in regard to reply coupons (Article 11).
2. Consequently, there is no necessity under this head for any accounts between the several Administrations of the Union, subject always to the reservations made in paragraph 1 of the present Article.
3. Letters and other postal articles cannot be subjected, either in the country of origin or in that of destination, to any postal tax or postal fee at the expense of the senders or addressees other than those contemplated by the Articles above mentioned.
Article 13
Special-delivery articles
1. At the request of the senders, all classes of articles are delivered at the addresses by a special messenger immediately on arrival, in those countries of the Union which consent to undertake this service in their reciprocal relations.
2. Such articles, which are marked "express," are subject to a special charge for delivery; this charge is fixed at 30 centimes, and must be fully paid in advance by the sender, in addition to the ordinary postage. It belongs to the Administration of the country of origin.
3. When an article is destined for a place where there is no Post Office authorised to deliver correspondence by express messenger the Postal Administration of the country of destination can levy an additional charge up to the amount of the fee fixed for express delivery in its inland service, less the fixed charge paid by the sender, or its equivalent in the money of the country which levies this additional charge.
The additional charge provided for above is recoverable in case of redirection or non-delivery, and is retained by the Administration which has raised it.
4. "Express" articles upon which the total amount of the charges payable in advance has not been prepaid are delivered by the ordinary means, unless they have been treated as expressed by the Office of origin.
Article 14
Reforwarding; undelivered articles
1. No additional postage is charged for the reforwarding of postal articles within the Union.
2. Undelivered articles do not, when returned, give rise to the restitution of the transit charges due to intermediate Administrations for the previous conveyance of such correspondence.
3. Unpaid letters and post cards and insufficiently paid articles of every description, which are returned to the country of origin as redirected or as undeliverable, are liable, at the expense of the addressees or senders, to the same rates as similar articles addressed directly from the country of the first destination to the country of origin.
Article 15
Mails exchanged with warships
1. Closed mails may be exchanged between the Post Offices of any one of the contracting countries and the commanding officers of naval divisions or ships of war of the same country stationed abroad, or between the commanding officer of one of those naval divisions or ships of war and the commanding Officer of another division or ship of the same country, through the medium of the sea or land services maintained by other countries.
2. Articles of every description enclosed in these mails must consist exclusively of such as are addressed to or sent by the officers and crews of the ships to or from which the mails are forwarded; the rates and conditions of despatch applicable to them are determined, according to its internal regulations, by the Postal Administration of the country to which the ships belong.
3. In the absence of any arrangement to the contrary between the Offices concerned, the Post Office which despatches or receives the mails in question is accountable to the intermediate offices for transit charges calculated in accordance with the stipulations of Article 4. Article 16
Prohibitions
1. Commercial papers, samples, and printed papers which do not fulfil the conditions laid down for articles of these categories in Article 5 of the present Convention and in the Regulations contemplated in Article 20 are not to be forwarded.
2. If occasion arise, these articles are sent back to the Post Office of origin and returned, if possible, to the sender, save where, in the case of articles prepaid at least partially, the Administration of the country of destination is authorised by its laws or by its internal regulations to deliver them.
3. It is forbidden:
(a) Samples and other articles which, from their nature, may expose the postal officials to danger or soil or damage the correspondence.
(b) Explosive, inflammable, or dangerous substances; animals and insects, living or dead, except in the cases provided for in the Regulations contemplated in Article 20 of the Convention;
(a) Coin;
(b) Articles liable to Customs duty;
(c) Articles of gold and silver, precious stones, jewelry and other precious articles, but only where their insertion or transmission is forbidden by the legislation of the countries concerned;
(d) Any articles whatsoever of which the importation or circulation is prohibited in the country of destination.
4. Packets falling under the prohibitions of the foregoing paragraph 3, which have been erroneously admitted to transmission, should be returned to the Post Office of origin, except in cases where the Administration of the country of destination is authorised by its laws or by its internal regulations to dispose of them otherwise.
Explosive, inflammable, or dangerous substances, however, are not returned to the country of origin; they are destroyed on the spot under the direction of the Administration which has detected their presence.
