JUNE 19, 1905.

May 10, 1905. June 19, 1905.

Preamble.

Extent of convention.

Direct exchanges.

Exchange offices.

Articles admitted to mails.

Parcels-post convention between the United States of America and the commonwealth of Australia.

For the purpose of promoting greater facilities than at present exist for the exchange of Postal Parcels between the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Australia, the undersigned, George B. Cortelyou, Postmaster General of the United States of America, and Sydney Smith, Postmaster General of the Commonwealth of Australia, duly authorized in that behalf, have agreed, on behalf of their respective Governments, to the following Articles, namely:

ARTICLE 1.

The provisions of this Convention shall relate only to parcels of mail matter to be exchanged by the system herein provided for, and shall not affect the arrangements existing under the Universal Postal Convention, and the Regulations made in conformity therewith, which arrangements will continue as heretofore; and all the conditions hereinafter contained shall apply exclusively to mails exchanged under these articles.

ARTICLE 2.

There shall be a regular exchange of uninsured parcels between the United States of America on the one hand, and the Commonwealth of Australia on the other hand, which shall be effected by means of the direct postal service between the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Australia.

ARTICLE 3.

The offices of exchange shall be the Post Office of San Francisco for the United States of America; and, for the Commonwealth of Australia for the State of New South Wales, Sydney; for the State of Victoria, Melbourne; for the State of Queensland, Brisbane; for the State of South Australia, Adelaide; for the State of Western Australia, Perth; for the State of Tasmania, Hobart; and such other exchange offices as may hereafter be mutually agreed upon.

ARTICLE 4.

1. There shall be admitted to the mails exchanged under this Convention articles of merchandise and mail matter-except letters, post cards, and written matter-of all kinds that are admitted under any conditions to the domestic mails of the country of origin, provided that no parcel may exceed in value $50, or ten pounds (10) sterling; four pounds six ounces (or two kilograms) in weight, nor the following dimensions: Greatest length in any direction, three feet six inches; greatest length and girth combined, six feet; and every parcel must be so wrapped or enclosed as to permit the contents to be easily examined by postal and customs officers.

Freedom from in- 2. All admissible articles or merchandise mailed in one country for the other, or received in one country from the other, shall be free

spection.

JUNE 19, 1905.

from any detention or inspection whatever, except such as is required for collection of postal delivery charges or customs duties; and shall be forwarded by the most speedy means to their destination, being subject in their transmission to the laws and regulations of each country, respectively.

ARTICLE 5.

cels.

Every parcel shall bear the name and address of the person for whom Address, etc., of parit is intended, given with such completeness as will enable delivery to be effected. No parcel shall be accepted for transmission unless it be securely packed, in such a manner as to protect the contents from damage.

ARTICLE 6.

1. A letter or communication of the nature of personal correspondence must not accompany, be written on, or enclosed with any parcel. 2. If such be found, the letter will be placed in the mails if separable, and if the communication be inseparably attached, the whole parcel 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 Convention.

3. 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 Parcels-Post rates.

ARTICLE 7.

1. The sender will, upon application at the time of mailing the parcel, receive a Certificate of Mailing from the Post Office where the parcel is mailed on a Form like Form 1. annexed hereto.

Letters must not ac

company parcels. Rejection.

Address.

Receipt.

Post, p. 2876.

2. The sender of a parcel posted in the United States of America Registry. may have the same registered in accordance with the Regulations of that country.

3. An acknowledgment of the delivery of a 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 two pence half penny in the Commonwealth of Australia.

4. The addressees of registered parcels shall be advised of the arrival of a parcel addressed to them by a notice from the Post Office at destination.

ARTICLE 8.

Return receipt.

Notice to addressee.

Customs declara

tion.

1. The sender of each parcel shall make a Customs declaration pasted upon or attached to the parcel, upon a special form provided for the purpose (see Form 2. annexed hereto) giving a general description of Post, p. 2877. 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.

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 9.

The following articles are prohibited from admission to or transmission in the mails exchanged under this Convention, viz:

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;

Collection of duties.

Articles prohibited.

Rates of postage.

Delivery.

Fees to be retained.

Transportation.

JUNE 19, 1905.

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, and any other articles prohibited by the laws or regulations of the country of origin or of destination from transmission by parcel post.

