4th Session. No. 275. UNITED STATES REPRESENTATION IN PERMANENT ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL ROAD CONGRESSES. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, TRANSMITTING REPORT FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE, WITH AN ACCOMPANYING LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, RELATIVE TO OFFICIAL REPRESENTATION OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE PERMANENT ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL ROAD CONGRESSES. DECEMBER 14 (calendar day, December 15), 1922.-Referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, and ordered to be printed. To the Senate and House of Representatives: I transmit herewith for the consideration of the Congress and for its determination whether it will authorize that the United States bo officially represented in the Permanent Association of International Road Congresses and grant permission for the Secretary of Agriculture to advance the necessary annual sum for membership fee therein out of the administrative fund provided by section 21 of the Federal highway act of November 9, 1921, a report from the Secretary of State with an accompanying letter from the Secretary of Agriculture on the subject. I believe it is altogether desirable for the United States to have representation in this association, and I strongly recommend the granting by Congress of the authority requested by the Secretary of Agriculture. THE WHITE HOUSE, December 15, 1922. The PRESIDENT: WARREN G. HARDING. The undersigned, the Secretary of State, has the honor to lay before the President a copy of a letter dated November 7, 1922, from the Secretary of Agriculture in which, deeming it of the greatest importance to the proper development of the highway research and investigational studies being conducted by the Department of Agriculture that the Government of the United States should accept membership in the Permanent Association of International Road Congresses, he requests that Congress be asked to grant authority to the Secretary of Agriculture to expend annually out of the administrative fund provided by section 21 of the Federal highway act of November 9, 1921, the sums necessary to cover membership fees and such other expenses as may be necessary in maintaining membership in the association. It may be added that the adherence of the United States to this association was invited by the Government of the French Republic through the French ambassador at Washington on June 9, 1920. At that time the ambassador transmitted to the Department of State the general regulations of the association, from which the following are quotations in translation: I. OBJECT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE ASSOCIATION. ARTICLE 1. The object of the Permanent International Association of Road Congresses is to promote progress in the construction, traffic, and exploitation of roads. It accomplishes its object 1. By organizing road congresses. * 2. By publishing papers, proceedings, and other documents. * 3. By collecting the results of (a) tests carried out on roads; (b) laboratory tests throughout the world on materials which are used or are suitable for road construction and maintenance. These tests may be either in the form of mere records collected by the association or they may have been carried out by the association itself or through its instrumentality. Its affairs are managed by a permanent international commission. 1. A permanent international commission, with headquarters at Paris, is at the head of the association. The permanent international commission is composed of members belonging to the various countries represented in the association. Each country has the right to one representative for each 1,000 francs of its total annual subsidy. Provided, however, That the number of representatives from any one country shall not exceed 15 and that any country which pays not less than 250 francs shall have the right to appoint one delegate. In the opinion of the Secretary of Agriculture the United States should provide for the maximum number of delegates allowable which would involve a membership fee of 15,000 francs. In view of the importance which the Secretary of Agriculture attaches to United States membership in the association, the undersigned has the honor to recommend that the matter be laid before Congress for it to determine whether it will authorize the United States to be officially represented in the Permanent Association of International Road Congresses by the maximum number of delegates allowable and will grant as desired by the Secretary of Agriculture permission for him to expend annually out of the administrative fund provided by section 21 of the Federal highway act of November 9, 1921, the sums necessary to cover the membership fees and such other expenses as may be necessary in maintaining membership in the association. Respectfully submitted. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 14, 1922. The SECRETARY OF STATE. CHARLES E. HUGHES. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEAR MR. SECRETARY: The Spanish ambassador at Washington has extended an invitation from his Government to the Government of the United States to take official part in the Fourth International Road Congress to be held in Seville in May, 1923. This invitation was submitted to the Department of Agriculture by the State Department for consideration, and in my reply of August 7 it was. stated that we could not definitely accept or decline the invitation, as it was thought that special authority must be obtained from Congress before this country can be officially represented at Seville. This statement was based upon the provisions of the act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 913), which reads: Hereafter the Executive shall not extend or accept any invitation to participate. in any international congress, conference, or like event without first having specific authority of law to do so. The Permanent International Association of Road Congresses was. formed with headquarters in Paris at its first congress in 1908. The second congress was held in Brussels in 1910, the third in London in 1913. The object of the association is to promote and record progress in the improvement of highways and the efficient development of highway transport throughout the world. It collects information relative to highway improvement and highway transport and issues a bulletin at least every three months. The business affairs of the association are managed by a permanent international commission which is composed of members representing the various governments, having membership. Each government