5. The right is, moreover, reserved to the Government of every country of the Union to refuse to convey over its territory, or to deliver, articles passing at reduced rates in regard to which the laws, ordinances, or decrees which regulate the conditions of their publication or circulation in that country have not been complied with, or correspondence of any kind bearing ostensibly inscriptions, designs, etc., forbidden by the legal enactments or regulations in force in the same country. Article 17
Relations with countries outside the Union
1. Offices of the Union which have relations with countries situated outside the Union are to lend their assistance to all the other Offices of the Union:
2. The charges for the total sea transit, within and without the Union, may not exceed 15 francs per kilogramme of letters and post cards and 1 franc per kilogramme of other articles. If occasion arise these charges are divided, in the ratio of distances, between the Offices taking part in the sea conveyance.
3. The charges for transit, by land or sea, without as well as within the limits of the Union, on the articles to which the present Article applies are established in the same manner as the transit charges relating to articles exchanged between Union countries by means of the services of other countries of the Union.
4. The transit charges on articles for countries outside the Postal Union are payable by the Office of the country of origin, which fixes the postage rates in its services for the said articles, but these rates may not be lower than the normal Union tariff.
5. The transit charges on articles originating in countries outside the Union are not payable by the Office of the country of destination. That Office delivers without charge articles transmitted to it as fully prepaid; it charges unpaid articles double the prepaid rate applicable in its own service to similar articles addressed to the country where the said articles originate, and insufficiently prepaid articles double the deficiency; but the charge may not exceed that which is levied on unpaid articles of the same nature, weight, and origin.
6. With regard to responsibility in the matter of registered articles, the articles are treated:
Article 18
Counterfeit postage stamps
The high contracting parties undertake to adopt, or to propose to their respective legislatures, the necessary measures for punishing the fraudulent use of counterfeit postage stamps or stamps already used for the prepayment of correspondence. They also undertake to adopt, or to propose to their respective legislatures, the necessary measures for prohibiting and repressing the fraudulent manufacture, sale, offering for sale, or distribution of embossed and adhesive stamps in use in the postal service, forged or imitated in such a manner as to be mistakable for the embossed and adhesive stamps issued by the Administration of any one of the contracting countries.
Article 19
Special arrangements for particular services
The services concerning letters and boxes of declared value, postal money orders, postal parcels, collection of bills and drafts, certificates of identity, subscriptions to newspapers, etc., form the subject of special arrangements between the various countries or groups of countries composing the Union.
Article 20
Regulations of Execution; special agreement between Administrations
1. The Postal Administrations of the various countries composing the Union are competent to draw up, by common consent, in the form of Regulations of Execution, all the measures of order and detail which are judged necessary.
2. The several Administrations may, moreover, make amongst themselves the necessary arrangements on the subject of questions which do not concern the Union generally, provided that those arrangements do not derogate from the present Convention.
3. The Administrations concerned are, however, permitted to come to mutual arrangements for the adoption of lower rates of postage within a radius of 30 kilometres.
Article 21
Internal laws; restricted unions
1. The present Convention does not involve alteration in the legislation of any country as regards anything which is not provided for by the stipulations contained in this Convention.
2. It does not restrict the right of the contracting parties to maintain and to conclude treaties, as well as to maintain and establish more restricted Unions, with a view to the reduction of postage rates or to any other improvement of postal relations. Article 22
International Bureau
1. Under the name of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union a central Office is maintained which is conducted under the supervision of the Swiss Postal Administration, and of which the expenses are borne by all the Administrations of the Union.
2. This Bureau is charged with the duty of collecting, collating, publishing, and distributing information of every kind which concerns the international postal service; of giving, at the request of the parties concerned, an opinion upon questions in dispute; of making known proposals for modifying the acts of the Congress; of notifying alterations adopted; and, in general, of taking up such studies and labours as may be confided to it in the interest of the Postal Union.
Article 23
Disputes to be settled by arbitration
1. In case of disagreement between two or more members of the Union as to the interpretation of the present Convention, or as to the responsibility resting on an Administration by the application of the said Convention, the question in dispute is decided by arbitration. To that end each of the Administrations concerned chooses another member of the Union not directly interested in the matter.
