CONSTITUTIONAL AND GENERAL PROVISIONS OF THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION

Note: The Agreement entered Into force, July 1, 1953 and with respect to the Philippines, June 20, 1956 when it was confirmed by the President of the Philippines. Reference: This Agreement is also published in 169 UNTS, p. 3.

SECTION I

CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I

CONSTITUTION OF THE UNION

ARTICLE 1
CONSTITUTION AND AIM OF THE UNION

1. The Countries between which the present Convention is concluded form, under the title of Universal Postal Union, a single postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of correspondence.

2. The aim of the Union is to secure the organisation and improvement of the various postal services and to promote in this sphere the development of international collaboration.

ARTICLE 2
SEAT OF THE UNION

The seat of the Union and of its permanent organs shall be at Berne.

ARTICLE 3
NEW ADMISSIONS. PROCEDURE

1. Any sovereign Country may apply for admission as a member of the Universal Postal Union.

2. The application is addressed through the diplomatic channel to the Government of the Swiss Confederation, and by the latter to the member-Countries of the Union.

3. The Country concerned is considered to be admitted as a member if its application is approved by two-thirds at least of the member-Countries of the Union.

4. Member-Countries of the Union which have not answered within a period of four months are considered to have abstained.

5. Admission as a member is notified by the Government of the Swiss Confederation to the Governments of all the member-Countries of the Union.

ARTICLE 4
COLONIES, PROTECTORATES, ETC.

The following are considered to be a single member-Country of the Union or a single postal Administration of a member-Country as the case may be within the meaning of the Convention and of the Agreements as regards, in particular, their right to vote at Congresses, Conferences and in the interval between meetings and also their contribution to the expenditure of the Union:

1. the Whole of the Territories of the United States of America, including the trust Territory of the Pacific Islands;

2. the Colony of the Belgian Congo;

3. the Whole of the Spanish Colonies;

4. Algeria;

5. the Whole of the overseas Territories of the French Republic and the Territories administered as such;

6. the Whole of the British overseas Territories, including the Colonies, the Protectorates and the Territories under trusteeship exercised by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

7. the Netherlands Antilles and Surinam;

8. the Portuguese Territories in West Africa;

9. the Portuguese Territories in East Africa, Asia and Oceania.

ARTICLE 5
APPLICATION OF THE CONVENTION TO COLONIES, PROTECTORATES, ETC.

1. Any member-Country may declare, either at the time of signature, ratification or application for admission, or later, that its acceptance of the present Convention and where appropriate of the Agreements includes all its Colonies, all its overseas Territories, Protectorates or Territories under suzerainty, mandate or trusteeship, or certain of them only. This declaration, unless made at the time of signature or ratification of the Convention, is to be addressed to the Government of the Swiss Confederation,

2. The Convention will apply only to those Colonies, overseas Territories, Protectorates or Territories under suzerainty, mandate or trusteeship in respect of which declarations have been made under § 1.

3. Any member-Country may at any time address to the Government of the Swiss Confederation a notification designed to cancel the application of the Convention to any Colony, overseas Territory, Protectorate or Territory under suzerainty, mandate or trusteeship on behalf of which that Country has made a declaration under § 1. This notification will take effect one year from the date of its receipt by the Government of the Swiss Confederation.

4. The Government of the Swiss Confederation will communicate to every member-Country a copy of each declaration or notification received under §§ 1 to 3

5. The provisions of this Article do not apply to any Colony, overseas Territory, Protectorate or Territory under suzerainty, mandate or trusteeship which figures in the preamble to the Convention.

ARTICLE 6
JURISDICTION OF THE UNION

The following are considered as belonging to the Universal Postal Union:

a)post offices set up by member-Countries in territories not included in the Union;

b)other territories which, without being members of the Union, are included in it because from the postal point of view they are subordinate to member-Countries.

ARTICLE 7
LANGUAGES

1. The official language of the Universal Postal Union is French.

2. For the debates of Congresses, of Conferences and of their committees, the French, English, Spanish and Russian languages are admitted, by means of a system of interpretation—with or without electronic equipment—the choice of which is left to the judgment of the organisers of the meeting after consultation with the Director of the International Bureau and the member-Countries concerned. The same applies as regards meetings of the Universal Postal Union which are held in the intervals between Congresses.

3. Other languages are likewise admissible for the debates and meetings mentioned in § 2.

4 a) The cost of installing and maintaining the system of simultaneous interpretation for French, English, Spanish and Russian is borne by the Union;

b) the cost o£ the interpretation services for the same languages is borne by the member-Countries -which use English, Spanish or Russian. It is divided into three equal parts each of which is apportioned among the Countries of the group to which they belong in proportion to their contributions to the general expenses of the Union.

5. Delegations using other languages provide for simultaneous interpretation into one of the languages mentioned in § 2, either by the system therein indicated, when the necessary technical modifications can be made, or by individual inter preters.

6. The cost of using other languages, including the cost of any technical alterations described in § 5 that may be made to the system mentioned in § 2, are apportioned among the member-Countries using those languages on the same basis as in § 4 b).

7. Postal Administrations may come to an understanding about the language to be used for official correspondence in their relations with one another.

ARTICLE 8
EXCEPTIONAL RELATIONS

Administrations which provide a service with territories not included in the Union are bound to act as intermediaries for other Administrations. The provisions of the Convention and its Detailed Regulations apply to these exceptional relations.

ARTICLE 9
RESTRICTED UNIONS. SPECIAL AGREEMENTS

1. Member-Countries of the Union, or their postal Administrations if the legislation o£ the Countries permits, may establish restricted Unions and make special Agreements concerning the international postal service provided always that they do not introduce provisions less favourable to the public than those laid down in the Acts to which they are parties.

2. Restricted Unions may send observers to Congresses, Conferences and meetings of the Union and to the Executive and Liaison Committee.

ARTICLE 10
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE UNION

1. Each member-Country is free to withdraw from the Union by notice given through the diplomatic channel to the Government of the Swiss Confederation and by that Government to the Governments of the member-Countries.

2. Withdrawal from the Union becomes effective on the expiry of a period of one year from the day on which the notice is received by the Government of the Swiss Confederation.

CHAPTER II

ORGANISATION OF THE UNION

ARTICLE 11
Congress

1. Delegates of the Countries of the Union meet in Congress not later than five years after the date of the entry into force of the Acts of the preceding Con- gress in order to revise or complete those Acts, as required.

2. Each country arranges for its representation at Congress by one or more plenipotentiary delegates furnished with the necessary powers by their Govern- ment. It may, if necessary, arrange for its representation by the delegation of another Country. It is understood, nevertheless, that a delegation may represent only one Country other than its own.

3. In the debates each Country is entitled to one vote only.

4. Each Congress fixes the place of assembly for the next Congress. The Countries of the Union are convened, directly or through the intermediary of a third Country, by the good offices of the Government of the Country in which the Congress is to take place, in agreement with the International Bureau. That Government is also responsible for notifying the decisions taken by the Congress to all the Governments of the Countries.

ARTICLE 12
EXTRAORDINARY CONGRESSES

1. An extraordinary Congress may be assembled at the request or with the consent of at least two-thirds of the member-Countries.

2. The place of assembly is fixed, in agreement with the International Bureau, by the member-Countries initiating the Congress.

3. The regulations laid down in Article 11, §§ 2 to 4, apply by analogy to extraordinary Congresses.

ARTICLE 13
ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCES

1. Conferences charged with examining purely administrative questions may be convened at the request or with the consent of at least two-thirds of the Administrations.

2. The place of assembly is fixed, in agreement with the International Bu reau, by the Administrations initiating the Conference. The invitations are issued by the Administration of the Country in which the Conference is to be held.

ARTICLE 14
REGULATION OF CONGRESSES AND CONFERENCES

Each Congress and Conference draws up the rules of procedure necessary for its work. Until these rules are adopted, the provisions of the rules of procedure drawn up by the previous Congress apply insofar as they are relevant to the debates.

ARTICLE 15
EXECUTIVE AND LIAISON COMMITTEE

1.In the interval between Congresses an Executive and Liaison Committee ensures the continuity of the work of the Universal Postal Union in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and the Agreements.

2.The Committee consists of twenty members who exercise their functions during the interval between two successive Congresses.

3. The member-Countries of the Committee are appointed by Congress on the basis of an equitable geographical distribution. At least half of the member ship is renewed at each Congress; no Country may be chosen by three Congresses in succession.

4. The representative of each of the member-Countries of the Committee is appointed by the postal Administration of his country. This representative shall be a qualified official of the postal Administration.

5. The office of Committee member is unpaid. The working expenses of the Committee are borne by the Union.

6. The functions of the Committee are as follows:

a) to maintain the closest contact with the Countries of the Union with a view to improving the international postal service;

b)to study technical questions and problems of every kind connected with the international postal service and to communicate the results of such studies to the postal Administrations;

c)to make useful contact with the United Nations, its Councils and Commissions, and also with the specialised agencies and other international organisations, for research and the preparation of reports to be submit ted for approval to the Countries of the Union; and to send as occasion arises representatives of the Union to take part on its behalf in meetings of all these international organisations;

d) to formulate as may be necessary proposals to be submitted for the approval either of the member-Countries of the Union under the pro visions of Articles 26 and 27, or of Congress when the proposals con cern studies entrusted by Congress to the Committee or when they arise out of the Committee’s own activities as defined in this Article;

e) to examine at a Country’s request any proposal which that Country forwards to the International Bureau under the provisions of Articles 26 and 27, to prepare observations on it and to charge the International Bureau with annexing these observations to the said proposal before submitting it for approval to the member-Countries of the Union;

f) within the framework of the Convention and its Detailed Regulations:

1° to ensure the control of the activities of the International Bureau of which it appoints, when the need arises, and on the proposal of the Government of the Swiss Confederation, the Director and other higher officials;

2° to approve, on the proposal of the Director of the International Bureau, the appointments of officials of the 1st and 2nd salary grades after examining the professional qualifications of the candidates sponsored by the Administrations of the Union, taking into account an equitable geographical distribution with respect to continents and language and all other relevant considerations, due regard being had to the Bureau’s own internal promotion arrangements;

3° to approve the annual report on the Union’s activities drawn up by the International Bureau and, where appropriate, to furnish observations upon it.

ARTICLE 16
SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Committees appointed by a Congress or Conference to study one or more specific questions are convened by the International Bureau, after agreement, where appropriate, with the Administration of the Country in which these Committees are to meet.

ARTICLE 17
INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

A central Office operating at the headquarters of the Union, under the title of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union and set under the general supervision of the Swiss Postal Administration, serves postal Administrations as an organisation for liaison, information and consultation.

ARTICLE 18
EXPENDITURE OF THE UNION

1. Each Congress fixes the maximum figure for the ordinary annual expenditure of the Union, including the working expenses of the Executive and Liaison Committee. This expenditure, together with the extraordinary expenses occasioned by the meeting of a Congress, Conference or special Committee and the expenses which may result from special tasks entrusted to the International Bureau, is borne in common by all the Countries of the Union.

2.To this end, these are grouped in 7 classes each contributing to the payment of the expenditure in the following proportion.

1st class, 25 units	5th class, 5 units
2nd class 20 unit	6th class 3 unit
3rd class 15 unit	7th class 1 unit
4th class 10 unit

3. In the case of a new admission the Government of the Swiss Confederation fixes by common consent with the Government of the Country concerned the class in which the latter shall be placed for the apportionment of the expenditure.

CHAPTER III

RELATIONSHIP OF THE UNION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS

ARTICLE 19
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED NATIONS

The Union is brought into relation with the United Nations in accordance with the terms of the Agreement signed at Paris on the 4th of July 1947, the text of which is annexed to the present Convention.

CHAPTER IV

ACTS OF THE UNION

ARTICLE 20
CONVENTION AND AGREEMENTS OF THE UNION

1. The Convention is the constitutive Act of the Union.

2. The letter post service is regulated by the provisions of the Convention.

3. The other services are regulated by the following Agreements:

the Agreement concerning Insured Letters and Boxes;
the Agreement concerning Postal Parcels;
the Agreement concerning Postal Money Orders and Postal Travellers’ Cheques;
the Agreement concerning Transfers to and from Postal Cheque Accounts and the Supplement of dealing with the Negotiation through Postal Cheque Accounts of Securities made payable at Postal Cheque Offices;
the Agreement concerning Cash on Delivery items;
the Agreement concerning the Collection of Bills;
the Agreement concerning Subscriptions to Newspapers and Periodicals.

4. These Agreements are binding only upon the member-Countries which have acceded to them.

5. Accession by member-Countries to one or more of these Agreements is notified in accordance with the provisions of Article 3, § 2.

ARTICLE 21
WITHDRAWAL FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE AGREEMENTS

Each member-Country is free to withdraw from participation in one or more of the Agreements, under the conditions laid down in Article 10.

ARTICLE 22
Detailed Regulations

The Administrations of member-Countries draw up by common consent, in the Detailed Regulations, the detailed rules and procedures necessary for the implementation of the Convention and the Agreements.

ARTICLE 23
RATIFICATION

1.The Acts adopted by a Congress are ratified as soon as possible by the signatory Countries; the ratifications are communicated to the Government of the Country where the Congress was held and by that Government to the Gov- ernments of the signatory Countries.

2.These Acts come into force simultaneously and are current for the same period.

3. As from the date fixed for the entry into force of the Acts adopted by a Congress all the Acts of the previous Congress are rescinded.

4. If one or more of the Countries do not ratify one or other of the Acts signed by them, those Acts shall be none the less valid for the Countries that have ratified them.

ARTICLE 24
NATIONAL LEGISLATION

The stipulations of the Convention and the Agreements of the Union and of their Final Protocols do not override the legislation of any Country as regards anything for which they do not expressly provide.

CHAPTER V

PROPOSALS DESIGNED TO AMEND OR INTERPRET THE ACTS OF THE UNION

ARTICLE 25
PRESENTATION OF PROPOSALS

1. In the interval between Congresses, any Administration of a member- Country has the right to address to the other Administrations through the inter- mediary of the International Bureau proposals relating to the Acts of the Union to which that Country is a party.

2. To be eligible for consideration all proposals presented by an Administra- tion in the interval between Congresses shall be supported by at least two other Administrations. Such proposals lapse when the International Bureau does not receive, at the same time, the necessary number of declarations of support.

ARTICLE 26
EXAMINATION OF PROPOSALS

1. Every proposal is subjected to the following procedure: A period of two months is allowed to Administrations to examine the proposal circulated by the International Bureau and to forward their observations, if any, to the Bureau. Amendments are not admitted. The replies are collected by the International Bureau and communicated to Administrations with an invitation to pronounce for or against the proposal. Those that have not notified their vote within a period of two months are considered as abstaining. The periods quoted are reckoned from the date of the International Bureau circulars.

2. If the proposal relates to an Agreement, its Detailed Regulations or their Final Protocols, only the Administrations which are parties to that Agreement may take part in the procedure laid down in § 1.

ARTICLE 27
CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL

1. To become effective, a proposal shall obtain:

a) the unanimity of the votes if it involves amendment of the provisions of Articles 1 to 46 (Part I), Articles 47, 48, 51, 54, 67, 68, 70 to 73 and 75 to 82 (Part II) and Article 83 (Part III) of the Convention, of any of the Articles of its Final Protocol and of Articles 101, 102, 104, §§ 2 to 4, 110, § 1, 114, 115, 117, 131, 166, 170, 177, 181 and 187 of its Detailed Regulations;

b) two-thirds of the votes if it involves an amendment of principle of provisions other than those mentioned under a);

c) the majority of the votes if it is a question of:

1° editorial amendments of the provisions of the Convention and its Detailed Regulations other than those mentioned under a);
2° an interpretation of the provisions of the Convention, its Final Protocol and its Detailed Regulations, except in the case of a disagreement to be submitted to arbitration as provided for in Article 31.

2. The conditions to be fulfilled for the approval of proposals concerning the Agreements are fixed by the Agreements themselves.

ARTICLE 28
PROMULGATION OF DECISIONS

1. Amendments made to the Convention, the Agreements, the Final Protocols and the Annexes to those Acts are sanctioned by a diplomatic declaration which the Government of the Swiss Confederation is charged with preparing and convey ing at the request of the International Bureau to the Governments of the member- Countries.

2. Amendments made to the Detailed Regulations and their Final Protocols are recorded and notified to Administrations by the International Bureau. The same applies to the interpretations referred to in Article 27, § 1, c), 2°.

ARTICLE 29
IMPLEMENTATION OF DECISIONS

Any amendment which has been adopted does not take effect until at least three months after its promulgation.

ARTICLE 30
AGREEMENT WITH THE UNITED NATIONS

The procedure envisaged in Article 27, § I, a) applies also to proposals designed to modify the Agreement concluded between the Universal Postal Union and the United Nations to the extent that that Agreement does not lay down conditions for the amendment of the provisions contained in it.

CHAPTER VI

ARBITRATION

ARTICLE 31
Arbitration

1. In the event o£ disagreement between two or more member-Countries as to the interpretation of the Convention and the Agreements or their Detailed Regulations or as to the responsibility imposed on a postal Administration by the application of these Acts, the question at issue is settled by arbitration.

2. To this end, each of the Administrations in the case selects a member of the Union not directly interested in the dispute. When several Administrations make common cause, they count as a single Administration for the purposes of this provision.

3. If one of the Administrations in disagreement does not act on a proposal for arbitration within a period of six months, or nine months in the case of dis- tant Countries, the International Bureau, if requested, calls on the defaulting Ad- ministration to appoint an arbitrator or itself appoints one ex officio.