Should any parcel containing any such prohibited article be detected in transit through the post, the parcel will be, without other formality, returned to the despatching office of exchange; unless the parcel contains a dangerous substance, in which case, it shall be destroyed.

ARTICLE 10.

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 the Commonwealth of Australia, for a parcel not exceeding one pound in weight, one shilling; and for each additional pound, or fraction of a pound, sixpence.

4. The parcels shall be promptly delivered to addressees at the Post Office 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 addressees 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 for each parcel, whatever its weight, or three pence per pound weight in the Commonwealth of Australia.

ARTICLE 11.

Each country shall retain to its own use the whole of the postages and delivery fees it collects on parcels exchanged under this Convention; consequently, this Convention will give rise to no separate accounts between the two countries.

ARTICLE 12.

1. The parcels shall be considered as a component part of the mails exchanged direct between the United States and the Commonwealth of Australia, 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 "ParcelsPost", and securely sealed with wax, or otherwise, as may be mutually agreed.

Return of bags, etc. 2. Each country shall promptly return empty to the despatching office by next mail, subject to change by mutual agreement, all such bags and boxes.

Packing.

Descriptive list.

3. Although articles 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.

4. Each despatch of a Parcels-Post mail must be accompanied by a parcel bill giving 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

JUNE 19, 1905.

the declared contents and value; and must be enclosed in one of the boxes or sacks of such despatch (see Form 3. annexed hereto).

5. The parcel bills shall be numbered consecutively, commencing with Number 1. on the 1st of January in each year, and each entry in a parcel bill shall be numbered consecutively, commencing with No. 1.

ARTICLE 13.

1. As soon as the mail shall have reached the office of destination, that office shall check the contents of the mail.

2. In the event of the parcel bill not having been received, a substitute 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.

4. 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 cancelled, and the fact reported at once.

5. 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.

6. Should a parcel be received in a damaged or imperfect condition, full particulars should be reported on the same form.

7. If no verification certificate or note of error be received, a parcel Correct mails. mail shall be considered as duly delivered, having been found on examination correct in all respects.

ARTICLE 14.

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, provided, however, that parcels prohibited by Article 9, and those which do not conform to the conditions as to size, weight, and value, prescribed by Article 4, shall not necessarily be returned to country of origin, but may be disposed of, without recourse, in accordance with the customs laws and regulations of the country of destination.

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 notified by one post office to the other.

Failure to deliver.

Ante, p. 2873.

Ante, p. 2872.

Perishable articles.

3. An order for redirection or reforwarding must be accompanied Reforwarding. by the amount due for postage necessary for the return of the article to the office of origin, at the ordinary parcel rates.

ARTICLE 15.

No responsibility for

Neither of the countries parties to this Convention will be respon- loss, etc. sible for the loss of or damage to any parcel, and no indemnity can consequently be claimed from either country by the sender or addressee of a parcel which may become lost or damaged in transmission through the post.

ARTICLE 16.

Where not provided for in this Convention, the conditions as to the posting, transmission, and delivery of parcels, (including the levy of customs duty and other charges) and redirection within the limits of the country of destination shall be governed by the regulations of that country.

General provisions,

Further regulations.

Ante, p. 2873.

Suration, etc.

Signatures.

ARTICLE 17.

JUNE 19, 1905.

The Postmaster General of the United States of America and the Postmaster General of the Commonwealth of Australia shall from time to time jointly make such further regulations of order and detail as may be found necessary to carry out the present Convention; and may, by agreement, prescribe conditions for the admission to the mails of any of the articles prohibited by Article 9. of this Convention.

ARTICLE 18.

This Convention shall take effect and operations thereunder shall begin on the first day of August 1905, and shall continue in force until terminated by mutual agreement, but may be annulled at the desire of either country upon six months previous notice being given by one country to the other country.

Done at Melbourne this 10th day of May 1905.

SYDNEY SMITH, Postmaster-General Commonwealth of Australia.

And at Washington this 19th day of June 1905.

GEORGE B. CORTELYOU,

Postmaster-General of the United States of America.

The foregoing Parcels-Post Convention between the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Australia 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 certificate is given to inform the sender of the posting of a parcel, and does not indicate that any liability in respect of such parcel attaches to the Postmaster-General.