2. The decision of the arbitrators is given by an absolute majority of votes.
3. In case of an equality of votes the arbitrators choose, with the view of settling the difference, another Administration equally uninterested in the question in dispute.
4. The stipulations of the present Article apply equally to all the Agreements concluded by virtue of the foregoing Article 19.
Article 24
Adhesions to the Convention
1. Countries which have not taken part in the present Convention are admitted to adhere to it upon their demand.
2. This adhesion is notified through the diplomatic channel to the Government of the Swiss Confederation, and by that Government to all the countries of the Union.
3. It implies, as aright, accession to all the clauses and admission to all the advantages stipulated by the present Convention.
4. It devolves upon the Government of the Swiss Confederation to determine, by common consent with the Government of the country concerned, the share to be contributed by the Administration of this latter country towards the expenses of the International Bureau, and, if necessary, the rates to be levied by that Administration in conformity with the foregoing Article 10.
Article 25
Congresses and Conferences
1. Congresses of plenipotentiaries of the contracting countries, or simple administrative Conferences, according to the importance of the questions to be solved, are held, when a demand for them is made or approved by two-thirds, at least, of the Governments or Administrations, as the case may be.
2. A Congress shall, in any case, be held not later than five years after the date of the entry into force of the Acts concluded at the last Congress.
3. Each country may be represented either by one or several delegates, or by the delegation of another country. But it is understood that the delegate or delegates of one country can be charged with the representation of two countries only, including the country they represent.
4. In the deliberations each country has one vote only.
5. Each Congress settles the place of meeting of the next Congress.
6. For Conferences, the Administrations settle the places of meeting on the proposal of the International Bureau.
Article 26
Proposals made between Congresses
1. In the interval which elapses between the meetings, any postal Administration of a country of the Union has the right to address to the other Administrations belonging to it, through the medium of the International Bureau, proposals concerning the régime of the Union.
In order to be considered, every proposal must be supported by at least two Administrations, without counting that from which the proposal emanates. When the International Bureau does not receive, at the same time as the proposal, the necessary number of declarations of support, the proposal falls.
2. Every proposal is subject to the following procedure:
A period of six months is allowed to the Administrations of the Union to examine the proposals and to communicate their observations, if any, to the International Bureau. Amendments are not admitted. The answers are tabulated by the International Bureau, and communicated to the Administrations, with an invitation to declare themselves for or against. Those who have not furnished their vote within a period of six months, counting from the date of the second circular of the International Bureau notifying to them the observations which have been received, are considered as abstaining.
3. In order to become binding, the proposals must obtain: 4. Resolutions duly adopted are sanctioned in the first two cases, by a diplomatic declaration, which the Government of the Swiss Confederation is charged with the duty of preparing and transmitting to all the Governments of the contracting countries, and in the third case by a simple notification from the International Bureau to all the Administrations of the Union.
5. No modification or resolution adopted is binding until at least three months after its notification.
Article 27
Protectorates and colonies included in the Union
For the application of the foregoing Articles 22, 25 and 26, the following are considered as forming a single country or Administration, as the case may be:
Article 28
Duration of the Convention
The present Convention shall come into operation on the 1st of October 1907, and shall remain in force for an indefinite period; but each contracting party has the right of withdrawing from the Union by means of a notice given one year in advance by its Government to the Government of the Swiss Confederation.
Article 29
Abrogation of previous Conventions; ratification
1. From the date on which the present Convention comes into effect, all the stipulations of the Treaties, Conventions, Agreements, or other Acts previously concluded between the various countries or Administrations, in so far as those stipulations are not in accordance with the terms of the present Convention, are abrogated, without prejudice to the rights reserved by the foregoing Article 21.
2. The present Convention shall be ratified as soon as possible. The acts of ratification shall be exchanged at Rome.
3. In faith of which the plenipotentiaries of the above-named countries have signed the present Convention at Rome on the twenty-sixth of May, one thousand nine hundred and six.