4. The parties in the case may agree to appoint a single arbitrator which may be the International Bureau.

5. The decision of the arbitrators is taken on an absolute majority of the votes.

6. If the voting is equal the arbitrators select another postal Administration also disinterested in the question at issue to settle the difference. Should they fail to agree on the choice, this Administration is appointed by the International Bureau from among members of the Union not proposed by the arbitrators. If the dispute concerns one of the Agreements, the arbitrators may only be appointed from among the Administrations giving effect to that Agreement.

SECTION II GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I

RULES CONCERNING THE INTERNATIONAL POSTAL SERVICE

ARTICLE 32
FREEDOM OF TRANSIT

1. Freedom of transit is guaranteed throughout the entire territory of the Union.

2. Member-Countries not providing the insured letters and boxes service or not accepting responsibility for insured items carried by their sea services cannot refuse to accept such items in closed mails for transit through their terri- tories or for conveyance by their sea services; but their responsibility is limited to that laid down for registered items.

3.Freedom of transit for postal parcels forwarded by land and by sea is limited to the territories of the Countries taking part in this service.

4. Freedom of transit for air parcels is guaranteed throughout the entire territory of the Union. Nevertheless Administrations which are not parties to the Agreement concerning Postal Parcels cannot be required to forward air parcels by land or by sea.

5. Administrations which are parties to the Agreement concerning Postal Parcels are bound to provide transit:

a) for insured postal parcels despatched in closed mails, even if these Administrations do not themselves admit such items, in which case their responsibility is limited to that laid down for uninsured parcels of the same weight;

b) for cash on delivery parcels, even if they do not admit such items in their own service or if the amount of the trade charge exceeds the maximum fixed for their own traffic.

ARTICLE 33
FAILURE TO GIVE FREEDOM OF TRANSIT

When a country fails to observe the provisions of Article 32 concerning freedom of transit the Administrations of the other Countries are at liberty to discontinue their postal service with that Country. They shall give prior notice of this step to the Administrations concerned by telegram.

ARTICLE 34
TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF SERVICES

When, owing to exceptional circumstances, an Administration finds itself obliged to suspend its services temporarily either wholly or in part, it is bound to notify the fact immediately, if need be by telegram, to the Administration or Administrations concerned.

ARTICLE 35
CHARGES

The charges and fees for the various international postal services are fixed by the Convention and the Agreements.

ARTICLE 36
FREE POSTAGE

The following are exempted from all postal charges: correspondence on postal service exchanged between postal Administrations, between those Administrations and the International Bureau, between the post offices of the Countries of the Union, and between those offices and postal Administrations; as well as correspondence for which free conveyance is expressly laid down by the provisions of the Convention, the Agreements and their Detailed Regulations.

ARTICLE 37
FREE POSTAGE FOR ITEMS RELATING TO PRISONERS OF WAR AND CIVILIAN INTERNEES

1. Correspondence, insured letters and boxes, postal parcels and postal money orders addressed to or sent by prisoners of war, either directly or through the Information Bureaux and the Central Prisoner of War Information Agency pre scribed in Articles 122 and 123 respectively of the Geneva Convention of the 12th of August 1949 relative to the treatment of prisoners of war, are exempted from all postal charges. Belligerents apprehended and interned in a neutral Country are classed as prisoners of war properly so called so far as the application of the foregoing provisions is concerned.

2. The provisions of § 1 apply also to items of correspondence, insured letters and boxes, postal parcels and postal money orders originating in other Countries and addressed to or sent by civilian internees as defined by the Geneva Convention of the 12th of August 1949 relative to the protection of civilian per sons in time of war, either directly or through the Information Bureaux and the Central Information Agency prescribed in Articles 136 and 140 respectively o£ that Convention,

3. The national Information Bureaux and the Central Information Agencies mentioned above also enjoy exemption from postage in respect of correspondence, insured letters and boxes, postal parcels and postal money orders concerning the persons referred to in §§ 1 and 2, which they send or receive, either directly or as intermediaries, under the conditions laid down in those paragraphs.

4. Items benefiting by the freedom from postal charges provided under §§ 1 to 3 and the forms relating to them shall bear the indication “Service des prison- niers de guerre” [Prisoners of War Service] or “Service des internes” [Civilian Internees Service]. These indications may be followed by a translation in an other language.

5. Parcels are admitted free of postage up to a weight of 5 kgs. The weight limit is increased to 10 kgs. in the case of parcels whose contents cannot be split up and of parcels addressed to a camp or the prisoners’ representatives there (“hommes de confiance”) for distribution to the prisoners.

ARTICLE 38
FREE POSTAGE FOR LITERATURE FOR THE BLIND

Literature for the blind is exempted from all postal charges.

ARTICLE 39
PROHIBITION OF UNAUTHORISED CHARGES, SURCHARGES AND FEES

No postal charge, surcharge or fee of any kind may be imposed other than those prescribed in the Convention and the Agreements.

ARTICLE 40
MONETARY STANDARD

The franc adopted as the monetary unit in the provisions of the Convention and the Agreements is the gold franc of 100 centimes of a weight of 10/31 of a gramme and of a fineness of 0.900.

ARTICLE 41
SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS

Settlements between Administrations of international accounts arising from postal traffic may be regarded as current transactions and made in accordance with the current international obligations of the Countries concerned, when there are agreements to this effect. In the absence of such agreements, accounts are settled in accordance with the provisions of the Detailed Regulations.

ARTICLE 42
Equivalents

In each Country, the charges are fixed on the basis of the closest possible equivalent of the value of the franc in the currency of the Country.

ARTICLE 43
POSTAGE STAMPS

The postal Administrations of the Union issue postage stamps for the prepayment of postage. Each new issue of stamps is reported with the necessary information to all the other postal Administrations of the Union through the intermediary of the International Bureau.

ARTICLE 44
FORMS

1. Forms for the use of Administrations in their relations with one another shall be drawn up in French with or without an interlinear translation in another language, unless the Administrations concerned arrange otherwise by direct agree- ment.

2. Forms for the use of the public shall bear an interlinear translation in French when they are not printed in that language.

3. The texts, colours and sizes of the forms which are the subject of §§ 1 and 2 shall be as prescribed in the Detailed Regulations of the Convention and of the Agreements.

ARTICLE 45
POSTAL IDENTITY CARDS

1. Each Administration may issue, to persons who apply for them, postal identity cards valid as proof of identity for every kind of post office business in the Countries which have not notified their refusal to admit them.

2. The Administration which issues a card is authorised to levy, on this account, a charge which must not exceed 70 centimes.

3. Administrations are relieved of all responsibility when it is established that the delivery of a postal item or the payment of a money order was made on the presentation of a genuine card. Moreover, they are not responsible for consequen- ces arising from the loss, theft or fraudulent use of a genuine card.

4. A card is valid for a period of three years from the date of issue.

CHAPTER II

PENAL MEASURES

ARTICLE 46
UNDERTAKINGS REGARDING PENAL MEASURES

The Governments of member-Countries undertake to adopt or to propose to the legislatures of their Countries, the necessary measures:

a) for punishing the counterfeiting of postage stamps, even if withdrawn from circulation, of international reply coupons and of postal identity cards;

b) for punishing the use or the putting into circulation:

1° of counterfeit postage stamps (even if withdrawn from circulation) or used postage stamps, as well as of counterfeit or used impressions of postal franking machines or printing presses;
2° of counterfeit international reply coupons; 3° of counterfeit postal identity cards;

c) for punishing the fraudulent use of genuine postal identity cards;

d) for prohibiting and suppressing the fraudulent manufacture and the putting into circulation of impressed or adhesive stamps in use in the postal service, counterfeited or imitated in such a manner that they could be mistaken for the impressed or adhesive stamps issued by the Administration of one of the member-Countries;

e) for preventing and, if necessary, for punishing the insertion in postal items of opium, morphine, cocaine or other narcotics as well as explosive or easily inflammable substances, where their insertion has not been expressly authorised by the Convention and the Agreements.

PART II

PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE LETTER POST

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 47
CORRESPONDENCE

The term correspondence applies to letters, single and reply-paid postcards, commercial papers, printed papers, literature for the blind, samples of merchandise, small packets and “Phonopost” items.

ARTICLE 48
CHARGES AND GENERAL CONDITIONS

1. The charges to be prepaid for the conveyance of correspondence throughout the entire extent of the Union, together with the limits of weight and size, are fixed in accordance with the table below. Except in the cases provided for in Article 49, § 3 these charges cover delivery of the correspondence to the place of address to the extent that a delivery service is organised in the Country of destination:

(see table on Philippine Treaty Series Vol. II p. 816)

2. The limits of weight and size fixed in § 1 do not apply to the correspond- dence sent on postal service which is the subject of Article 36.

3. Each Administration has the option of conceding a reduction of 50 per cent of the ordinary tariff for printed papers to newspapers and periodicals published in its Country, whilst reserving the right to restrict this reduction to news papers and periodicals which fulfill the conditions required for transmission at the tariff for newspapers in its internal service. Commercial printed papers such as catalogues, prospectuses, price lists, etc., are excluded from this reduction, no matter how regularly they are issued; the same applies to advertisement slip an nexed to newspapers and periodicals.

4. Administrations may likewise concede the same reduction for books and pamphlets, sheets of music and maps, provided they contain no publicity matter or advertisement other than that appearing on the cover or the fly leaves.

5. Despatching Administrations admitting the principle of the 50 per cent reduction reserve to themselves the option of fixing a minimum charge for the items mentioned in §§ 3 and 4 above, which, while remaining within the limits of the 50 per cent reduction, is not lower than the rate that applies in their internal service to newspapers and periodicals on the one hand, and ordinary printed matter on the other.

6. Items other than registered letters in a closed envelope may not contain coin, bank notes, currency notes or securities of any kind payable to bearer, platinum, gold or silver manufactured or not, precious stones, jewels and other valuable articles.

7. Administrations of Countries of origin and of destination have the option of dealing, according to their internal legislation, with letters containing documents having the character of current and personal correspondence addressed to persons other than the addressee or persons living with the addressee.

8. Except as provided for in the Detailed Regulations, commercial papers, printed papers, literature for the blind, samples of merchandise and small packets:

a)should be made up in such a manner that they may be easily examined;
b) must not bear any inscription or contain any document having the character of current or personal correspondence;
c) must not contain any postage stamp or form of prepayment, whether cancelled or not, or any paper representing a monetary value.

9. Samples of merchandise must not contain any article having a saleable value.

10. The small packets and “Phonopost” items services are restricted to those Countries which have announced their willingness to exchange such items, whether reciprocally or in one direction only.

11. The combining in one item of correspondence of different categories (grouped categories) is authorised under the conditions laid down in the Detailed Regulations.

12. Apart from the exceptions allowed by the Convention and its Detailed Regulations, items not fulfilling the conditions laid down in the present Article and the corresponding Articles of the Detailed Regulations are not forwarded. Items which have been wrongly admitted should be returned to the Administration of origin. Nevertheless, the Administration of destination may deliver them to the addressees. In that event it applies to them, as necessary, the charge and surcharges prescribed for the category of correspondence to which they belong by reason of their contents, weight or size. Items whose weights exceed the maximum limits laid down in § 1 may be charged according to their actual weight.

ARTICLE 49
SPECIAL CHARGES

1. Administrations are authorised to impose an additional charge, according to the provisions of their legislation, on items presented for forwarding after the prescribed time.

2. Items addressed poste restante may be subjected by Administrations of Countries of destination to the special charge if any prescribed by their legislation for items of the same kind in their internal service.

3. Administrations of Countries of destination are authorised to levy a special charge not exceeding 40 centimes on each small packet delivered to the addressee. This charge may be increased by 20 centimes, at most, when the item is delivered to the place of address.

ARTICLE 50
STORAGE FEE

The Administration of destination is authorised to collect the storage fee adopted in its internal service for printed papers weighing more than 500 grammes of which the addressee has not taken delivery within the period during which they are held at his disposal free of charge.

ARTICLE 51
PREPAYMENT OF POSTAGE

1. As a general rule, all the items mentioned in Article 47 are to be fully prepaid by the sender.

2. Unpaid or underpaid items other than letters and single postcards are not forwarded, nor are reply-paid postcards of which the two halves are not folly prepaid at the time of posting.

3. When unpaid or underpaid letters or single postcards are posted in great numbers, the Administration of the Country of origin is at liberty to return them to the sender.

ARTICLE 52
METHODS OF PREPAYING POSTAGE

1. Prepayment of postage is effected either by means of postage stamps printed on or affixed to the items and valid in the Country of origin for the cor respondence of private individuals or by means of impressions of postal franking machines officially adopted and working under the immediate control of the Ad ministration or, in the case of printed papers, by means of impressions by a print ing press or by any other process when such a system is authorised by the internal regulations of the Administration of origin.

2. The following are considered as duly prepaid: reply postcards bearing postage stamps, printed or affixed, of the Country of issue, items properly prepaid for their first transmission and on which the complementary charge has been paid before their redirection, as well as newspapers or packets of newspapers and periodicals which bear on the address side the indication “Abonnements-poste” and which are sent under the Agreement concerning Subscriptions to Newspapers and Periodicals.

ARTICLE 53
PREPAYMENT OF POSTAGE ON BOARD SHIP

1. In the absence of other arrangements between the Administrations con- cerned, the postage on correspondence posted on board ship on the high seas may be prepaid by means of the postage stamps and according to the tariff of the Country to which the ship belongs or by which it is maintained.

2. If the posting on board takes place during the stay at one of the two ter- minal points of the voyage or at any intermediate port of call, prepayment of post age is valid only if it is effected by means of the postage stamps and according to the tariff of the Country in whose waters the ship is lying.

ARTICLE 54
CHARGE ON UNPAID OR UNDERPAID CORRESPONDENCE

1. Apart from the exceptions laid down in Article 67, § 6 for registered items and in Article 150, §§ 3, 4 and 5 of the Detailed Regulations for certain classes of redirected items, unpaid or underpaid letters and single postcards are liable to a charge equal to double the amount of the deficient postage, to be paid by the addressees; but that charge may not be less than 5 centimes.

2. The same treatment may be applied in similar circumstances to other items of correspondence which have been incorrectly forwarded to the Country of destination.

ARTICLE 55
INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS

1. International reply coupons are placed on sale in the Countries of the Union.

2. Their selling price is fixed by the Administrations concerned; but it may not be less than 32 centimes or the equivalent in the currency of the Country of sale.

3. Each coupon is exchangeable in any Country for a stamp or stamps repre- senting the postage prepayable on an unregistered single-rate letter for abroad from that Country. On presentation of a sufficient number of reply coupons Ad ministrations shall supply the postage stamps necessary for prepaying an unre- gistered letter weighing not more than 20 grammes for despatch by air.

4. Furthermore, each Country reserves the right to demand that the coupons and the items of correspondence to be prepaid by the exchange of coupons shall be presented at the same time.

ARTICLE 56
EXPRESS ITEMS

1. At the sender’s request items of correspondence arc sent out for delivery to an address by special messenger immediately after arrival in those Countries where the Administration agrees to undertake the service.

2. These items called “express” are subject, in addition to the ordinary post age, to a special charge which may not be less than the amount of postage pre payable on an unregistered single-rate letter and not more than 60 centimes or the amount of the charge applied by the Country of origin in its internal service, if this is higher. This charge is to be fully paid in advance.

3. When the address of the addressee is situated outside the local delivery area of the office of destination, express delivery may give rise to the collection by the Administration of destination of an additional charge not greater than that fixed for items of the same kind in the internal service. Express delivery is, however, not obligatory in this case.

4. Express items on which the total amount of the charges payable in advance has not been prepaid are delivered in the ordinary way unless they have been treated as express by the office of origin. In that case, they are charged in accord ance with the provisions of Article 54.

5. Administrations are at liberty to consider themselves bound to make not more than one attempt at express delivery. If that attempt fails, the item may be treated as an ordinary item.

6. If the regulations of the Country of destination permit, addressees may ask the delivery office to deliver to them by express any registered or other items which come to hand for them. In that case the Administration of destination is authorised to collect, at the time of delivery, the charge that applies in its internal service.

ARTICLE 57
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE POST. ALTERATION OF ADDRESS

1. The sender of an item of correspondence may have it withdrawn from the post or have its address altered, so long as the item has not been delivered to the addressee, does not happen to fall within the provisions of Article 59, or Customs intervention does not bring to light any irregularity.

2. The request to be made to this effect is forwarded by post or by telegraph at the expense of the sender, who should pay, for each request, a charge not ex ceeding 40 centimes. If the request is to be forwarded by air or by telegraph, the sender shall pay in addition the air-mail surcharge or the charge for the tele- gram.

3. Only one of the charges or surchages prescribed in § 2 is levied in respect of a request for withdrawal from the post or alteration of address concerning several items posted at the same time at the same office by the same sender to the same addressee.

4. A request for simple correction of address (without alteration of the name or status of the addressee) may be addressed directly to the office of destination by the sender, that is to say, without compliance with the formalities and without payment of the charges prescribed in §§ 2 and 3.

ARTICLE 58
REDIRECTION. UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS

1. If an addressee changes his address, items of correspondence are redirected to him forthwith unless the sender has forbidden redirection by means of a note to that effect on the address side in a language known in the Country of destina- tion. Nevertheless, redirection from one Country to another is effected only if the items satisfy the conditions required for the further conveyance.