has the right to one representative for each 1,000 francs of its total annual subsidies, provided the total number from any one government does not exceed 15.. Practically all of the European and many of the South American Countries are members of the congress. While representatives from this country attended previous conventions with credentials from the State Department, they were not entitled to a vote in the business sessions, as the United States was not a member. The World War caused a suspension of the activities of the association, but a proposal was made to call the members of the permanent international commission to Paris in 1920. By letter of March, 1, 1920, your department transmitted to the Department of Agriculture for consideration copy of a dispatch from the American consul general at Paris, and by letter of March 31, 1920, this department re importance to the proper development of the highway research and investigational studies being conducted by the Department of Agriculture that the Government of the United States should accept membership in the Permanent Association of International Road Congresses, he requests that Congress be asked to grant authority to the Secretary of Agriculture to expend annually out of the administrative fund provided by section 21 of the Federal highway act of November 9, 1921, the sums necessary to cover membership fees and such other expenses as may be necessary in maintaining membership in the association. It may be added that the adherence of the United States to this association was invited by the Government of the French Republic through the French ambassador at Washington on June 9, 1920. At that time the ambassador transmitted to the Department of State the general regulations of the association, from which the following are quotations in translation: I. OBJECT AND ORGANIZATION OF THE ASSOCIATION. ARTICLE 1. The object of the Permanent International Association of Road Congresses is to promote progress in the construction, traffic, and exploitation of roads. It accomplishes its object * 1. By organizing road congresses. 2. By publishing papers, proceedings, and other documents. 3. By collecting the results of (a) tests carried out on roads; (b) laboratory tests throughout the world on materials which are used or are suitable for road construction and maintenance. These tests may be either in the form of mere records collected by the association or they may have been carried out by the association itself or through its instrumentality. Its affairs are managed by a permanent international commission. 1. A permanent international commission, with headquarters at Paris, is at the head of the association. * ARTICLE 4. The permanent international commission is composed of members belonging to the various countries represented in the association. Each country has the right to one representative for each 1,000 francs of its total annual subsidy. Provided, however, That the number of representatives from any one country shall not exceed 15 and that any country which pays not less than 250 francs shall have the right to appoint one delegate. In the opinion of the Secretary of Agriculture the United States should provide for the maximum number of delegates allowable which would involve a membership fee of 15,000 francs. In view of the importance which the Secretary of Agriculture attaches to United States membership in the association, the undersigned has the honor to recommend that the matter be laid before Congress for it to determine whether it will authorize the United States to be officially represented in the Permanent Association of International Road Congresses by the maximum number of delegates allowable and will grant as desired by the Secretary of Agriculture permission for him to expend annually out of the administrative fund provided by section 21 of the Federal highway act of November 9, 1921, the sums necessary to cover the membership fees and such other expenses as may be necessary in maintaining membership in the association. Respectfully submitted. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 14, 1922. The SECRETARY OF STATE. CHARLES E. HUGHES. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEAR MR. SECRETARY: The Spanish ambassador at Washington has extended an invitation from his Government to the Government of the United States to take official part in the Fourth International Road Congress to be held in Seville in May, 1923. This invitation was submitted to the Department of Agriculture by the State Department for consideration, and in my reply of August 7 it was stated that we could not definitely accept or decline the invitation, as it was thought that special authority must be obtained from Congress before this country can be officially represented at Seville. This statement was based upon the provisions of the act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 913), which reads: Hereafter the Executive shall not extend or accept any invitation to participate in any international congress, conference, or like event without first having specific authority of law to do so. The Permanent International Association of Road Congresses was. formed with headquarters in Paris at its first congress in 1908. The second congress was held in Brussels in 1910, the third in London in 1913. The object of the association is to promote and record progress in the improvement of highways and the efficient development of highway transport throughout the world. It collects information relative to highway improvement and highway transport and issues. a bulletin at least every three months. The business affairs of the association are managed by a permanent international commission which is composed of members representing the various governments, having membership. Each government has the right to one representative for each 1,000 francs of its total annual subsidies, provided the total number from any one government does not exceed 15.. Practically all of the European and many of the South American countries are members of the congress. While representatives from this country attended previous conventions with credentials from the State Department, they were not entitled to a vote in the bus-. iness sessions, as the United States was not a member. The World War caused a suspension of the activities of the association, but a proposal was made to call the members of the permanent international commission to Paris in 1920. By letter of March 1, 1920, your department transmitted to the Department of Agriculture for consideration copy of a dispatch from the American consul general at Paris, and by letter of March 31, 1920, this department re |