- For Germany and the German protectorates:
Gieseke
Knof - For the United States of America and the island possessions of the United States of America:
N. M. Brooks
Edward Rosewater - For the Argentine Republic:
Alberto Blancas - For Austria:
Stibral
Eberan - For Belgium:
J. Sterpin
L. Wodon
A. Lambin - For Bolivia:
J. de Lemoine - For Bosnia-Herzegovina:
Schleyer
Kowarschik - For Brazil:
Joaquim Carneiro de Miranda e Horta - For Bulgaria:
Iv. Stoyanovitch
T. Tzontcheff - For Chile:
Carlos Larrain Claro
M. Luis Santos Rodriguez - For the Empire of China:
- For the Republic of Colombia:
G. Michelsen - For the Independent State of the Congo:
J. Sterpin
L. Wodon
A. Lambin - For the Empire of Corea:
Kanichiro Matsuki
Takeji Kawamura - For the Republic of Costa Rica:
Rafael Montealegre
Alf. Esquivel - For Crete:
Elio Morpurgo
Carlo Gamond
Pirrone
Giuseppe Greborio
E. Delmati - For the Republic of Cuba:
Dr. Carlos de Pedroso - For Denmark and the Danish colonies:
Kiórboe - For the Dominican Republic:
- For Egypt:
Y. Saba - For Ecuador:
Hector R. Gómez - For Spain and the Spanish colonies:
Carlos Florez - For the Empire of Ethiopia:
- For France and Algeria:
Jacotey
Lucien Saint
Herman - For the French colonies and protectorates of Indochina:
G. Schmidt - For the whole of the other French colonies:
Morgat - For Great Britain and various British colonies:
H. Babington Smith
A. B. Walkley
H. Davies - For British India:
H. M. Kisch
E. A. Doran - For the Commonwealth of Australia:
Austin Chapman - For Canada:
R. M. Coulter - For New Zealand:
J. G. Ward
by Austin Chapman - For the British colonies of South Africa:
Somerset R. French
Spencer Todd
J. Frank Brown
A. Falck - For Greece:
Christ. Mizzopoulos
C. N. Marinos - For Guatemala:
Thomás Segarini - For the Republic of Haiti:
Ruffy - For the Republic of Honduras:
Jean Giordano Duc d'Oratino - For Hungary:
Pierre de Szalay
Dr. de Hennyey - For Italy and the Italian colonies:
Elio Morpurgo
Carlo Gamond
Pirrone
Giuseppe Greborio
E. Delmati - For Japan:
Kanichiro Matsuki
Takeji Kawamura - For the Republic of Liberia:
R. de Luchi - For Luxemburg:
for M. Mongenast
for A. W. Kymmell - For Mexico:
G. A. Esteva
N. Dominguez - For Montenegro:
Eug. Popovitch - For Nicaragua:
- For Norway:
Thb. Heyerdahl - For the Republic of Panama:
Manuel E. Amador - For Paraguay:
F. S. Benucci - For the Netherlands:
for M. G. J. C. A. Pop:
for A. W. Kymmell
A. W. Kymmell - For the Netherlands colonies:
Perk - For Peru:
- For Persia:
Hadji Mirza Ali Khan
Moez es Sultan
C. Molitor - For Portugal and the Portuguese colonies:
Alfredo Pereira - For Roumania:
Gr. Cerkez
G. Gabrielescu - For Russia:
Victor Bilibine - For Salvador:
- For Servia:
- For the Kingdom of Siam:
H. Keuchenius - For Sweden:
Fredr. Grönwall - For Switzerland:
J. B. Pioda
A. Stäger
C. Delessert - For Tunis:
Albert Legrand
E. Mazoyer - For Turkey:
Ah. Fahry
A. Fuad Hikmet - For Uruguay:
Hector R. Gómez - For the United States of Venezuela:
Carlos E. Hahn
Domingo B. Castillo
Final Protocol
At the moment of proceeding to sign the Conventions settled by the Universal Postal Congress of Rome, the undersigned plenipotentiaries have agreed as follows:
I
Note is taken of the declaration made by the British delegates in the name of their Government to the effect that it has assigned to New Zealand, with the Cook Islands and other island dependencies, the vote which Article 27, 7o, of the Convention attributes to "the whole of the other British colonies."
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
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 letters 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.
IV
In modification of Article 6 of the Convention, which 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.
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 Convention.
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:
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:
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
The Protocol remains open to those countries whose representatives have to-day signed only the principal 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 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.
In faith of which the undermentioned 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.