2. Undeliverable correspondence should be returned forthwith to the Country of origin.

3. The period of retention for correspondence retained at the disposal of the addressees or addressed poste restante is fixed by the regulations of the Country of destination. As a general rule, however, this period must not exceed one month, except in particular cases when the Administration of destination considers it necessary to prolong it up to a maximum of two months. Return to the Country of origin should take place within a shorter period if the sender has requested it by a note on the address side in a language known in the Country of destination.

4. Printed papers of no value are not returned, unless the sender has asked for their return by means of a note on the outside of the item in a language known in the Country of destination. Registered printed papers ought always to be returned.

5. Except as provided in the Detailed Regulations, the redirection of items of correspondence from Country to Country or their return to the Country of ori- gin does not give rise to the collection of any supplementary charge.

6. Redirected or undeliverable correspondence is delivered to the addressees or senders against payment of the charges raised on departure, on arrival, or in course of transmission due to redirection after the first transmission, without prejudice to the payment of Customs duty or other special charges which the Country of destination does not cancel.

7. In the event of redirection to another Country or of non-delivery, the paste restante fee, the Customs clearance fee, the commission fee, the additional express charge and the special fee for delivery of small packets to the addressees are cancelled.

ARTICLE 59
PROHIBITIONS

1. The forwarding of the following articles is prohibited:

a) articles which, by their nature or their packing, may expose officials to danger, or soil or damage correspondence;
b) articles subject to Customs duty (apart from the exceptions mentioned in Article 60) and samples sent in quantities with the intention of avoiding payment of this duty;
c) opium, morphine, cocaine and other narcotics;
d)articles of which the importation or the circulation is prohibited in the Country of destination;
e) living animals, except:

1° bees, leeches and silkworms;
2° parasites and destroyers of noxious insects intended for the control of those insects and exchange between officially recognised institutions;

f) explosive, inflammable or dangerous substances;
g) obscene or immoral articles.

2. Items containing articles mentioned in § 1 which have been wrongly ad mitted to the post are dealt with in accordance with the internal legislation of the Country of the Administration establishing their presence.

3. Nevertheless, the articles referred to in § 1, c), f) and g) are in no circumstances forwarded to their destination, delivered to the addressees or returned to origin.

4. In cases where items wrongly admitted to the post are neither returned to origin nor sent on to the addressee, the Administration of origin shall be in formed exactly how they have been dealt with.

5. Moreover, every Country reserves the right to deny conveyance to items in transit a decouvert over its territory, other than letters and postcards, which do not satisfy the legal requirements governing the conditions of their publication or circulation in that Country. Such items should be returned to the Admin- istration of the Country of origin.

ARTICLE 60
ARTICLES SUBJECT TO CUSTOMS DUTY

1. Small packets and printed papers subject to Customs duty are admitted.

2. The same applies to letters and samples of merchandise containing articles subject to Customs duty where the Country of destination has given its consent. Nevertheless, each Administration has the right to restrict to the registered letter service letters containing articles subject to Customs duty.

3. Consignments of serums and vaccines and also of medicines urgently required and difficult to obtain, which benefit by the exception laid down in Article 136 of the Detailed Regulations, are admitted in every case.

ARTICLE 61
CUSTOMS CONTROL

The Administration of the Country of destination is authorised to submit to Customs control the items mentioned in Article 60, and, if necessary, to open them as a matter of course.

ARTICLE 62
CUSTOMS CLEARANCE FEE

Items submitted to Customs control in the Country of destination may be subjected on this account to a Customs clearance fee not exceeding 40 centimes per item as a postal charge.

ARTICLE 63
Customs duty and other non-postal fees

Administrations are authorised to collect from the addressees of the items the Customs duties and all other non-postal fees which may be due.

ARTICLE 64
ITEMS FOR DELIVERY FREE OF CHARGES

1. In the service between those Countries which have notified their agreement to that effect, the senders may by means o£ a previous declaration at the office of origin undertake to pay the whole of the postal and non-postal charges to which the items are subject on delivery. So long as an item has not been delivered to the addressee the sender may ask, after posting and on payment of a charge not exceed ing 40 centimes, that the item be delivered free of charges. If the request is to be forwarded by air or by telegraph, the sender shall pay in addition the appro- priate air-mail surcharge or the charge for the telegram.

2. In the cases provided for in § 1, senders shall undertake to pay the amounts which may be claimed by the office of destination and, if necessary, to pay a sufficient deposit.

3. The Administration of destination is authorised to collect a commission fee not exceeding 40 centimes per item. This fee is independent of that prescribed in Article 62.

4. Every Administration has the right to restrict the service of delivery free of charges to registered items.

ARTICLE 65
CANCELLATION OF CUSTOMS DUTY AND OTHER NON-POSTAL FEES

Administrations undertake to use their good offices with the appropriate services in their Country with a view to the cancellation of the Customs duty and other non-postal fees on items returned to origin, destroyed because of complete damage of the contents or redirected to a third Country.

ARTICLE 66
ENQUIRIES AND REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION

1. Enquiries are entertained within a period of a year from the day after that on which the item was posted.

2. Enquiries initiated by an Administration after that period are in order and must be dealt with, provided only that they relate to items posted less than two years before.

3. Each Administration is bound to accept enquiries and requests for information relating to any item posted in the service o£ another Administration.

4. Unless the sender has already paid the special fee for an advice of delivery, each enquiry or request for information may be subject to payment of a fee not exceeding 40 centimes. When at the request of the interested party an enquiry or a request for information is to be forwarded by air it is subject to the payment of the same fee plus the appropriate air-mail surcharge or double that surcharge if the reply is to be returned by the same means. If a request is made for trans mission by telegraph, the cost of the telegram and, where appropriate, of the reply is collected in addition to the enquiry fee.

5. If the enquiry or request for information relates to several items posted at the same time by the same sender addressed to the same addressee and sent by the same means, only one fee or surcharge is levied. If, however, the matter is one of registered items which at the sender’s request to have been forwarded by different means, a separate fee or surcharge is levied for each of the means used.

6. If an enquiry or request for information has been occasioned by a service error, the fee collected for it is refunded.

CHAPTER II

REGISTERED ITEMS

ARTICLE 67
CHARGES

1. The items of correspondence specified in Article 47 may be sent as regis- tered items.

2. The charge on every registered item shall be paid in advance. It is made up of:

a) the ordinary postage according to the category of the item;
b) a fixed registration fee not exceeding 40 centimes.

3. The fixed registration fee on the reply half of a postcard can be validly paid only by the sender of that half.

4. A receipt shall be handed over free of charge to the sender of a registered item at the time of posting.

5. Countries prepared to cover risks arising from causes beyond control are authorised to levy a special charge not exceeding 40 centimes for each registered item.

6. Unpaid or underpaid registered items which have been incorrectly for warded to the Country of destination are liable to a charge, to be paid by the addressee, equal in amount to the deficient postage.

ARTICLE 68
ADVICE OF DELIVERY

1. The sender of a registered item may apply for an advice of delivery on payment at the time of posting of a fixed fee not exceeding 30 centimes. This advice is sent to him by air if he pays the relative charges.

2. An advice of delivery may be applied for after posting within the period of one year and under the conditions laid down in Article 66.

3. When the sender enquires about an advice of delivery which he has not received within a reasonable time, neither a second advice of delivery fee nor the fee of 40 centimes prescribed in Article 66 for enquiries and requests for in formation is charged.

ARTICLE 69
REGISTERED ITEMS FOR DELIVERY TO THE ADDRESSEE IN PERSON

1. In the service between those Administrations which have given their con sent registered items of correspondence that are accompanied by an advice of delivery are, at the sender’s request, delivered to the addressee in person.

2. Administrations are bound to make two attempts to deliver such items.

ARTICLE 70
RESPONSIBILITY

1. Administrations are answerable for the loss of registered items.

2. The sender is entitled on this account to an indemnity the amount of which is fixed at 25 francs per item.

ARTICLE 71
NON-RESPONSIBILITY

Postal Administrations are not responsible:

1° for the loss of registered items:

a) in circumstances beyond control. The Country in whose service the loss occurs should decide, in the light of its internal legislation, whether the loss is due to circumstances attributable to a cause beyond control; these are notified to the Country of origin. Nevertheless responsibility still rests with the despatching Administration if it has undertaken to cover risks arising from causes beyond control {Article 67, §5);

b) when they cannot account for items owing to the destruction of official records through a cause beyond control, provided that proof of their responsibility has not been otherwise established;

c)where it is a question of items whose contents fall within the prohibitions specified in Articles 48, §§ 6 and 8 c) and 59, § 1;

d)when the sender has made no enquiry within the period of one year prescribed in Article 66;

2° for registered items which they have delivered according either to the conditions laid down for items of the same kind in their internal regulations or to those set out in Article 45, § 3;

3° for items confiscated under the internal legislation of the Country of destination.

ARTICLE 72
APPORTIONMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN ADMINISTRATIONS

1. Until the contrary is proved, responsibility for the loss of a registered item rests with the Administration which, having received it without comment and being furnished with all the prescribed means of enquiry, cannot prove either delivery to the addressee or, where appropriate, regular transfer to the next Ad ministration.

2. Until the contrary is proved and subject to the provisions of § 3, an inter mediate Administration or the Administration of destination is relieved of all responsibility:

a) when it has observed the provisions of Article 34 of the Convention and Articles 162, § 2 and 163, § 4 of the Detailed Regulations;

b) when it can prove that it was not informed of the enquiry until after the destruction of the official records relating to the item in question, the period of retention prescribed in Article 119 of the Detailed Regu- lations having expired; this reservation does not prejudice the rights of the enquirer.

3. If, however, the loss occurs in course of conveyance and it is impossible to establish in which Country’s territory or service the loss took place, the Admin istrations concerned bear the loss equally.

4. When a registered item has been lost in circumstances beyond control, the Administration in whose territory or service the loss occurred is not responsible to the despatching Administration unless the two Countries undertake to cover risks arising out of causes beyond control.

5. The Customs duty and other charges of which it has not been possible to secure cancellation are borne by the Administrations responsible for the loss.

6. An Administration which has paid the indemnity takes over the rights, up to the amount of the indemnity, of the person who has received it in any action which may be taken against the addressee, the sender or third parties.

ARTICLE 73
PAYMENT OF INDEMNITY

Subject to its right to make a claim on the Administration which is responsible, the Administration to which the office of posting belongs must pay the indemnity.

ARTICLE 74
PERIOD FOR PAYMENT OF THE INDEMNITY

1. The indemnity shall be paid as soon as possible and at the latest within a period of six months from the day following the date of the enquiry.

2. If the Administration of origin does not undertake to cover risks arising out of causes beyond control it may postpone settlement of the indemnity beyond the period prescribed in § 1, when the question whether the loss of the item is due to such causes has not been decided.

3. The Administration of origin is authorised to settle with the sender at the expense of the Administration, whether intermediate or of destination, which duly informed has allowed six months to pass without settling the matter. A long er period is permitted if the loss appears to be due to a cause beyond control; this fact is, in any case, to be communicated to the Administration of origin.

ARTICLE 75
REIMBURSEMENT OF THE INDEMNITY TO THE DESPATCHING ADMINISTRATION

1. The Administration which is responsible or on whose account payment is made in accordance with Article 74 is bound to reimburse the despatching Administration for the amount of the indemnity actually paid to the sender, within four months from the date of despatch of the notice of payment.

2. If the indemnity is to be borne by,several Administrations in accordance with Article 72, the whole of the indemnity due shall be paid to the despatching Administration within the period mentioned in § 1 by the first Administration which, having duly received the item under enquiry, is unable to prove its regular transfer to the next service. It rests with this Administration to recover from the other Administrations responsible the share falling to each one of them of the indemnity paid to the entitled person.

3. The Administration making payment is reimbursed in accordance with the rules for payment prescribed in Article 41.

4.When responsibility is admitted, as well as in the ease provided for in Article 74, § 3, the amount of indemnity many also be recovered as a matter of course from the Country responsible by means of an account, either directly or through the intermediary of an Administration which exchanges accounts regularly with the Administration responsible.

5. The Administration of origin may only claim reimbursement from the Administration responsible within one year from the date of despatch of the notice of payment to the sender.

6. The Administration whose responsibility is duly proved and which has at first declined to pay the indemnity shall assume all additional costs resulting from the unwarranted delay in payment.

7. Administrations may agree to settle periodically for the indemnities which they have paid to the senders and which they have accepted as justified.

ARTICLE 76
SUBSEQUENT DISCOVERY OF A REGISTERED ITEM CONSIDERED AS LOST

1. In the event of the subsequent discovery of a registered item or part of the item considered as lost, the sender and the addressee are informed of the fact.

2. The sender is further informed that he may take delivery of it within a period of three months on repayment of the amount of indemnity received. If by the end of that period the sender has not claimed the item, the addressee is notified that he may take delivery of it within a similar period on payment of the sum paid to the sender.

3. If the sender or the addressee takes delivery of the item after repayment of the amount of the indemnity, that sum is refunded to the Administration or where appropriate the Administrations which bore the loss.

4. If the sender and the addressee refuse to take delivery of the item, it becomes the property of the Administration or where appropriate the Adminis- trations which paid the indemnity.

ALLOCATION OF CHARGES. TRANSIT CHARGES

ARTICLE 77
ALLOCATION OF CHARGES

Except where expressly provided by the Convention and the Agreement each Administration retains the whole of the charges which it has collected.

ARTICLE 78
TRANSIT CHARGES

1, Subject to the provisions of Article 79, closed mails exchanged between two Administrations or between two offices of the same country by means of the services of one or more other Administrations (third party services) are subject, in favour of each of the Countries across whose territory or by whose services they are carried, to the transit charges indicated in the table below. These charges are payable by the Administration of the Country of origin of the mail. (see table, Philippine Treaties Series Vol. II p.830)

2. In the absence of other arrangements direct sea conveyance between two Countries by the ships of one of them is regarded as a third party service.

3. So far as the payment of transit charges, is concerned, missent mails are considered to have followed their normal route.

4. Sea transit begins when the mails are put under the hoist and ends when they have been unloaded on to the quay.

5. It follows from § 3 that Administrations concerned in the conveyance of missent mails are not entitled on that account to demand a payment from the despatching Administration, but the latter remain liable for the appropriate transit charges to the Countries whose services they normally use.

ARTICLE 79
EXEMPTION FROM TRANSIT CHARGES

Correspondence exempted from postage under Articles 36 to 38 is exempted from all land or sea transit charges.

ARTICLE 80
Extraordinary services

The transit charges specified in Article 78 are not applicable to conveyance by extraordinary services specially established or maintained by an Administration at the request of one or more other Administrations. The conditions of this class of conveyance are regulated by mutual consent between the Administrations concerned.

ARTICLE 81
ACCOUNTING FOR TRANSIT CHARGES

1. The general accounting for transit charges is based on data from statistical returns taken once in every three years, during a period of 14 days. This period is extended to 28 days for mails exchanged less than six times a week by the ser vices of any one Country. The Detailed Regulations fix the incidence of the sta- tistics and the duration of their application.

2. When the annual balance between two Administrations does not exceed 25 francs, the debtor Administration is exempted from any payment.

3.Every Administration is authorised to submit for the consideration of a committee of arbitrators the results of statistics which in its opinion differ too much from reality. The arbitration is arranged as laid down in Article 31.

4. The arbitrators are empowered to fix in a fair and reasonable manner the transit charges proper to be paid.

ARTICLE 82
EXCHANGE OF CLOSED MAILS WITH SHIPS OF WAR

1. Closed mails may be exchanged between the posts offices of any one of the member-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 of one of those ships of war and the commanding officer of another division or of another ship of the same Country, through the intermediary of the land or sea services of other Countries,

2. Correspondence of every kind enclosed in these mails shall be confined to that 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 fixed, according to its internal regulations, by the postal Administration of the Country to which the ships belongs.

3. In the absence of other arrangements, the postal Administration of the country to which the ships of war belong is accountable to the intermediate Administrations for the transit charges for the mails calculated in accordance with the provisions of Article 78.

PART III

FINAL PROVISIONS ARTICLE 83
Entry into force and duration of the Convention

The present Convention shall come into force on the 1st of July 1953 and shall remain in operation for an indefinite period.

In faith whereof, the Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the above-named Countries have signed the present Convention in a single copy which shall lie in the Archives of the Government of Belgium and of which a copy shall be delivered to each Party.

Done at Brussels, the 11th of July 1952.

FINAL PROTOCOL

TO THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONVENTION

At the moment of proceeding to sign the Universal Postal Convention concluded this day the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have agreed the following:

ARTICLE I
EXCEPTION TO THE FREEDOM OF TRANSIT OF SMALL PACKETS

In derogation of the provisions of Article 32 the Postal Administration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is authorised not to admit small packets in transit through its territories, on the understanding that this restriction is applied without distinction to every Country of the Union. –

ARTICLE II
EXCEPTION TO FREE POSTAGE FOR LITERATURE FOR THE BLIND

In derogation of the provisions of Article 38 and 48 those Countries which do not concede free postage to literature for the blind in their internal service have the option of making a charge which must not in any event exceed the one in their internal service.

ARTICLE III
EQUIVALENTS. MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM LIMITS

1. Each Country has the option of increasing by 60 per cent or reducing by 20 per cent., at most, the charges prescribed in Article 48, § 1, in accordance with the following table; (see Philippine Treaty Series Vol. II p. 833)

2. The charges adopted are, as far as possible, to bear .the same proportions to one another as the basic charges, each Administration being free to round its charges up or down as the case may be according to the characteristics of its monetary system.

