Declaration to prohibit for the term of five years the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons, and other new methods of a similar nature. Signed at The Hague July 29, 1899; ratification advised by the Senate February 5, 1900; ratified by the President of the United States April 7, 1900; ratification deposited with the Netherlands Government September 4, 1900; proclaimed November 1, 1901. July 29, 1899. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLAMATION. Whereas, a Declaration prohibiting for a term of five years the launching of projectiles or explosives from balloons, or by any other new methods of similar nature, was signed at the Hague on July 29th., 1899, by the respective Plenipotentiaries of the United States of America, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, China, Denmark, Spain, Mexico, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Persia, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Servia, Siam, Sweden and Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and Bulgaria, the original of which Declaration in the French language is word for word as follows: Preamble. laration. The Undersigned, Plenipoten- International dectiaries of the Powers represented at the International Peace Conference at The Hague, duly authorized to that effect by their Governments, inspired by the sentiments which found expression in the Declaration of St. Petersburg of the 29th November (11th December), 1868, Declare that: from balloons The Contracting Powers agree tiles Launching projec to prohibit, for a term of five prohibited. years, the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons, or by other new methods of similar nature. The present Declaration is only binding on the Contracting Powers in case of war between two or more of them. It shall cease to be binding from the time when, in a war between Powers bound. Exemption. Adhesion of non-signatory powers. Denunciation. Powers affected. Signatures. Les Puissances non signataires pourront adhérer à la présente Déclaration. Elles auront, à cet effet, à faire connaîte leur adhésion aux Puissances contractantes, au moyen d'une notification écrite, adressé au Gouvernement des PaysBas et communiquée par celui-ci a toutes les autres Puissances contractantes. S'il arrivait qu'une des Hautes Parties Contractantes dénoncât la présente Déclaration, cette dénonciation ne produirait ses effets qu'un an après la notification faite par écrit au Gouvernement des Pays-Bas et communiqée immédiatement par celui-ci à toutes les autres Puissances contractantes. Cette dénonciation ne produira ses effets qu'a l'égard de la Puissance qui l'aura notifiée. En foi de quoi, les Plénipotentiaires ont signé la présente Déclaration et l'ont revêtue de leurs cachets. Fait à La Haye, le vingt neuf juillet mil huit cent quatre-vingt dix-neuf, en un seul exemplaire qui restera déposé dans les archives du Gouvernement des PaysBas et dont des copies, certifiées conformes, seront remises par la voie diplomatique aux Puissances belligerents is joined by a nonContracting Power. The present Declaration shall be ratified as soon as possible. The ratifications shall be deposited at The Hague. A procès-verbal shall be drawn up on the receipt of each ratification, of which a copy, duly certified, shall be sent through the diplomatic channel to all the Contracting Powers. The non-Signatory Powers may adhere to the present Declaration. For this purpose they must make their adhesion known to the Contracting Powers by means of a written notification addressed to the Netherlands Government, and communicated by it to all the other Contracting Powers. In the event of one of the High Contracting Parties denouncing the present Declaration, such denunciation shall not take effect until a year after the notification made in writing to the Netherlands Government, and by it forthwith communicated to all the other Contracting Powers. This denunciation shall only affect the notifying Power. In faith of which the Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Declaration, and affixed their seals thereto. Done at The Hague the 29th July, 1899, in a single copy, which shall be kept in the archives of the Netherlands Government, and of which copies, duly certified, shall be sent through the diplomatic channel to the Contracting Powers. For Germany: (L. S.) MUNSTER DERNEBURG. For Austria-Hungary: (L. S.) WELSERSHEIMB For Belgium: (L. S.) A. BEERNAERT. (L. S.) Cte. de GRELLE Ro GIER. (L. s.) Chr. DESCAMPS. For China: (L. S.) YANG Yu. Pour le Danemark: (L. S.) F. BILLE. Pour l'Espagne: (L. s.) El Duque de TETUAN. TIA. (L. S.) ARTURO DE BAGUER. Pour les Etats-Unis d'Amérique: (L. S.) ANDREW D. WHITE. (L. S.) SETH LOW. (L. S.) STANFORD NEWEL. Pour les Etats-Unis Mexicains: (L. S.) J. ZENIL. Pour la France: (L. s.) LEON BOURGEOIS. (L. s.) G. BIHOURD. (L. s.) D'ESTOURNELLES Pour la Grèce: (L. S.) N. DELYANNI. Pour l'Italie: (L. S.) NIGRA. (L. S.) A. ZANNINI. (L. S.) G. POMPILJ. Pour le Japon: (L. S.) I. MOTONO. Pour le Luxembourg: (L. S.) EYSCHEN. Pour le Monténégro: (L. S.) STAAL. Pour les Pays-Bas: (L. S.) V. KARNEBEEK. DE (L. s.) DEN BEER POORTU GAEL. (L. s.) T. M. C. ASSER. (L. s.) E. N. RAHUSEN. Pour la Perse: (L. S.) MIRZA RIZA KHAN, Arfa-ud-Dovleh. Pour le Portugal: (L. s.) Conde de MACEDO. LOS. (L. s.) Conde de SELIR. Pour la Roumanie: (L. s.) A. BELDIMAN. (L. s.) J. N. PAPINIU. Pour la Russie: (L. S.) STAAL. (L. S.) MARTENS. (L. s.) A. Basily. Pour la Serbie: (L. s.) CHEDO MIYATOVITCH. Pour le Siam: (L. S.) PHYA SURIYA NUVATR. (L. S.) VISUDDHA. Ratification. Proclamation. Pour les Royaumes Unis de Suède For the United Kingdom of Swe et de Norvège: (L. S.) BILDT. Pour la Suisse: (L. S.) ROTH. (L. 8.) TURKHAN. (L. S.) R. MEHEMMED. Pour la Bulgarie: (L. S.) D. STANCIOFF. Certifié pour copie conforme, LH RUYSSENAERS LA HAYE, le 31 janvier, 1900. den and Norway: (L. S.) BILDT. For Switzerland: (L. S.) ROTH. For Turkey: (L. S.) TURKHAN. (L. S.) M. NOURY. (L. S.) D. STANCIOFF. (L. s.) Major HESSAPTCHIEFF. Certified as a true copy, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, L. H. RUYSSENAERS. THE HAGUE, January 31, 1900. And Whereas, the said Declaration was duly ratified by the Govern ment of the United States of America, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, and by the Governments of the other Powers aforesaid, with the exception of those of China and Turkey; And Whereas, in pursuance of a stipulation of the said Declaration, the ratifications thereof were deposited at the Hague on the 4th. day of September, 1900, by the Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the United States of America, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Persia, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Siam, Sweden and Norway, and Bulgaria; on the 6th. day of October, 1900, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Japan; on the 16th. day of October, 1900, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Montenegro; on the 29th. day of December, 1900, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Switzerland; on the 4th. day of April, 1901, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Greece; on the 17th. day of April, 1901, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Mexico; on the 11th. day of May, 1901, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Servia, and on the 12th. day of July, 1901, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Luxembourg; Now, therefore, be it known that I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, have caused the said Declaration to be made public, to the end that the same and every clause thereof may be observed and fulfilled with good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington this first day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and one, and [L. S.] of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-sixth. By the President: JOHN HAY THEODORE ROOSEVELT Secretary of State. APRIL 18, 1900. Parcels-post Convention between the United States of America and February 12, 1900. For the purpose of making better postal arrangements between the United States of America and New Zealand, the undersigned, Charles Emory Smith, Postmaster General of the United States of America, and Joseph George Ward, Postmaster General of New Zealand, by virtue of authority vested in them, have agreed upon the following articles for the establishment of a parcels-post system of exchanges between the United States and New Zealand. ARTICLE I. Preamble. Extent of convention. The provisions of this Convention relate only to parcels of mail mat- Ext ter 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. 1. There shall be admitted to the mails exchanged under this Convention articles of merchandise and mail matter-except letters, postcards, and written matter-of all kinds that are admitted under any conditions to the domestic mails of the country of origin, except that no packet may exceed eleven pounds (or five kilograms) in weight, nor the following dimensions: Greatest length in any direction, three feet six inches; greatest length and girth combined, six feet; 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: 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. 2. All admissible articles of merchandise mailed in one country 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 by the most speedy means to their destination, being subject in their transmission to the Articles admitted to the mails. Articles prohibited. Freedom from inspection. |