- For Germany and the German protectorates:
Gieseke
Knof - For the United States of America and the island possessions of the United States of America:
N. M. Brooks
Edward Rosewater - For the Argentine Republic:
Alberto Blancas - For Austria:
Stibral
Eberan - For Belgium:
J. Sterpin
L. Wodon
A. Lambin - For Bolivia:
J. de Lemoine - For Bosnia-Herzegovina:
Schleyer
Kowarschik - For Brazil:
Joaquim Carneiro de Miranda e Horta - For Bulgaria:
Iv. Stoyanovitch
T. Tzontcheff - For Chile:
Carlos Larrain Claro
M. Luis Santos Rodriguez - For the Empire of China:
- For the Republic of Colombia:
G. Michelsen - For the Independent State of the Congo:
J. Sterpin
L. Wodon
A. Lambin - For the Empire of Corea:
Kanichiro Matsuki
Takeji Kawamura - For the Republic of Costa Rica:
Rafael Montealegre
Alf. Esquivel - For Crete:
Elio Morpurgo
Carlo Gamond
Pirrone
Giuseppe Greborio
E. Delmati - For the Republic of Cuba:
Dr. Carlos de Pedroso - For Denmark and the Danish colonies:
Kiórboe - For the Dominican Republic:
- For Egypt:
Y. Saba - For Ecuador:
Hector R. Gómez - For Spain and the Spanish colonies:
Carlos Florez - For the Empire of Ethiopia:
- For France and Algeria:
Jacotey
Lucien Saint
Herman - For the French colonies and protectorates of Indochina:
G. Schmidt - For the whole of the other French colonies:
Morgat - For Great Britain and various British colonies:
H. Babington Smith
A. B. Walkley
H. Davies - For British India:
H. M. Kisch
E. A. Doran - For the Commonwealth of Australia:
Austin Chapman - For Canada:
R. M. Coulter - For New Zealand:
J. G. Ward
by Austin Chapman - For the British colonies of South Africa:
Somerset R. French
Spencer Todd
J. Frank Brown
A. Falck - For Greece:
Christ. Mizzopoulos
C. N. Marinos - For Guatemala:
Thomás Segarini - For the Republic of Haiti:
Ruffy - For the Republic of Honduras:
Jean Giordano Duc d'Oratino - For Hungary:
Pierre de Szalay
Dr. de Hennyey - For Italy and the Italian colonies:
Elio Morpurgo
Carlo Gamond
Pirrone
Giuseppe Greborio
E. Delmati - For Japan:
Kanichiro Matsuki
Takeji Kawamura - For the Republic of Liberia:
R. de Luchi - For Luxemburg:
for M. Mongenast
for A. W. Kymmell - For Mexico:
G. A. Esteva
N. Dominguez - For Montenegro:
Eug. Popovitch - For Nicaragua:
- For Norway:
Thb. Heyerdahl - For the Republic of Panama:
Manuel E. Amador - For Paraguay:
F. S. Benucci - For the Netherlands:
for M. G. J. C. A. Pop:
for A. W. Kymmell
A. W. Kymmell - For the Netherlands colonies:
Perk - For Peru:
- For Persia:
Hadji Mirza Ali Khan
Moez es Sultan
C. Molitor - For Portugal and the Portuguese colonies:
Alfredo Pereira - For Roumania:
Gr. Cerkez
G. Gabrielescu - For Russia:
Victor Bilibine - For Salvador:
- For Servia:
- For the Kingdom of Siam:
H. Keuchenius - For Sweden:
Fredr. Grönwall - For Switzerland:
J. B. Pioda
A. Stäger
C. Delessert - For Tunis:
Albert Legrand
E. Mazoyer - For Turkey:
Ah. Fahry
A. Fuad Hikmet - For Uruguay:
Hector R. Gómez - For the United States of Venezuela:
Carlos E. Hahn
Domingo B. Castillo
[For text of regulations for execution of the convention, see 35 Stat. 1679.]
- ↑ For text of regulations for execution of the convention, see 35 Stat. 1679.
- ↑ Post, vol. 2.
- ↑ Ante, p. 206.
- ↑ See footnote 1, p. 492.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).
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