3. The tariff adopted by a Country applies to the charges to be collected on arrival in cases of non-payment or underpayment of postage.

4. Nevertheless Administrations which take advantage of the increase pro vided for in § 1 may fix the charges to be collected in cases of non-payment or underpayment of postage in accordance with the equivalent of the basic charges indicated in Article 48, § 1, and not with their increased outward charges.

ARTICLE IV
EXCEPTIONS TO THE APPLICATION OF THE TARIFF FOR COMMERCIAL PAPERS, PRINTED PAPERS AND SAMPLES OF MERCHANDISE

1. In derogation of the provisions of Article 48, Countries have the right not to apply to commercial papers, printed papers and samples of merchandise the charge fixed for the first weight step, and to maintain for that step the charge of 4 centimes with a minimum of 8 centimes for samples of merchandise. In the case of grouped categories, the charge paid shall be the minimum charge for samples if the item consists of printed papers and samples.

2. Exceptionally, Countries are authorised to bring their international rates for commercial papers, printed papers and samples of merchandise up to those laid down by their internal legislation for similar items in their internal service.

ARTICLE V
OUNCE AVOIRDUPOIS

As an exceptional measure, Countries which by reason of their internal regulations are unable to adopt the metric-decimal system of weight are permitted the right to substitute for it the ounce avoirdupois (28.3465 grammes) taking one ounce as equivalent to 20 grammes for letters and “Phonopost” items and two ounces as equivalent to 50 grammes for commercial papers, printed papers, literature for the blind, samples of merchandise and small packets.

Countries which would not be in a position to bring into operation the minimum limits of size of 10 x 7 eras, laid down for letters in Article 48, § 1 (column 5 of the table), are allowed a period of two years dating from the entry into force of the present Convention for applying these limits.

ARTICLE VII
POSTING OF CORRESPONDENCE ABROAD

A Country is not bound to forward or deliver to the addressees items which senders resident in its territory post or cause to be posted in a foreign Country with the object of profiting by the lower charges in force there. The rule is applied without distinction both to correspondence made up in the Country where the sender resides and then carried across the frontier and to correspondence made up in a foreign Country. The Administration concerned may either return the items in question to origin or tax them at its internal rates. The method by which the charges are collected is left to its discretion.

ARTICLE VIII
INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS

Administrations are permitted not to undertake the sale of international reply coupons or to limit their sale.

ARTICLE IX
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE POST. ALTERATION OF ADDRESS

The provisions of Article 57 do not apply to the Union of South Africa, the Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, India, New Zealand and Pakistan, or to those of the British overseas Territories, including the Colonies, the Protectorates and the Territories under trusteeship exercised by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or to the Irish Republic, whose internal legislation does not permit the withdrawal from the post or the alteration of the address of correspondence at the sender’s request.

ARTICLE X
REGISTRATION FEE

Countries which cannot fix at 40 centimes the registration fee prescribed in Article 67, § 2 are authorised to charge a fee up to 50 centimes or that fixed for their internal service as the case may be.

ARTICLE XI
SPECIAL TRANSIT CHARGES FOR CONVEYANCE BY THE TRANS-SIBERIAN AND TRANS-ANDINE

1. In derogation of the provisions of Article 78, § 1 (table), the postal Administration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is authorised to collect charges for transit over the Trans-Siberian for both routes (Manchuria or Vladi-vostock) at the rate of 2 francs 50 centimes per kilogramme for all type of correspondence for distances in excess of 6,000 kilometers.

2. The Administration of the Argentine Republic is authorised to charge 30 centimes over and above the transit charges indicated in Article 78, § 1 (1°), for each kilogramme of correspondence of every type conveyed in transit over the Argentine section of the “Ferrocarril Trasandino”.

ARTICLE XII
SPECIAL TRANSIT CONDITIONS FOR AFGHANISTAN

In derogation of the-provisions of Article 78, § 1, the Administration of Afghanistan is authorised provisionally, because of its special difficulties as regards means of conveyance and communication, to effect the transit of closed mails and a dicouvert correspondence across its territory on conditions specially agreed with the Administrations concerned.

ARTICLE XIII
SPECIAL STORAGE CHARGES AT ADEN

Exceptionally, the Administration of Aden is authorised to collect a charge of 40 centimes per bag for all mails stored at Aden, provided that that Administration does not receive any fee in respect of land or sea transit for those mails.

ARTICLE XIV
SPECIAL TRANSHIPMENT CHARGES

Exceptionally, the Portuguese Administration is authorised to collect 40 centimes per bag for all mails transhipped in the port of Lisbon.

ARTICLE XV
AIR SERVICES

1. The provisions regarding air-mail correspondence are annexed to the Universal Postal Convention and are regarded as forming an integral part of it and of its Detailed Regulations.

2. However, in derogation of the general provisions of the Convention, the amendment of these provisions may be considered from time to time by a Con- ference composed of the representatives of the Administrations directly concerned.

3. Such a Conference may be convened through the intermediary of the International Bureau at the request of at least three of these Administrations.

4. The whole of the provisions proposed by the Conference shall be submit ted through the intermediary of the International Bureau to the vote of the Countries of the Union. The decision will be taken by the majority of votes cast.

The Protocol remains open for the benefit of member-Countries whose representatives have today signed only the Convention or a certain number of the Agreements drawn up by the Congress, with the aim of allowing them to accede to any or all of the other Agreements signed this day.

ARTICLE XVII
PROTOCOL LEFT OPEN TO MEMBER-COUNTRIES NOT REPRESENTED

The Protocol remains open to member-Countries not represented at the Congress, in order to allow them to accede to the Convention and to the Agreements there concluded or only to one or other of them.

ARTICLE XVIII
PERIOD FOR THE NOTIFICATION OF ACCESSIONS

The accession referred to in Articles XVI and XVII shall be notified in diplomatic form by the respective Governments to the Government of Belgium and by that Government to the Governments of the other member-countries of the Union. The period allowed to the said Governments for such notification expires on the 1st July 1953.

ARTICLE XIX
PROTOCOL LEFT OPEN TO GERMANY TEMPORARILY PRECLUDED FROM ACCEDING TO THE CONVENTION AND THE AGREEMENTS

1. Germany, temporarily precluded from acceding to the Convention and the Agreements, may accede to these Acts without submitting to the formalities prescribed in Article 3, at the time considered opportune by the responsible authority.

2.The accession referred to in § 1 shall be notified in diplomatic form by the Government concerned to the Government of Belgium and by that Government to the Governments of the other member-Countries of the Union.

In faith whereof, the undermentioned Plenipotentiaries have drawn up the present Protocol which shall have the same force and validity as if the provisions were inserted in the actual, text of the Convention, and they have signed it in a single copy which shall lie in the Archives of the Government of Belgium and of which a copy shall be delivered to each Party.

Done at Brussels, the 11th of July, 1952.

At the moment of proceeding to sign the Final Protocol to the Universal Postal Convention, the delegation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the delegation of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine and the delegation of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Byelorussia declare:

1. The delegation of the U.S.S.R., of the S.S.R. of Ukraine and of the S.S.R. of Byelorussia regard as illegal the fact that the Universal Postal Congress has accorded to the representatives of the Kuomintang the right to sign the Universal Postal Convention in the name of China.

The delegations of the U.S.S.R., of the S.S.R. of Ukraine and of the S.S.R. of Byelorussia consider that the Central Government of the Chinese People’s Republic is the only legal Government representing China and that questions concerning international postal exchanges cannot be equitably resolved without the participation of the Chinese People’s Republic which maintains extensive postal services. Consequently, only the representatives of that Government may sign the Universal Postal Convention in the name of China.

2. The delegations of the U.S.S.R., of the S.S.R. of Ukraine and of the S.S.R. of Byelorussia regard as wholly unjustified the fact that the German Democratic Republic and the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, which had fulfilled the conditions of Article XVII of the Final Protocol regarding accession to the Universal Postal Convention of 1947 and should consequent ly be regarded as parties to that Convention, have without any reason not been allowed to take part in the work of the Congress and to sign the Universal Postal Convention and the documents annexed thereto.

The delegations of the U.S.S.R., of the S.S.R. of Ukraine and of the S.S.R. of Byelorussia also regard as illegal the fact that the Congress has accorded to the representatives of the “Government” of Sig Man Rhee of South Korea the right to sign in the name of Korea inasmuch as they do not represent Korea and are not entitled to sign the Convention in the name of Korea.

3. The delegations of the U.S.S.R., of the S.S.R. of Ukraine and of the S.S.R. o£ Byelorussia draw attention to the fact that “Allemagne” [Germany] in the Preamble to the Convention and in the Final Protocol is understood to mean the unified Germany with a Government for the whole of Germany.

DETAILED REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONVENTION

Having regard to Article 22 of the Universal Postal Convention concluded at Brussels on the 11th of July 1952, the undersigned, on behalf of their respective Administrations, have, by common consent, drawn up the following measures for ensuring that the said Convention is implemented:

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I
Executive and Liaison Committee

ARTICLE 101
MEETINGS

1. On convocation by its Chairman the Executive and Liaison Committee meets in principle once a year and as a general rule at the seat of the Union.

2. At its first meeting, which is convened by the Chairman of the last Congress, the Committee elects from amongst its members a Chairman and four Vice- Chairmen and draws up the rules necessary for its work and debates. The Direc- tor of the International Bureau fills the office of Secretary-General to the Com- mittee and may take part in the debates without the right to vote.

3. The representative of each of the member-Countries of the Committee is entitled to reimbursement of the cost of one return 1st class travel ticket by air, sea or land.

4. The Committee may invite to take part in its meetings, without the right to vote, any representative of an international organisation or any other qualified person whom it wishes to associate with its work. It may invite, under the same conditions, representatives of one or more Administrations of the Union interested in questions on its agenda; these Administrations themselves bear the travelling expenses of their representatives.

ARTICLE 102
REPORTS ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

1. The Committee sends to Administrations, for information, an analytical report at the end of each of its sessions. In addition, the documents of each session are sent to the Administrations of the member-Countries of the Committee, to the restricted Unions and to other Administrations o£ the Union which ask for them.

2. The Committee makes a report to Congress on the whole o£ its activities and sends it to Administrations at least two months before the opening of Congress.

CHAPTER II

INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

ARTICLE 103
PREPARATION OF THE WORK OF CONGRESSES AND CONFERENCES

1. The International Bureau prepares the work of Congresses and Conferen- ces. It arranges the printing and distribution of the necessary documents.

2. The Director of the International Bureau attends the sittings of Congress es and Conferences and takes part in the discussions without a vote.

ARTICLE 104
INFORMATION. OPINIONS. REQUESTS FOR INTERPRETATION AND AMENDMENT OF THE ACTS. ENQUIRIES. INTERVENTION IN THE LIQUIDATION OF ACCOUNTS

1. The International Bureau should at all times’ be ready to furnish the Exe cutive and Liaison Committee and Administrations with any necessary informa- tion on questions relating to the service.

2. In particular, it is responsible for collecting, collating, publishing and distributing information of every kind relating to the international postal service; for giving an opinion on questions in dispute, when asked to do so by the parties in the case; for acting upon requests for interpretation and amendment of the Acts of the Union and, in general, for carrying out such studies and editorial work or documentation as the Convention, the Agreements and their Detailed Regula- tions may assign to it or as may be referred to it in the interests of the Union.

3. It also conducts enquiries asked for by Administrations in order to learn the opinion of other Administrations on a particular question. The result of an enquiry does not have the status of a vote and is not formally binding.

4. It intervenes, as a clearing house, in the liquidation of accounts of every kind relating to the international postal service between those Administrations which claim such intervention.

ARTICLE 105
POSTAGE STAMPS AND POSTAL FRANKING IMPRESSIONS

Administrations exchange, through the intermediary of the International Bureau, three sets of the postage stamps and impressions of their postal franking machines.

ARTICLE 106
POSTAL IDENTITY CARDS. INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS

The International Bureau is responsible for arranging for the manufacture of postal identity cards and international reply coupons and for their supply on demand to Administrations.

ARTICLE 107
COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TO BE FORWARDED TO THE INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

1. Administrations should communicate or forward to the International Bureau:

a) their decision on the option to apply or not certain general provisions of the Convention and of its Detailed Regulations;

b) the expression they have adopted, under Article 182, § 3, of the De tailed Regulations of the Convention, as the equivalent of the phrase “Taxe percue” or “Port paye”;

c) the reduced charges they have adopted under Article 9 of the Convention and details of the services to which the charges apply;

d) the extraordinary conveyance charges collected under Article 80 of the Convention together with the names of the Countries to which the charges apply and, where appropriate, particulars of the services for which the charges are due;

e) the necessary information concerning Customs or other regulations, as well as the prohibitions or restrictions regulating the entry and transit of postal items in their services;

f) the number of Customs declarations required for items subject to Customs control addressed to their Countries and the languages in which declarations or Customs labels may be completed;

g) an indication whether or not they admit articles subject to Customs duty in items prepaid at the tariff for letters or samples;

h) a list of kilometric distances for land sectors followed in their Coun-tries by mails in transit;

i) a list of the shipping lines operating from their ports and used for the conveyance of mails, with details of the voyages, the distance and duration of the voyage between the port of embarkation and each of the successive ports of call, the frequency of the service and the Countries to which the sea transit charges should be paid if the ships are used;

j) their list of distant Countries and Countries treated as such;

k) any necessary information concerning their organisation and internal services;

l) their internal postal charges.

2. Any amendments to the information referred to in § 1 should be notified without delay.

3. Administrations should supply the International Bureau with two copies of the documents which they publish, whether relating to the internal or inter national service.

4. Two copies of the Acts of restricted Unions and of special Agreements concluded under the provisions of Article 9 of the Convention should be forwarded to the International Bureau by the offices of those Unions or, failing that, by one of the contracting Parties.

ARTICLE 108
PUBLICATIONS

1. The International Bureau publishes, with the assistance of documents put at its disposal, a special journal in German, English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French and Russian.

2. It publishes an official compendium of all information of general interest, on the basis of that supplied in accordance with the provisions of Article 107, relating to the implementation in each Country of the Convention and of its De tailed Regulations.

3. In addition, it publishes similar compendia relating to the implementation of the Agreements, on the basis of the information supplied by the Administrations concerned.

4. It also publishes from information supplied by Administrations:

a) a list of the names of the Countries, Territories, etc., of the world, with their geographical position;

b) a list of the addresses of postal Administrations;

c) a list of the heads and senior officials of postal Administrations;

d) a directory of post offices;

e) a world map of surface postal communications (land and sea transit) with an annex showing offices of exchange and the Countries for which they serve as intermediaries;

f) a list of kilometric distances relating to land sectors;

g) a list of shipping lines;

h) a list of distant Countries and Countries treated as such;

i) a table of equivalents;

j) a list of prohibited articles;

k) a compendium of information about the organisation and internal services of Administrations;

l) a compendium of the internal charges of Administrations;

m) statistical data relating to the postal services (internal and international);

n) a collection of postal studies;

o) a general catalogue of information of every kind concerning the postal service and of the documents in the lending service (U.P.U. Catalogue).

5. Amendments to the various documents listed in §§ 2 to 4 are notified by circular, bulletin, supplement or any other convenient means.

6. The documents published by the International Bureau are distributed to Administrations in the proportion of the number of contribution units assigned to them under Article 18 of the Convention. The directory of post offices, how ever, is distributed on a scale of 10 copies for each contribution unit. Additional copies of these documents asked for by Administrations are paid for separately on the basis of their cost price.

7. The documents published by the International Bureau are likewise for warded to the restricted Unions.

ARTICLE 109
Annual report on the activities of the Union

The International Bureau makes an annual report on the activities of the Union, which is sent to every Administration. This report is to be approved by the Executive and Liaison Committee.

CHAPTER III

EXPENDITURE OF THE UNION

ARTICLE 110
Limit of credit

1. The ordinary expenditure of the Union, including the working expenses of the Executive and Liaison Committee, shall not exceed 1,300,000 francs per annum.

2. The Swiss Postal Administration makes the necessary advances and supervises the expenditure of the Union.

3. The sums advanced by the Swiss Postal Administration, in accordance with § 2, are to be repaid by the debtor Administrations as soon as possible and at the latest by the 31st of December of the year in which the account is despatched. After that period the sums due are chargeable with interest in favour of the Swiss Administration, at the rate of 5% per annum reckoned from the date of expity of the said period.

ARTICLE 111
APPORTIONMENT OF EXPENSES

The Countries are classed as follows, for the apportionment of expenses:
.
1st class: Union of South Africa, Germany, United States of America, Argentine Republic, Commonwealth of Australia, United States of Brazil, Canada, China, Spain, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics;

2nd class: — ;

3rd class: the Whole of the Territories of the United States of America, including the trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Belgium, Egypt, Algeria, the Whole of the overseas Territories of the French Republic and the Territories administered as such, the Whole of the British overseas Territories, including the Colonies, the Protectorates and the Territories under trusteeship exercised by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Republic of Indonesia, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Roumanian People’s Republic, Sweden, Swiss Confederation, Czechoslovakia, Turkey, Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine, Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia;

4th class: Korea, Denmark, Finland, Hungarian People’s Republic, Irish Republic, Norway, Portugal, Portuguese Territories in “West Africa, Portuguese Territories in East Africa, Asia and Oceania;

5th class: Austria, Soviet Socialist Republic of Byelorussia, People’s Republic of Bulgaria, Ceylon, Chile, Republic of Colombia, Greece, Iran, Morocco (except the Spanish Zone}, Morocco (Spanish Zone), Peru, Tunisia;

6th class: Afghanistan, People’s Republic of Albania, Burma, Bolivia, Republic of Costa Rica, Republic of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Republic of El Salvador, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Honduras, Israel, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, Republic of Panama, Paraguay, Netherlands Antilles and Surinam, Thailand, Eastern Republic of Uruguay, United States of Venezuela, Vietnam;

7th class: Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia, Colony of the Belgian Congo, Cambodia, the whole of the Spanish Colonies, Iraq, Republic of Iceland, Hachemite Kingdom of Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Republic of Liberia, Libya, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of San Marino, Syria, State of the City of the Vatican, Yemen.

ARTICLE 112
PAYMENT FOR SUPPLIES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

1. Supplies provided by the International Bureau to Administrations at their expense are to be paid for as soon as possible and at the latest within six months from the first day of the month following that in which the account is despatched by the International Bureau.

2. After that period the sums due are chargeable with interest in favour of the Swiss Postal Administration, which advanced them, at the rate of 5% per annum reckoned from the date of expiry of the said period.

CHAPTER IV

SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS

ARTICLE 113
PREPARATION AND SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS

1. Each Administration draws up its accounts and submits them in duplicate to the others concerned. An accepted copy, if necessary amended or accompanied by a statement of differences, is returned to the creditor Administration. This account serves as a basis, for the preparation, as necessary, of the final general account between the two Administrations.

2. In accordance with the provisions of Article 104, § 4, the International Bureau arranges the settlement of accounts of every kind relating to the inter national postal service. To this end the Administrations concerned consult with each other and with the Bureau and decide upon the method of settlement. Accounts of the telecommunications services may also be included in these special liquidation accounts.

ARTICLE 114
PAYMENT OF GOLD DEBTS. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. Subject to the provisions of Article 41 of the Convention, the rules for payment set out below apply to all debts expressed in gold francs and arising out of a postal transaction, whether they result from general accounts or statements drawn up by the International Bureau or from general accounts or statements established without its intervention; they also relate to the settlement of differ ences, of interest or, where necessary, of payments on account.

2. Every Administration remains free to discharge its liabilities by payments on account, the amount of which is deducted from its debts when these have been established.

3. Provided the periods for payment are observed, any Administration may settle postal debts of the same or different kind, established in gold, by offsetting credits and debits in its relations with another Administration; in the remainder or balance, centimes are ignored. The offsetting may be extended by mutual agreement to debts arising from telecommunications services. Offsetting cannot be effected with debts in respect of traffic devolved to an organisation or com- pany under the control of a postal Administration if that Administration objects.

ARTICLE 115
RULES FOR PAYMENT

1. Debts are discharged by the debtor Administration by the payment to the creditor Administration of an amount equivalent to their value, in accordance with the following rules.

2. The Administrations concerned may discharge their liabilities in gold or agree on a special arrangement; they may also employ the intermediary of a bank which uses the clearing facilities of the Bank of International Settlement at Basle or, finally, conform to special monetary agreements existing between the Coun- tries by which they are maintained.

3. Failing these methods of payment, the debtor Administration arranges a transfer of funds by cheque, draft, transfer or deposit payable at a place in the creditor Country, or in currency. A postal money order or postal transfer free of charges may be used for very small sums (100 francs or under). This transfer is made:

a) in principle in a gold-based currency, i.e., the currency of a Country where the central issuing Bank or other official issuing authority buys and sells gold against the national currency at fixed rates determined by law or under an agreement with the Government. If the currencies of several Countries satisfy these conditions, the creditor Country nominates the currency which suits it;

b) if the creditor agrees, in its own or any other currency.

5. When the currency of payment does not satisfy the definition of a gold-based currency, it is a matter for consideration whether it can be related to gold, either directly {special agreement between the Countries concerned—equivalent fixed by the International Monetary Fund—internal law—agreement between the Government and an official issuing authority) or through the intermediary of a gold-based currency with which it is linked by a fixed relationship. Conversion is carried out in accordance with the gold equivalent determined in these circum stances and recognised by both parties.

6. When the currency of payment cannot be related to gold, the conversion of the gold debt into that currency is carried out in accordance with the official or banking rates of exchange in force in the debtor Country on the day of the transaction or on the day before. To this end the debt is converted into a gold- based currency on the basis of the fixed parity of that currency, then into the currency of the debtor Country and finally converted into the currency selected.

7. If, however, as the result of slight variations in the rates of exchange existing between the places, the amount of the settlement effected under the provisions of §§ 5 or 6 differs by more than 0.5% below or above that which would be arrived at by applying the rates in force on the same day in the creditor Country, the settlement shall be adjusted by a complementary transaction in respect of the part exceeding 05%

8. Losses or gains of more than 5% resulting from a fall or rise in the parity of a gold-based currency or the equivalent of a currency which can be related to gold, and arising up to and including the day of receipt or” the instru- ment of payment (the adviceL6f credit or funds in the case of payment without an instrument of payment) are shared equally between the two Administrations. If, however, there is an unjustified delay of more than four working days, excluding the day of issue, in the despatch of an issued instrument of payment, or of more than four workings days, excluding the day of issue of an order for deposit or transfer, in the transmission of the order to the Bank, the debtor Administration alone bears the losses; if the delay results in a gain, half of it shall be paid over to the debtor. Administration; the period for the settlement of differences is rec- koned from the date of receipt of the instrument of payment, of the advice of the credit, or of the funds.

9. Unless the currency is that of the creditor Administration, the rules o£ § 8 apply when a payment is made in a gold-based currency or in a currency which can be related to gold if the parity or equivalent used by the debtor Administration in its calculations Is no longer valid at the time of encashment by the creditor Administration. Those rules are also followed, if the payment is made in another currency, when in the same period there is an appreciable variation (more than 5%) in the different parities or exchange rates used for the conversion, except when the rise or fall results from the revaluation or devaluation of the currency of the creditor Country.

10. When the amount of the debt exceeds 5,000 francs, the date of purchase, the date of despatch and the amount of the instrument of payment, or the date of the order and the amount of the transfer or deposit shall be notified by telegram to the creditor Administration, at its expense, if it has so requested.

11. The payment charges levied in the debtor Country (Taxes, clearance fees, deposits, bank charges, etc.) are borne by the debtor Administration. The charges levied in the creditor Country are borne by the creditor Administration where it is not possible to avoid or reduce them by conforming with the arrangements communicated by that Administration.

12. Payment shall be made as quickly as possible and at the latest before the expiry of a period of four months from the date of receipt of the general or special accounts, accounts or statements drawn up by common consent, notifica- tions, requests for payments on account, etc., indicating the amounts or balances to be settled; after that period the amounts due are chargeable with interest at the rate of 5% per annum. By payment is meant the despatch of funds or the instrument of payment (cheque, etc.) or the handing over of the order for trans fer or deposit to the organisation responsible for the transfer in the debtor Country.

13. When the creditor Administration has not made known that it wishes to modify the conditions of settlement agreed upon (§ 4b) in sufficient time for the period for payment to be observed, and at the latest three weeks before the expiry of that period, the debtor Administration is authorised to settle in the currency used for the last payment of a debt of the same kind.

CHAPTER V
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 116
POSTAL IDENTITY CARDS

1. Each Administration appoints the offices or authorities which issue postal identity cards.

2. These cards are made out on forms C 25 in the form annexed, supplied by the International Bureau at cost price.

3. At the time of application the applicant hands in his photograph and proves his identity. Administrations take the necessary measures to ensure that cards shall be issued only after careful enquiry into the identity of the applicant.

4. The official enters the application in a register; he fills up in ink and in Roman characters by hand or by typewriter, without erasure or alteration, all the particulars required by the form and affixes the photograph to it in the space indicated; then he affixes a postage stamp representing the charge collected, half on the photograph and half on the card, and cancels it by a clear impression of the date-stamp. He then makes an impression of this same stamp or of an official seal in such a way that it appears partly on the upper portion of the photo graph and partly on the card; finally he repeats this impression on the third page of the card, signs it and issues it to the applicant after having obtained his signa- ture.

5. When the appearance of the holder is so altered as no longer to agree with the photograph or the description the card should be renewed.

6. Each Country retains the right to issue cards for the international service in accordance with the rules applied to the cards in use in its internal service.

7. Administrations may add a fly-leaf to form C 25 to cater for special notes required for their internal service.

ARTICLE 117
FIXING OF EQUIVALENT

1. Administrations fix the equivalents of the postal charges and fees prescribed in the Convention and the Agreements and the selling price of international reply coupons after agreement with the Swiss Postal Administration which is responsible for having them notified through the intermediary of the International Bureau. To this end each Administration should make known to the Swiss Postal Administration the conversion factor for the gold franc in the currency of its Country. The same procedure is followed when equivalents are changed.

2. Equivalents or changes of equivalents may come into force only on the first of a month and, at the earliest, fifteen days after their notification by the International Bureau.

3. The Bureau draws up a table showing, for each Country, the equivalents of the charges and fees, the conversion factor and the selling price of international reply coupons mentioned in § 1 and including, where appropriate, the percentage increase or decrease of charge applied under Article III of the Final Protocol to the Convention.

4. Monetary fractions resulting from the complementary charge appropriate to underpaid correspondence may be rounded by the Administration which collects the charge. The sum to be added on this account must not exceed 5 centimes in value.

5. Each Administration notifies to the International Bureau direct the equivalent it has adopted of the indemnity prescribed in Article 70 of the Convention.

ARTICLE 118
DISTANT COUNTRIES

1. Countries are considered as distant when the time taken in conveyance between, them by the most rapid means, land or sea, exceeds ten days, or when the average frequency of the mail service between them is less than twice a month.

2. As regards the periods prescribed in the Convention and Agreements, Countries of very large extent or those with little developed means of internal communication are treated as distant Countries for questions in which these factors play a preponderant pait.

ARTICLE 119
PERIOD OF RETENTION OF DOCUMENTS

Documents of the international service shall be kept for a minimum period of two years from the day following the date to which they refer. Documents concerning a dispute or enquiry are to be kept until the matter has been settled.

ARTICLE 120
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESSES

1. For telegraphic communications which they exchange with each other, Administrations use the telegraphic address “Postgen” followed by the name of the town in which the headquarters of the central Administration is situated.

2. For communications sent to offices other than the central Administration of the Country of destination, the telegraphic address should be “Postbur” followed by the name of the town to which the telegram is addressed.

3. The telegraphic address of the International Bureau is “UPU Berne”.

PART II

PROVISIONS CONCERNING THE LETTER POST

Section I

CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE OF ITEMS OF CORRESPONDENCE

CHAPTER I

PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL CATEGORIES OF ITEMS

ARTICLE 121
MAKE-UP AND ADDRESS

1. Administrations should recommend the public:

a) to write the address in Roman characters setting it out on the right-hand side lengthwise so as to leave the necessary space for service instructions or labels;

b) to show the names of the place and Country of destination in capital letters;

c) to show the address precisely and completely so that the forwarding of the item and its delivery to the addressee may be effected without enquiry;

d) to apply the postage stamps or postal franking impressions at the upper right-hand corner of the address side;

e) to show the name and place of address of the sender either on the front, at the left-hand side so as to interfere neither with the clarity of the address nor with the addition of service instructions or labels, or on the back;

f) to make up items securely, particularly if they are intended for distant Countries;

g) to add the word “Letter” to the address side of letters which, because of their volume or make-up, might be taken for other items;

h) as regards items sent at the reduced rate, to show by such notes as “Commercial papers”, “Printed papers”, “Printed papers at reduced rate”, “Sample”, etc., the category to which they belong.

2. No manner of item is admitted of which the whole or part of the address side has been marked off into several divisions intended to provide for successive addresses.

3. Non-postal stamps and charity or other labels liable to be mistaken for postage stamps must not be affixed to the address side. The same applies to impressions of stamps liable to be mistaken for postal franking impressions.

ARTICLE 122
POSTE RESTANTE ITEMS

The address of items sent poste restante shall show the name of the addressee. The use of initials, figures, forenames only, fictitious names or conventional marks of any kind is not permitted for these items.

ARTICLE 123
ITEMS IN PANEL ENVELOPES

1. Items in envelopes with a transparent panel are admitted under the follow ing conditions:

a) the panel shall be arranged parallel to the greatest dimension so that the address of the addressee appears in the same direction and the applica- tion of the date-stamp is not interfered with;

b) the panel shall have a transparency which allows the address to be perfectly legible even in artificial light and shall take writing; panel envelopes of which the transparent portion reflects artificial light are excluded;

c) only the name and address of the addressee shall show through the panel; the contents of the envelope should be folded so that the address cannot be obscured, either wholly or in part, through slipping;

d) the address shall be shown quite legibly, in ink, by typewriting or by a printing process, with the characters in a deep colour; items with the address written in pencil or copying-ink pencil are not admitted.

2. Items in envelopes which are wholly transparent or which have an open panel are not admitted.

ARTICLE 124
ITEMS SENT FREE OF POSTAGE

1. Correspondence on postal service sent free of postal charges should bear, at the front upper left-hand corner, the indication “Service des postes” [Postal Service] or a similar indication.

2. The indications prescribed in § 1 may be followed by a translation in an other language.

ARTICLE 125
ITEMS SUBJECT TO CUSTOMS CONTROL

1. Items to be submitted to Customs control should be on the front a green label C 1 in the form annexed. As regards small packets, the addition of this label is obligatory in every case.

2. If the Country of destination requires or if the sender prefers, the items referred to in § 1 are also accompanied by the prescribed number of separate Cus- toms declarations C 2 in the form annexed; these declarations are securely fastened to the outside of the item by a string tied crosswise or are inserted in the item itself. In the latter case, only the upper part of the label C 1 is affixed to the item.

3. The absence of a label C 1 must not, in any circumstances, involve the return to the office of origin of consignments of printed papers, serums, vaccines and medicines urgently required and difficult to obtain.

4. Administrations accept no responsibility as regards Customs declarations in whatever form they are prepared.

5. The contents of the item are to be shown in detail on the Customs decla- ration. Descriptions of a general character are not admitted.

ARTICLE 126
ITEMS FOR DELIVERY FREE OF CHARGES

1. Items to be delivered to the addressees free of all charges shall bear very conspicuously on the front the heading “Franc de droits” [Free of charges] or a similar indication in the language of the Country of origin. Those items are pro vided on the address side with a yellow label also bearing in bold characters the indication “Franc de droits”.

2. Every item sent free of charges is accompanied by a franking note C 3 in the form annexed, made of yellow cardboard, the front of which is filled up by the despatching office. The franking note is securely attached to the item.

3. When the sender asks after posting for the item to be delivered free of charges, the procedure is as follows:

a) if the request is to be forwarded by postal means, the office of origin informs the office of destination by an explanatory note sent as a registered item, enclosing with it the franking note duly filled up. The latter office affixes the label prescribed in § 1 to the item;

b) if the request is to be forwarded by telegraphic means, the office of origin informs the office of destination by this means of the terms of the explanatory note. The latter office makes out the franking note as a matter of course.

CHAPTER II

SPECIAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO EACH CATEGORY OF ITEMS

ARTICLE 127
LETTERS

No condition is laid down for the form or closing of letters subject to the observance of the provisions of Article 123. The space on the front necessary for the postage, the address and the service instructions or labels is to be left completely clear.

ARTICLE 128
SINGLE POSTCARDS

1. Postcards shall be made of cardboard or of paper stout enough not to make handling difficult.

2. Folded sheets of paper, of which the two inside faces have been com pletely gummed together so that other items cannot be trapped between them, are treated as postcards.

3. Postcards should bear on the front the heading “Carte postale” [Post card] in French or its equivalent in another language. This heading is not obli- gatory for cards of private manufacture.

4. Postcards shall be sent unenclosed, that is to say, without wrapper or envelope.

5. The right-hand half at least of the front is reserved for the address of the addressee and for service instructions or labels; the postage stamps or postal franking impressions are to be placed on the front and, as far as possible, on the right-hand half of the card. Then sender may make use of the back and of the left-hand half of the front, subject to the provisions of § 6.

6. It is forbidden to join or attach samples of merchandise or similar articles to postcards. Nevertheless, illustrations, photographs, stamps of every kind, labels and cuttings of every kind, of paper or other very thin substance, as well as address slips or fold-back sheets may be affixed to them, provided that these articles are not such as to alter the nature of postcards and that they adhere completely to the card. These articles may be affixed only to the back or to the left-hand half of the front of postcards, with the exception of address slips or labels which may occupy the whole of the front. Stamps of any kind liable to be mistaken for postage stamps are only permitted on the back.

7. Postcards not complying with the regulations for that category are treated as letters, except when the irregularity derives only from the addition of the postage to the back. Such cards are regarded as unpaid and are treated accordingly.

ARTICLE 129
REPLY-PAID POSTCARDS

1. Reply-paid postcards shall bear in French on the front of the first hal£ the heading “Carte postale avec reponse payee” [Reply-paid postcard]; on the sec- end half “Carte postale-reponse” [Reply postcard]. Each of the two halves shall, moreover, satisfy the other conditions laid down for a single postcard; the two are folded one on the other so that the fold forms the upper edge, and they must not be closed in any way.

2. The address of the reply postcard shall be on the inside of the item.

3. The sender is permitted to show his name and address on the front of the reply half.

4. The sender is also authorised to have printed on the back of the reply postcard a questionnaire to be filled up by the addressee; the latter may in addition return the “Question” half attached to the “Answer” half. In that case the ad dress on the “Question” card shall be struck through and shall be on the inside of the item.

5. The prepayment of postage on the reply half by means of postage stamps of the Country which issued the card is valid only if the two halves of the reply- paid postcard are attached to each other when received from the Country of origin, and if the reply half is addressed to the said Country of origin from the Country where it has been received by post. If those conditions are not fulfilled, it is treated as an unpaid postcard.

ARTICLE 130
COMMERCIAL PAPERS

1. The following are considered as commercial papers, provided that they have not the character of a current and personal correspondence: all papers and all documents wholly or partly written or drawn, such as correspondence;—unclosed letters and postcards—which is out-of-date and has already fulfilled its original purpose and copies thereof, papers of legal proceedings, documents of every kind drawn up by law officials, way bills or bills of lading, invoices, certain documents of insurance companies, copies of or extracts from deeds under private seal written on stamped or unstamped paper, musical scores or sheets of music in manuscript, manuscripts of works or for newspapers sent unaccompanied, pupils’ exercises in the original or with corrections but without any note which does not ‘relate directly to the performance of the work.

2. Those documents may be accompanied by reference slips or covering statements showing the following particulars or similar details: list of the papers included in the item, references to correspondence exchanged between the sender and the addressee, such as:

“Annexe to our letter of_ _ _ _ to Mr._ _ _ _ Our reference_ _ _ _ _Client’s reference_ _ _ _ “.

3. Out-of-date correspondence may bear the cancelled postage stamps or the impressions which served for the original postage.

4. All items containing correspondence exchanged between school pupils, even when it has the character of a current and personal correspondence, are also considered as commercial papers, provided that they are forwarded through the intermediary of the principals of the schools concerned.

5. As regards form and make-up commercial papers are subject to the pro visions prescribed in Article 134 for printed papers.

ARTICLE 131
PRINTED PAPERS

1. The following are considered as printed papers: newspapers and periodicals, books, pamphlets, sheets of music, visiting cards, address cards, proofs of printing, engravings, photographs and albums containing photographs, pictures, drawings, plans, maps, patterns to be cut-out, catalogues, prospectuses, advertisements and notices of various kinds, printed, engraved, lithographed, mimeographed or photographed, and in general all impressions or copies obtained on paper or other similar material, on parchment or on cardboard by means of printing, engraving, lithography, mimeography and photography or any other readily recognisable mechanical process; however, copies obtained by means of tracing, stamps with or without moveable type and typewriter are not considered as printed papers. For copies obtained by means of office machines, see Article 132,

2. The charge for printed papers is not appropriate to printed papers bearing any marks whatever capable of constituting a conventional language nor, apart from the exceptions expressly authorised by Article 133, to those of which the text has been amended after printing.

3. Films gramophone records and perforated sheets intended to be fitted to automatic musical instruments are not admitted at the printed papers tariff. The same applies to articles of stationery, properly so-called, when it seems clear that the printed part is not the essential part of the article.

4. Cards bearing the heading “Carte postale” [Postcard] or its equivalent in any language are admitted at the printed papers tariff, provided that they satisfy the general conditions appropriate to printed papers. Those which do not satisfy those conditions are treated as postcards or, where necessary, as letters, under the provisions of ArticJe 128, § 7.

ARTICLE 132
PRINTED PAPERS. ASSIMILATED ARTICLES

Copies by a mechanical manifolding process, colour printing, etc., of a manuscript or typewritten master copy are treated as printed papers if they are posted in accordance with the internal regulations of the Administration of origin. The annotations authorised for printed papers may also be made to these copies.

ARTICLE 133
PRINTED PAPERS. AUTHORISED ANNOTATIONS AND ENCLOSURES

1. It Is permissible, on the outside or inside of any printed papers:

a) to show the name, status, profession, style and address of the sender and of the addressee, the date of despatch, the’ signature, telephone number and exchange, telegraphic address and code and current postal or banking account of the sender and a serial or registration number referring solely to the item;

b) to correct printing errors;

c) to strike out, to underline or to ring round certain words or certain parts of the printed text, unless this is done with the aim of consti- tuting a correspondence.

2. It is also permissible to show or to add:

a) on advices of the departures and arrivals of ships and aircraft: the dates and times of departures and arrivals and the names of the ships, aircraft, ports of departure, call and arrival;

b) on travellers advices: the name of the traveller, the date, time and place of his intended visit and the address at which he is staying;

c) on order forms, subscription forms or offers in respect of published works, books, newspapers, engravings, pieces of music: the works and the number of copies asked for or offered, the price of the works and notes giving essential elements of the price, the method of payment, the edition, the names of the authors and of the publishers, the cata- logue number and the words “paper covered”, “stiff covered” or “bound”;

d)on the forms used by the lending services of libraries: the titles of the works, the number of copies asked for or sent, the names of the authors and of the publishers, the catalogue numbers, the number of days allowed for reading, the name of the person wishing to consult the work and other short notes referring to the works in question;

e) on illustrated cards, on printed visiting cards and on Christmas and New Year cards: good wishes, greetings, congratulations, thanks, condolences or other formulas of courtesy expressed in five words or five conventional initials at the most;

f) in proofs of printing: alterations and additions concerned with the correction, layout and printing, as well as notes such as “Passed for press”, “Read—Passed for press” or any similar note concerned with the production of the work. In case of lack of space the additions may be made on special sheets;

g) on fashion plates, maps, etc.: colours;

h) in price-lists, tenders for advertisements, stock and share lists, market quotations, trade circulars and prospectuses: figures; any other notes giving essential elements of the price;

i) on books, pamphlets, newspapers, photographs, engravings, sheets of music and in general on all literary or artistic productions, printed, engraved, lithographed or mimeographed: a dedication consisting of a simple expression of regard and, on photographs or engravings, a very brief explanatory caption and other short notes referring to the photograph or to the engraving itself;

j) on cuttings from newspapers and periodicals: the title, date, number and address of the publication from which the article is taken;

k) on advices of change of address: the old and the new address and the date of the change.

3. The additions and corrections provided for in §§ 1 and 2 may be made
by hand or by any mechanical process.

4. Finally, it is permitted to enclose:

a) with proofs of printing, corrected or not: the relative manuscript;

b) with articles of the kind mentioned under § 2 i): the relative open invoice, reduced to its essential elements;

c) with the articles referred to in Article 48, §§ 3 and 4 of the Conven- tion; a deposit note bearing the printed particulars of a” current postal account;

d) with all printed papers: a card, envelope or wrapper bearing the address of the sender of the item and which may be prepaid for return by means of postage stamps of the Country of destination of the item;

e) with fashion papers: cut-out patterns forming, according to the indications appearing on them, an integral part of the copy of the paper with which they are sent.

ARTICLE 134
PRINTED PAPERS. MAKE-UP OF ITEMS

1. Printed papers shall either be placed in a wrapper, on a roller, between cardboard, in an open container, or in an unclosed envelope, supplied, if necessary, with clips easy to unfasten and refasten and not dangerous, or shall be done up with a string easy to untie.

2. Printed papers of the form and consistency of a card may be sent unen- closed without wrapper, envelope or fastening. The same method of despatch is allowed for printed papers so folded that they cannot become unfolded during conveyance.

3. The right-hand half at least of the front of printed papers sent in the form of cards, including illustrated cards benefiting by the reduced charge is reserved for the address of the addressee and for service instructions or labels. The postage stamps or postal franking impressions should be placed on the front and, as far as possible, on the right-hand half of the card,

4. In every case, items are to be made up so that other items do not run the risk of being trapped.

ARTICLE 135
ARTICLES ASSIMILATED TO LITERATURE FOR THE BLIND

Plates bearing the characters of writing used by the blind are treated as literature for the blind. The same applies to sound records and to the special paper intended solely for the use of the blind, provided that they are sent by or addressed to an officially recognised institute for the blind.

ARTICLE 136
SAMPLES. ASSIMILATED ARTICLES

The following are admitted at the sample tariff: printers’ plates, cut-out patterns sent unaccompanied, keys sent unaccompanied, cut fresh flowers, natural history specimens (dried or preserved animals and plants, geological specimens, etc) tubes of serum or vaccine, medicines urgently required and difficult to obtain and pathological specimens rendered harmless by their method of preparation and packing. With the exception o£ tubes of serum and vaccine and of medicines urgently required and difficult to obtain, sent in the general interest by officially recognised laboratories or institutions, these articles must not be sent for a commercial purpose. Their packing should conform to the general provisions for samples of merchandise.

ARTICLE 137
SAMPLES. AUTHORISED ANNOTATIONS

It is permitted to show by hand or by a mechanical process on the outside or on the inside of items consisting of samples and, in the latter case, on the sample itself or on a special sheet relating to it, the name, status, profession, style and address of the sender and of the addressee, the date of despatch, the signature, telephone number and exchange, telegraphic address and code, current postal or banking account of the sender, a manufacturer’s or trade mark, a short note referring to the manufacturer and to the person supplying the goods or concerning the person for whom the sample is intended, as well as serial or registration numbers, prices and any other notes giving essential elements of the prices, particulars relating to the weight, volume and size, the quantity available and such particulars as are necessary to determine the source and the character of the goods.

ARTICLE 138
SAMPLES. MAKE-UP OF ITEMS

1. Samples of merchandise shall be placed in bags, boxes or envelopes which are unclosed or can be readily opened.

2. Articles of glass or other fragile materials, consignments of liquids, oils, fatty substances, dry powders, colouring or not, and items containing live bees, leeches, silk-worm eggs or the parasites referred to in Article 59, § 1 of the Con vention are admitted for conveyance as samples of merchandise, provided that they are packed in the following manner:

a) articles of glass or other fragile materials shall be securely packed (boxes of metal, wood or strong corrugated cardboard) so as to prevent any danger to officials and correspondence;

b) liquids, oils and substances which easily liquefy shall be enclosed in hermetically sealed containers. Each container shall be placed in a special box of metal, tough wood or strong corrugated cardboard con- taining a sufficient quantity of sawdust, cotton wool or spongy mate- rial to absorb the liquid should the container break. The lid of the box shall be fixed so that it cannot easily work loose;

c) fatty substances which do not easily liquefy, such as ointments, soft-soap, resins, etc., and silk-worm eggs, the conveyance of which presents fewer difficulties, shall be enclosed in a first covering (box, bag of cloth, parchment, etc.), which is itself placed in a second box of wood, metal or stout, thick leather;

d) dry colouring powders, such as aniline blue, etc., are only admitted in strong tin boxes, placed in turn in wooden boxes with sawdust between the two containers. Dry non-colouring powders shall be placed in-boxes of metal, wood or cardboard; those boxes shall themselves be enclosed in a bag of cloth or parchment;

e)live bees, leeches and parasites shall be enclosed in boxes so constructed as to avoid any danger.

3. Exceptionally, articles which would be spoilt if packed according to the general rules and samples packed in a transparent packing permitting check of their contents, may be admitted in a hermetically sealed packing. The same applies to samples of industrial and vegetable products posted in a packing sealed by the manufacturer or by an examining authority in the Country of origin. In those cases, the Administrations concerned may require the sender or the addressee to assist in the check of the contents, either by opening certain of the items indi cated by them or in some other satisfactory manner.

4. Packing is not stipulated for articles in one piece, such as pieces of wood, metal, etc., which it is not the custom of the trade to pack.

5. The address of the addressee should be shown, as far as possible, on the packing or on the article itself. If the packing or the article is not suitable for the inscription of the address and service instructions or for affixing the postage stamps, use should be made of a tie-on label, preferably of parchment, securely attached. The same applies when stamping is liable to damage the item.

ARTICLE 139
SMALL PACKETS

1. Small packets shall bear very conspicuously on the front the indication “Petit paquet” [Small packet] or its equivalent in a language known in the Coun- try of destination. They are subject to the provisions laid down for samples of merchandise as regards make-up and packing.

2. It is permitted to enclose therein an open invoice reduced to its essential elements and one copy of the address of the item with a note of the sender’s address.

3. The name and address of the senders should appear on the outside of the items.

ARTICLE 140
“PHONOPOST” ITEMS

1. Subject to the provisions expressly laid down for them “Phonopost” items are governed by the regulations applicable to letters,

2. Phonograph discs and tapes or wires bearing sound recordings which are sent as “Phonopost” items should be protected by a substantial unclosed envelope or box.

3. In addition to the ordinary particulars, the sender shall mark the word “Phonopost” very conspicuously on the front of the envelope or box. It is per- missible to print on the front, in one or more languages, a notice relating to the method of playing the recording.

4. It is permitted to enclose in the item, suitably protected, needle for use in playing the recording.

ARTICLE 141
GROUPED CATEGORIES

1. The combination in one item of correspondence of different categories is limited to commercial papers, printed papers and samples of merchandise, provided that each article taken by itself does not exceed the limits of weight which are applicable to it and on condition:

a) that the total weight does not exceed 2 kilogrammes per item if it consists only of commercial papers and samples; this limit is raised to 3 kilogrammes if the item also contains printed papers, but in that case the total weight of the commercial papers and samples should not exceed 2 kilogrammes;

b) that the size of the grouped categories does not exceed that for letters;

c) that the charge paid is at least the minimum charge for commercial papers if the item contains commercial papers.

2. Those provisions apply only to articles subject to the same unit charge. When an Administration establishes that articles liable to different charges have been combined in the same item, that item is charged for its total weight at the charge applicable to the category subject to the highest tariff.

SECTION II

REGISTERED ITEMS

CHAPTER I

ARTICLE 142
REGISTERED ITEMS

1. Registered items shall bear very conspicuously on the front the heading “Recommande” [Registered] or a similar indication in the language of the Country of origin.

2. Apart from the exceptions below, no special condition as to form, closing or method of address is prescribed for those items.

3. Correspondence bearing an address written in pencil or composed of initials is not admitted for registration. However, the address of items other than those which are sent in an envelope with a transparent panel may be written in copying- ink pencil.

4. Registered items shall bear at the left-hand corner of the address side a label C 4 in the form annexed showing in Roman characters the letter “R”, the name of the office of origin and the serial number of the item. Nevertheless, it is permitted to Administrations whose internal regulations at present forbid the use of labels to postpone the introduction of this arrangement and to distinguish registered items by the use of stamps “Recommandi” [Registered] or “R” by the side of which should appear the indication of the office of origin and that of the serial number. These stamps should also be impressed at the left-hand corner of the address side.

5. No serial number shall be placed on the front of registered items by the intermediate Administrations.

ARTICLE 143
ADVICE OF DELIVERY

1. Items for which the sender requests an advice of delivery shall bear very conspicuously on the front the note “Avis de reception” [Advice of delivery] or the stamp impression “A.R.”, completed by the indication “Par avion” [By air] when the sender has asked for air transmission. The sender should show his name and address in Roman characters on the outside of the item.

2. They are accompanied by a form C 5, of the consistency of a postcard and light red in colour, in the form annexed; the form is prepared by the office of origin or by any other office appointed by the despatching Administration and is securely attached to the outside of the item. If it does not reach the office of destination, that office makes out a new advice of delivery as a matter of course.

3. When the sender asks for the return of the advice of delivery by air the front of the form C 5 shall bear very conspicuously the indication “Renvoi par avion” [Return by air]; a “Par avhn”[ By air] label is also affixed to the form.

4. The weight of the advice of delivery form is not taken into account in calculating the postage charge.

5. The office of destination returns the form C 5, duly filled up, unenclosed and free of postal charges, to the address shown by the sender. The form is returned by the first air mail if the sender has paid the relative charges.

6. When the sender enquires about an advice of delivery which he has not received within a reasonable time the procedure is similar to that outlined in Article 144. The office of origin enters at the head of the form C 5 the indication “Duplicata de Vavis de reception, etc” [Duplicate of the advice of delivery, etc.}.

ARTICLE 144
ADVICE OF DELIVERY REQUESTED AFTER POSTING

1. When the sender asks for an advice of delivery after the item has been posted, the office of origin fills up a form C 5.

2. The form C 5 is attached to an enquiry form C 9 referred to in Article 155; this enquiry form, after having a postage stamp representing the charge due affixed to it, is dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the said Article 155 except that, where the item has been duly delivered, the office of destination withdraws the form C 9 and returns the form C 5 to origin in the manner pre scribed in Article 143, § 5. Where return of the advice of delivery by air has been asked for, the form C 5 should be dealt with as prescribed in Article 143, § 3.

3. The office of destination which has received a request by telegraphic means prepares an advice of delivery as a matter of course.

4. The detailed arrangements adopted by Administrations, under Article 155, for the transmission of enquiries about registered items, apply to requests for advices of delivery made after posting.

ARTICLE 145
REGISTERED ITEMS FOR DELIVERY TO THE ADDRESSEE IN PERSON

Registered items for delivery to the addressee in person shall bear very conspicuously on the front the note “A remettre en main propre” [For delivery to the addressee in person] or its equivalent in a language known in the Country of destination.

OPERATIONS ON DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL

CHAPTER I

ARTICLE 146
APPLICATION OF THE DATE-STAMP

1. Correspondence is impressed on the front by the office of origin with a stamp showing, as far as possible in Roman characters the place of origin and the date of posting. In places having several post offices, the stamp should show which is the office of posting.

2. The application of the stamp prescribed in § 1 is not obligatory for corre- spondence prepaid by means of impressions of postal franking machines if the indication of the place of origin and the date of posting appear on these impres- sions. Nor is the application of the stamp in question required for unregistered reduced rate items, provided that the place of origin is shown on these items.

3. All valid postage stamps shall be cancelled.

4. Unless Administrations have prescribed cancellation by means of a special stamp impression, postage stamps not cancelled through error or omission in the service of origin should be struck through with a thick line in ink or in indelible pencil by the office which detects the irregularity. In no case are these stamps impressed with the date-stamp.

5. Mis-sent correspondence, except for unregistered reduced rate items, shall be impressed with the date-stamp of the office which it has reached in error. This obligation rests not only with stationary offices, but also, as far as possible, with travelling post offices. The impression is to be added on the back of the items in the case of letters and on the front in the case of postcards.

6. The stamping of correspondence posted on ships rests with the postal official or the officer on board charged with the duty, or, failing those, with the post office at the port of call to which the correspondence is handed over a decou- vert. In that case, the office impresses the correspondence with its date-stamp and adds the indication “Navire”, “Paquebot” or any other similar note.

7. The office of destination of a reply-paid postcard may apply its date-stamp to the left hand side of the front of the reply half.

ARTICLE 147
EXPRESS ITEMS

Items to be delivered by express are provided, beside the indication of the place of destination, with a printed label, dark red in colour, or alternatively, with an inscription, bearing the word “Expres” [Express].

ARTICLE 148
UNPAID OR UNDERPAID ITEMS

1. Correspondence on which any charge whatever is to be collected after posting, either from the addressee or, in the case of undeliverable items, from the sender, is marked with the T stamp in the middle of the upper part of the front; the indication in francs and centimes of the amount to be collected is written in very legible figures beside this stamp.

2. The application of the T stamp and the indication of the amount to be collected is the responsibility o£ the Administration of origin or, in the case of redirection or non-delivery, of the redirecting Administration. However, in the case of items originating in Countries which apply reduced charges in the service with the redirecting Administration, the amount to be collected is marked by the Administration which effects delivery.

3. The delivering Administration marks the item with the charge to be collected.

4. Every item not bearing the T stamp is considered as duly prepaid and treated accordingly unless there is an obvious error.

5. Postage stamps and postal franking impressions not valid for prepayment of postage are not taken into account. In that case, the figure nought (0) is placed beside such postage stamps or impressions, which are to be ringed round in pencil.

ARTICLE 149
RETURN OF FRANKING NOTES. RECOVERY OF SUMS ADVANCED

1. After delivery to the addressee of an item for delivery free of charges, the office which has advanced the Customs or other charges on behalf of the sender completes, so far as it is concerned, the details appearing on the back of the frank- ing note and sends it, accompanied by the supporting vouchers, to the office of origin of the item; this transmission is effected in a closed envelope, without in- dication of the contents.

2. However, each Administration has the right to arrange for the return of franking notes on which charges have been raised by specially appointed offices and to request that the notes be forwarded to a specified office.

3. The name of the office to which the notes are to be sent back is entered in every case on the front o£ the franking note by the office despatching the item.

4. When an item bearing the indication “Franc de droits” [Free of charges] reaches the service of destination without a franking note, the office responsible for Customs clearance prepares a duplicate note on which it shows the name of the Country of origin and, as nearly as possible, the date of posting of the item.

5. When the franking note is lost after delivery of an item, a duplicate is prepared under the same conditions.

6. Franking notes relating to items which for any reason are returned to origin should be cancelled through the good offices of the Administration of destination.

7. On receipt of a franking note showing the charges paid out by the service of destination, the Administration of origin converts the amount of those charges into its own currency at a rate which should not be higher than the rate fixed for the issue of postal money orders on the Country concerned. The result of the conversion is shown in the body of the form and on the coupon at the side. After recovering the amount of the charges, the office of origin hands over to the sender the coupon from the note and any supporting vouchers.

ARTICLE 150
REDIRECTED ITEMS

1. Correspondence addressed to addressees who have changed their address is considered as addressed directly from the place of origin to the place of the new destination.

2. Items unpaid or underpaid for their first transmission are subject to the charge which would have been applied to them if they had been addressed directly from the point of origin to the place of the new destination.

3. Items properly prepaid for their first transmission, but on which the com- plement of the charge appropriate to the further transmission has not been paid before their redirection, are subject to a charge equal to the difference between the amount of the postage already paid and that which would have been charged if the items had been despatched originally to their new destination.

4. Items originally for an address within a Country and duly prepaid accord- ing to the internal regulations are considered as items properly prepaid for their first transmission.

5. Items having originally circulated free of postage within a Country are subject to the charge which would have been payable if they had been addressed directly from the place of origin to the place of the new destination.

6. At the time of redirection, the redirecting office applies its date-stamp to the front of items in the form of cards and on the back of all other categories of correspondence,

7. Correspondence, unregistered or registered, which is returned to the send- ers for completion or correction of the address is not considered as redirected cor- respondence at the time of reposting; it is treated as new correspondence and consequently becomes liable to a new charge.

8. The Customs duty and other non-postal fees, of which it has not been possible to secure cancellation on redirection or on return to origin (Article 152), are collected, as trade charges, from the Administration of the new destination. In that case, the Administration o£ the original destination attaches to the item an explanatory note and a trade charge money order form R 3 of the Agreement concerning Cash on Delivery items). If there is no cash on delivery service be- tween the Administrations concerned, the fees in question are recovered by cor- respondence.

9. If the attempt to deliver an express item at the place of address by a special messenger has failed, the redirecting office should strike through the label or the indication “Expres” [Express] by two thick horizontal lines.

ARTICLE 151
REDIRECTION ENVELOPES AND COLLECTIVE ENVELOPES

1. Unregistered correspondence to be redirected to the same person at a new address may be enclosed in the special envelopes C 6 in the form annexed supplied by Administrations and on which only the name and the new address of the addressee are to be written.

2. Neither items to be submitted to Customs control nor articles of which the shape, volume and weight might cause tears must be enclosed in these enve- lopes; the total weight of an envelope and its contents should in no case exceed 500 grammes.

3. The envelope shall be presented open at the redirecting office to enable that office to collect, if necessary, the complementary charges to which the items it contains may be subject or to mark on the items the charge to be collected on arrival when the complementary charge has not been paid. After check, the redirecting office closes the envelope and applies to it, where necessary, the T stamp with the indication in francs and centimes of the total amount of the charges to be collected.

4. On arrival at destination, the envelope may be opened and its contents checked by the delivering office which collects, where necessary, the unpaid complementary charges.

5. Unregistered correspondence addressed either to sailors and passengers aboard the same ship, or to persons travelling as a party, may also be treated according to the provisions of §§ 1 to 4. In that case, the collective envelopes should bear the address of the ship or of the shipping or travel agency, etc., to which they are to be delivered.

ARTICLE 152
UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS

1. Before returning to the Administration of origin correspondence which for any reason has not been delivered, the office of destination should show clear ly and concisely, in French and as far as possible on the front of these items the reason for non-delivery, in the following form: — “inconnu” [not known], “re fuse [refused], “ew voyage” [travelling], “parti” [gone away], “non reclame” [not claimed], “decide” [deceased], etc. As regards postcards and printed papers in the form of cards the reason for non-delivery is shown on the right-hand half of the front.

2. This indication is made by the application of a stamp or by affixing a label. Each Administration has the option of adding the translation, in its own language, of the reason for non-delivery and other appropriate particulars. In the service with Administrations which have so agreed, the indications may be made in a single agreed language. Manuscript notes regarding the non-delivery made by the officials or by the post offices may be regarded as sufficient in that case.

3. The office of destination should strike out the particulars of the place with which it is concerned and enter the indication “Retour” [Return] on the front of the item beside the indication of the office of origin. It should also apply its dare-stamp on the back of letters and on the front of postcards.

4. Undeliverable correspondence is returned either individually or in a special bundle labelled “Rebuts”. Every Administration may request, through the inter mediary of the International Bureau, that undeliverable correspondence be for warded to an office which it appoints specially.

5. Undeliverable registered correspondence is returned to the office of ex change of the Country of origin as if it were registered correspondence addressed to the Country.

6. Undeliverable internal correspondence which has to be sent abroad to be returned to the sender is dealt with in accordance with the provisions of Article 150. The same applies to international correspondence when the sender has re moved to another Country.

7. Correspondence for sailors and other persons addressed care of a consul and returned by him to the post office as unclaimed are to be treated as undeliver- able items. The amount of the charges collected on such correspondence should be refunded.

1. Requests for withdrawal of correspondence from the post or for alteration of address entail the filling up by the sender of a form C 7 in the form annexed; a single form may be used for several items posted at the same time at the same office by the same sender to the address of the same addressee. In handing in this request at the post office the sender shall prove his identity and produce the certificate of posting, if any. After the proof of identity, for which the Adminis- tration of the Country of origin assumes responsibility, the procedure is as follows:

a) if the request is to be forwarded by postal means, the form accompanied by a perfect fascimile of the envelope or of the address of the item is sent as a registered item direct to the office of destination;

b) if the request is to be made by telegraphic means, the form is handed over to the telegraph service which is instructed to transmit its terms to the post office of destination.

2. On receipt of form C 7 or of the telegram sent instead, the office of destination searches for the correspondence in question and takes the necessary action.

3. If the search is fruitless, if the item has already been delivered to the addressee or if the request by telegraphic means is not sufficiently explicit to permit of the item being identified with certainty, the fact is at once communicated to the office of origin, which informs the applicant accordingly. The same applies when Customs intervention discloses an irregularity.

4. Any Administration may request by a notification addressed to the Inter national Bureau that so far as it is concerned requests should be exchanged through its central Administration or through a specially appointed office; the said notifi- cation should include the name of this office.

5. If requests are exchanged through the central Administrations, requests sent directly by the offices or origin to the offices of destination should be acted on to the extent that the correspondence in question is withheld from delivery until the arrival of the request from the central Administration.

6. Administrations which exercise the option allowed by § 4 assume the burden of the charges which may result from the transmission in their internal service by postal or telegraphic means of the communications to be exchanged with the office of destination. Recourse to telegraphic means is obligatory when the sender has himself used this means and the office of destination cannot be advised in good time by postal means.

ARTICLE 154
ENQUIRIES. UNREGISTERED ITEMS

1. Every enquiry about an unregistered item involves the preparation of a form C 8 in the form annexed which should be accompanied, as far as possible, by a facsimile of the envelope or of the address of the item. When return by air is requested the front of the form C 8 shall bear very conspicuously the in dication “A renvoyer par avion” [Return by air]. A “Par avion” [By air] label is also affixed to the form.

2. The office which receives the enquiry forwards the form direct, without a covering letter and in a close envelope, to the corresponding office. The latter, after obtaining the necessary information from the addressee or the sender, as the case may be, returns the form in the same way to the office which prepared it. If return by air has been requested the form is returned by the first air mail.

3. If the enquiry is acknowledged to be justified this last-mentioned office forwards the form to its central Administration for further investigation.

4. A single form may be used for several items posted at the same time at the same office by the same sender to the address of the same addressee.

5. Any Administration may request by a notification addressed to the Inter national Bureau that enquiries which concern its service should be forwarded to its central Administration or to an office specially appointed.

6. The form C 8 is to be returned to the Administration of origin of the item under enquiry in accordance with the conditions prescribed in Article 155, § 8.

ARTICLE 155
ENQUIRIES. REGISTERED ITEMS

1. Every enquiry about a registered item is made on a form C 9 in the form annexed which should be accompanied as far as possible by a facsimile of the envelope or of the address of the item. When return by air is requested the front of the form C 9 shall bear very conspicuously the indication “A renvoyer par avion” [Return by air], A “Par avion” [By air] label is also affixed to the form.

2. If the enquiry concerns a cash on delivery item, it should also be accom- panied by a duplicate money order form R 3 of the Agreement concerning Cash on Delivery items or by a deposit note, as the case may be.

3. A single form may be used for several items posted at the same time at the same office by the same sender and sent by the same means to the address of the same addressee.

4. As a general rule the enquiry is sent direct by the office of origin to the office of destination; this transmission is effected without a covering letter and in a closed envelope. If the office of destination is able to furnish the information as to the final fate of the item, it completes the form in table 2 and returns it to the office of origin.

5. When the fate of the item cannot be established by the office of destina- tion it records the fact on the form in table 2B and returns it to the office of origin, if appropriate by air, enclosing, as far as possible, a declaration by the addressee stating that he has not received the hem. In that case, the Administra- tion of origin completes the form by showing optionally in table 3A details of the circulation of the item in its internal services and in table 3B details of the trans mission to the first intermediate Administration. It then sends the form to this last-mentioned Administration which records its observations in table 4 and for wards the form, if necessary, to the next Administration. The enquiry thus passes from one Administration to the other until the fate of the item under enquiry is established. The Administration which has effected delivery to the addressee or which as the case may be is unable to establish either delivery or regular transmission to another Administration records the fact on the form in table 2A or 5 and returns it to the Administration of origin.

6. If, however, the Administration of origin or the Administration of desti- nation so requests, the enquiry is forwarded at the outset from office to office, following the same circulation as the item. In that case, the search from the Administration of origin to the Administration of destination proceeds in accord- ance with the procedure set out in § 5.

7. Any Administration may request by a notification addressed to the Inter national Bureau that enquiries which concern its service should be forwarded to its central Administration or to an office specially appointed.

8. The form C 9 and the documents annexed to it are in every case to be returned to the Administration of origin of the item under enquiry as soon as possible and at the latest within six months from the date of the enquiry.

9. The foregoing provisions do not apply to cases of theft from a mail, loss of mail or to other similar cases, which necessitate a more detailed correspondence between Administrations.

ARTICLE 156
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION

Requests for information about unregistered or registered items are dealt with in accordance with the rules laid down in Articles 154 and 155 respectively.

ARTICLE 157
ENQUIRIES AND REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING ITEMS POSTED IN ANOTHER COUNTRY

1. In the cases provided for in Article 66, § 3 of the Convention, forms C 8 and C 9 concerning enquiries or requests for information are forwarded to the Administration of origin. Form C 9 should be accompanied by the certificate of posting.

2. The Administration of origin should be placed in possession o£ the form within the periods prescribed in Article 66 of the Convention.

SECTION IV

EXCHANGE OF ITEMS. MAILS

CHAPTER I

ARTICLE 158
LETTER BILLS

1. A letter bill C 12 in the form annexed accompanies each mail. It is placed in a blue envelope bearing in bold letters the indication “Feuille d’avis” [Letter bill].

2. The despatching office fills up the letter bill with all the details for which the layout of the form provides having regard to the following provisions:

a) Table I: the presence of unregistered express or air items is shown by a stroke underlining the corresponding indication;

b) Table II: in the absence of other arrangements, despatching offices do not number the letter bills when mails are made up once every day. In every other case they number them according to an annual series for each office of destination. Each mail should in that event bear a separate number, even if it is a supplementary mail sent by the same means or the same ship as the normal mail. In the case of the first outlet of each year the bill should bear, in addition to the serial number of the mail, that of the last mail of the preceding year. The name of the ship carrying the mail is shown when the despatching office knows it;

c) Table III: one or more special lists C 13 in the form annexed may be used, either in place of table V or as a supplement to the letter bill. The use of special lists is obligatory if the Administration of destination so requests. The lists in question should show the same serial number as that shown on the letter bill of the corresponding mail. When several special lists are used they should also be numbered in their own series for each mail. The number of registered items which can be entered on a single special list is restricted to the number for which the layout of the form provides;

d) Table IV: where necessary the number of empty bags belonging to an Administration other than that to which the mail is addressed should be shown separately with a reference to that Administration. Unclosed official letters and the various communications or recommendations from the despatching office relating to the service are also mentioned in table IV;

e) Table V: this table is intended for the entry of registered items when special lists are not used exclusively. If the Administrations concerned have agreed to the bulk advice of registered items on the letter bills the total number of these items is to be shown in figures and in words. When the mall does not contain registered items the indication “Neant” [Nil] is entered in table V.

3. Administrations may arrange with each other to include other tables or headings in the letter bill when they consider it necessary. They may, in particu- lar, modify tables V and VI to suit their needs.

4. When an office of exchange has nothing to pass forward to a corresponding office and when, in the service between the Administrations concerned, the letter bills are not numbered in accordance with § 2 b) that office merely sends a “Nil” letter bill in the next mail.

5. When closed mails are to be forwarded by means of ships which the inter mediate Administration maintaining them does not use regularly for its own traffic, the weight of the letters and other items shall be shown with the address of the mails if the Administration responsible for arranging the embarkation so requests.

ARTICLE 159
TRANSMISSION OF REGISTERED ITEMS

1. Registered items and, if need be, the special list provided for in Article 158, § 2 are made up in one or more separate packets or bags which shall be suitably wrapped or closed and sealed with-or without lead so as to protect the contents. The seals may also be made of light metals or of plastic material. The registered items are arranged in each packet according to their order of entry. When one or more special lists are used each of them is tied up with the registered items to which it refers and placed after the first Item in the bundle. When several bags are used each of them shall contain a special list detaining the items which it contains.

2. Subject to agreement between the Administrations concerned and when their volume permits the registered items may be enclosed in the special envelope containing the letter bill. This envelope shall be sealed.

3. In no case may registered items be included in the same bundle as unregis- tered items.

4. Subject to agreement between Administrations registered items other than letters arid postcards sent in separate bags may be accompanied by special lists on which they are advised in bulk.

5. As far as possible a single bag should not contain more than 600 registered items.

6. The special envelope containing the letter bill is attached to the outside of the packet of registered items by string tied crosswise; when the registered items are enclosed in a bag the said envelope is fixed to the neck of this bag.

7. If there is more than one packet or bag of registered items each of the additional packets or bags is labelled to show the nature of the contents.

ARTICLE 160
TRANSMISSION OF EXPRESS ITEMS

1. Unregistered express items are made up in a special bundle provided with a label bearing in bold letters the indication “Expres” [Express] and enclosed by the offices of exchange in the envelope containing the letter bill which accompa- nies the mail.

2. If, however, this envelope has to be fixed to the neck of the bag of regis- tered items (Article 159, § 6) ihe bundle of express items is placed in the outer bag. The presence of correspondence of the kind in the mail is then shown by a slip placed in the envelope containing the letter bill. The same procedure is followed when the express items cannot be associated with the letter bill because of their number, shape or size.

3. Registered express items are arranged in their order among the other registered items and the indication “Expres” [Express] is entered against the respective entries in the “Observations” column of table V of the letter bill or the special lists. In the case of bulk advice, the presence of registered items for delivery by express is shown simply by the indication “Expres” [Express] in table V of the letter bill.

ARTICLE 161
MAKE-UP MAILS

1. As a general rule items are arranged and bundled according to the nature of the correspondence, letters and postcards being included in the same bundle and newspapers and periodicals being made up in bundles separate from ordinary printed papers. The bundles are distinguished by labels showing the indication of the office of destination or of the reforwarding office of the items enclosed in the bundles. Correspondence which can be bundled shall be arranged with the addresses facing the same way. Prepaid items are separated from those which are unpaid or underpaid and the labels of bundles of unpaid or underpaid items are impressed with the T stamp.

2. Letters bearing traces of opening, dilapidation or damage shall be noted to this effect and be marked with the date-stamp of the office which has discovered the fact.

3. Postal money orders sent unenclosed are made up in a separate bundle which should be put in a packet or bag containing registered items or, if these is one, in the packet or bag with insured items. If the mail contains neither Regis- tered nor insured items, the money orders are placed in the envelope containing the letter bill or are bundled with the latter.

4. Mails are contained in bags the number of which shall be kept to the strict minimum. The bags are suitably closed, sealed with or without lead and labelled. “When string is used it should be passed twice round the neck of the bag before being tied in such a way that one of the two ends is drawn under the loops. The impressions of the seals, lead or otherwise, shall reproduce, in very legible Roman letters, the name of the office of origin or an indication sufficient to permit of that office being identified. (See the illustration appearing at the end of the forms annexed to the Detailed Regulations.)

5. The labels of the mails should be of cloth, strong cardboard, parchment or of paper gummed to a wood block. In the service between neighbouring offices, strong paper labels may be used; these labels shall, however, be sufficiently stout to withstand the various handling processes suffered by the mails in course of transmission. Labels are made in the following colours:

a) in vermilion red, for bags containing registered items;
b) in white, for bags containing only unregistered letters and postcards;
c) in light blue, for bags containing exclusively unregistered other items;
d) in green, for bags containing only empty bags returned to origin.

6. Bags containing mixed unregistered correspondence (letters, postcards and other items) shall be furnished with a white label.

7. The use of vermilion red, white and light blue labels is obligatory; green labels, however, are used only if the Administration of destination so requires.

8. A white label may also be used in conjunction with a tab 5 centimetres by 3 in one of the colours mentioned in § 5.

9. The labels bear the indication of the name of the despatching office printed in small Roman characters and of the name of the office of destination in large Roman characters, preceded respectively by the word “de” [from] and “pour” [for]. In exchanges between distant Countries not made by direct sea services, those particulars are completed by the indication of the date of despatch, the number of the mail and, where appropriate, the port of disembarkation if the Administration concerned so requests.

10. The bags shall show legibly in Roman characters the office or Country of origin and bear the indication “Posies” [Posts] or any other similar expression distinguishing them as postal despatches.

11. Intermediate offices shall not enter any serial number on the labels of bags or packets of closed mails in transit.

12. In the absence of other arrangements small mails or “Nil” mails are simply wrapped in strong paper so as to prevent any damage to the contents, then tied with string and sealed with or without lead. In the case of lead seal- ing those mails should be made up so that the string cannot be detached. When they contain only unregistered correspondence they may be closed by means of gummed seals bearing the printed indication of the depatching office or Administration. The addresses of the packets should conform, as regards the printed indications and the colours, to the provisions prescribed in §§ 4 to 11 for the labels of bags of correspondence.

13. When the number or volume of the items necessitates the use of more than one bag, separate bags should, as far as possible, be used:

a) for letters and postcards;
b) for other items; in addition, should the occasion arise, separate bags should be used for small packets; the labels on those last-mentioned bags bear the indication “Petits paquets”.

14. The packet or bag of registered items attached to the letter bill in the manner prescribed in Article 159, § 6 is placed in one of the bags of letters or in a special bag; the outer bag shall in every case bear a red label. When there Is more than one bag of registered items the additional bags may be sent unenclosed bearing the red label.

15. The label of the bag or packet containing the letter bill, even if it is a “Nil” bill, always bears the letter “F” and may show an indication of the num ber of bags comprising the mail.

16. In accordance with the provisions of § 5 a red label shall be used only if the bag contains registered items.

17. The weight of each bag shall in no circumstances exceed 30 kilogrammes.

18. As far as possible, offices of exchange include in their own mails for a particular office all the small mails (packets or bags) which reach them for that office.

19. If the Administration o£ destination does not object every packet of printed papers for the same addressee at the same address may be enclosed in one or more special bags. In that case, information concerning the addressee of the items shall be shown on the label in addition to the prescribed indications. When registered items are concerned, they are entered on a special list C 13 and separated from the other items included in the mail.

ARTICLE 162
TRANSFER OF MAILS

1. In the absence of other arrangements between the Administrations con cerned, the transfer of mails between two corresponding offices is carried out by means of a delivery bill C 18 in the form annexed. Three copies of the bill are prepared:

—the first, duly signed by the carrier, is retained at the office of despatch;
—the second is handed to the carrier who retains it after obtaining discharge from the service which takes delivery of the mails;
—the third accompanies the mails.

2. Only the bags and packets distinguished by red labels should be com- pletely examined as to their sealing and make-up at the time of delivery. The examination of other bags and packets is optional and they are always trans- ferred in bulk.

3. The mails should be delivered in good condition. Nevertheless, a mail must not be refused because of damage. When a mail is received in bad condi- tion by an intermediate office, it should be put as it is in new packing. The office which repacks it should copy the particulars from the original label to the new one and apply to the latter an impression of its date-stamp, preceded by the endorsement “Kemballe a _ _ _ _ ” [Repacked at _ _ _ _].

ARTICLE 163
CHECK OF MARLS

1. When an intermediate office has to repack a mail it checks the contents if it has reason to believe that these have not remained intact. It makes out a verification note C 14 in the form annexed, in accordance with the provisions of §§ 4 to 6. This note is sent to the office of exchange from which the mail has been received; a copy of it is addressed to the office of origin and another is enclosed in the repacked mail.

2. The office of destination checks whether the mail is complete and whether the entries on the letter bill and, if need be, on the special lists of registered items are correct. In the event of loss of a mail or of one or more bags thereof, of registered items, of a letter bill, of a special list of registered items or when there is any other necessary corrections on the bills or lists, taking care, where necessary, to cross out the incorrect entries in such a way as to leave the original entries legible. Unless there is an obvious error the corrections are accepted in preference to the original statement.

3. When an office receives letter bills or special lists which are not intended for it, It sends them or, if its internal regulations so require, certified true copies to the office of destination.

4. The facts confirmed are notified, by means of a verification note, to the office of origin of the mail and, in case of actual loss, to the last intermediate office by the first available mail after the complete check of the mail. The details on the note must specify as precisely as possible the bag, packet or item concerned.

5. A duplicate of the verification note is sent, under the same conditions as the original, to the Administration to which the office of origin of the mail belongs when that Administration so requires. In the case of important irregularities which give grounds for presuming loss or theft, the envelope or bag, as well as the string and the lead or other seal closing the packet or bag of registered items, is sent with the verification note to the office of origin unless this is impossible for a stated reason. The same applies to the outer envelope or bag, with its string, jubel and lead or seal. In relations with Administrations which require the sending of a duplicate, the above-mentioned supporting evidence is sent with the duplicate.

6. In the cases provided for in §§ I to 3, the office of origin and, where ap- propriate, the last intermediate office of exchange may, in addition, be advised by telegram at the expense of the Administration which sends it. A telegraphic advice should be sent whenever the mail shows obvious traces of having been tampered with, in order that the despatching or intermediate office may proceed with the investigation of the matter without delay and, where necessary, advise the preceding Administration also by telegram for the continuation of the enquiry.

7. When the absence of a mail is the result of failure of a mail connection or when it is duly explained on the waybill, the preparation of a verification note is necessary only if the mail does not reach the office of destination by the next opportunity.

8. The sending of the duplicate prescribed in § 5 may be deferred if there is reason to believe that the absence of the mail is due to delay or missending.

9. As soon as a mail which had been reported as missing to the office of origin and, where appropriate, to the last intermediate office comes to hand, a second verification note announcing the receipt of the mail is sent to these offices by the first mail.

10.The offices to which the verification notes are sent return them as promptly as possible, after having examined them and indicated thereon their co- servations, if any. If the notes are not returned to the Administration of origin within a period of two months from the date o£ their despatch, they are considered, until proof to the contrary, as duly accepted by the offices to which they were sent. This period is extended to four months in the service with distant Countries.

11. When a receiving office responsible for checking a mail has not sent a note reporting irregularities o£ any kind to the office of origin and, where appro- priate, to the last intermediate office of exchange by the first available mail after the check, it is considered, until proof to the contrary, as having received the mail and its contents. The same assumption is made in respect o£ irregularities to which no reference has been made or which have been incompletely reported in the verification note; the same applies when the provisions of the present Article regarding the formalities to be fulfilled have not been observed.

12. Verification notes, their duplicates and any associated evidence are for warded as registered items.

ARTICLE 164
ROUTEING OF MAILS

To determine the most favourable route, the office of origin may send to the office of destination of the mail a trial note C 27 in the form annexed. This note should be included in the mail, attached to the letter bill; it should be returned, duly completed, to the office of origin by the first mail.

ARTICLE 165
EXCHANGE IN CLOSED MAILS

1. The exchange of correspondence in closed mails is regulated by common consent between the Administrations concerned.

2. It is obligatory to make up closed mails whenever one of the intermediate Administrations so asks on the ground that the amount of a decouvert correspon- dence is such as to hinder its work.

3. Administrations through the intermediary of which closed mails are to be forwarded should be given suitable note.

4. In the event of a change in a service for the exchange of closed mails estab- lished between two Administrations through the intermediary of one or more third party Countries, the Administration of origin of the mail notifies the Ad ministrations of those Countries of the fact.

5. If it is a question of an alteration in the routeing of mails, the new route to be followed should be notified to the Administrations which previously provided the transit, while the old route is notified, for information, to the Administrations which will provide the transit in the future.

ARTICLE 166
TRANSIT IN DOSED MAILS AND TRANSIT A DECOUVERt

1. Administrations may exchange, through the intermediary of one or more of their number, both closed mails and a decouvert correspondence according to the needs of the traffic and the requirements of the service.

2. The transmission of a decouvert correspondence to an intermediate Ad ministration should be limited strictly to cases where the making up of closed mails, either for the Country of destination itself or for a Country nearer to it, is not justified.

ARTICLE 167
ROUTEING OF CORRESPONDENCE

1. Each Administration is obliged to forward by the most rapid routes that it uses for its own items closed mail and a decouvert correspondence which are passed forward to it by another Administration.

2. When a mail consists of several bags, these should as far as possible re main together and be forwarded at the same time.

3. Mis-sent correspondence of every kind is sent on to its destination without delay by the quickest route.

4. The Administration of the Country of origin is at liberty to prescribe the route to be followed by the closed mails which it despatches, provided that the use of that route does not entail special costs for an intermediate Administration.

ARTICLE 168
MAILS EXCHANGED WITH SHIPS OF WAR

1. Intermediate Administrations should be informed, as far as possible in advance, of the establishment of an exchange in closed mails between a postal Administration and naval divisions or ships of war of the same nationality, or between one naval division or ship of war and another naval division or another ship of war of the same nationality.

2. The address of these mails is worded as follows:
From the office of…………. For the (nationality) naval division of (designation of the division) at, the (nationality) ship (name of the ship) at……….J
or
From the (nationality) naval division of (designation of the division) at]
From the (nationality) ship (name of ship) at
For the office of ………………………..(Country)

From the (nationality) naval division o£ (designation of the division) at
From the (nationality) ship (name of ship) at .)
For (the (nationality) naval division of (designation of the division) at
the (nationality) ship (name of the ship) at ………….(Country)

3. Unless a special route is indicated on the address, mails addressed to or coming from naval divisions or ships of war are forwarded by the most rapid means and under the same conditions as mails exchanged between post offices.

4. The captain of a mail-ship conveying mails for a naval division or a ship of war holds them at the disposal of the commanding officer of the naval division or ship of address, should the latter ask him for delivery en route.

5. If the ships are not at the place of destination when the mails addressed to them arrive there, the mails ire kept at the post office until they are collected by the addressee or redirected to another point. Redirection may be requested either by the postal Administration of origin, by the commanding officer of the naval division or ship of address, or, finally, by a Consul of the same nationality.

6. Those mails which are marked “Aux soins du Consul d……….” [Care of the Consul at………..] are delivered at the Consulate indicated. At the request of the Consul they may afterwards be received back into the postal service and redirected to the place of origin or to another address.

7. Mails addressed to a ship of war are regarded as being in transit up to the time of their delivery to the commanding officer of that ship, even when they have been originally addressed to the care of a post office or to a Consul charged to act as forwarding agent; they are not, therefore, regarded as having reached their address until they have been delivered to the ship of war concerned.

ARTICLE 169
RETURN OF EMPTY BAGS

1. In the absence of other arrangements between corresponding Adminis- trations, bags are to be returned empty by the next outlet in a mail for the Coun- try to which they belong. The number of bags returned direct by each mail should be entered on the letter bill under the heading “Indications de service” [Official notes].

2. The return is carried out between offices of exchange appointed for the purpose. The Administrations concerned may agree among themselves as to the procedure for the return. In long distance services, they should as a general rule appoint only one office responsible for receiving empty bags which are returned to them.

3. The empty bags should be rolled into suitable bundles; where appropriate the label blocks, labels of cloth, parchment or other stout material should be placed inside the bags. The bundles should bear a label showing the name of the office of exchange from which the bags have been received whenever they are returned through the intermediary of another office of exchange.

4. If the empty bags to be returned are not too numerous, they may be placed in the bags containing correspondence; otherwise, they should be placed by them selves in sealed bags, labelled with the name of the offices of exchange. The labels should bear the indication “Sacs vides” [Empty bags].

5. If the control exercised by an Administration establishes that bags belong- ing to it have not been returned to its service within a period greater than that required for their transmission (going and coming), it has a right to claim reim- bursement of the value of these bags as provided for in § 6. The Administration in question can only refuse this reimbursement if it is in a position to prove the return of the missing bags.

6. Each Administration fixes, periodically and uniformly for every kind of bag used by its offices of exchange an average value in francs and communicates it to the Administrations concerned through the intermediary of the International Bureau.

SECTION V

PROVISIONS CONCERNING TRANSIT CHARGES

CHAPTER I

STATISTICAL OPERATIONS

ARTICLE 170
INCIDENCE AND DURATION OF THE STATISTICS

1. The transit charges provided for under Articles 78 et seq. of the Convention are established on the basis of statistics taken once every three years and alternately during the first fourteen or twenty-eight days of the month of May or during the first fourteen or twenty-eight days following the 14th of October.

2. The statistics are taken in the second year of each triennial period.

3. Mails made up on board ships are included in the statistics if they are landed during the statistical period.

4. Transit charges for air mails conveyed over a sector of their journey by surface means are calculated in accordance with the provisions of Article 18 of the Air-Mail Correspondence regulations.

5. The statistics of October-November 1952 apply, on the basis of the provisions of the Convention of Paris, 1947, to the years 1951, 1952 and 1953; those of May 1955 apply to the years 1954, 1955 and 1956.

6. The annual payments of transit charges to be made on the basis of a set of statistics shall be continued provisionally until the accounts prepared in accord ance with the next statistics are approved or regarded as fully accepted (Article 179). The provisional payments are then adjusted.

ARTICLE 171
MAKE-UP AND DESIGNATION OF CLOSED MAILS DURING THE STATISTICAL PERIOD

1. The number of bags used for making up a mail shall be reduced to the strict minimum.

2. During the statistical period every mail exchanged in transit shall be provided, in addition to the ordinary labels, with a special label bearing the indi- cation “Statistique” in large type followed by the note “5 kilogrammes”, “15 kilo grammes” or “30 kilogrammes”, according to the weight category (see Article 172, § 1)

3. As regards bags containing only empty bags or correspondence exempted from all transit charges (Article 79 of the Convention), the indication “Statistique” is followed by the word “Exempt”.

4. When bags comprising the mail are made up into a sac collecteur the latter shall be provided with the special “Statistique” label to which the indication “S.C.” is added. The particulars concerning the statistics shown on the bags inside are not repeated on the sac collecteur.

5. The letter bill of the last mail despatched during the statistical period should be endorsed “Dernier envoi de la periode de statistique” [Last despatch of the statistical period]. When the despatching office, as a result particularly of the uncertainty of connections, has been unable to make this endorsement, it advises the office of destination as soon as possible, by air, of the date and serial number of the last mail included in the statistics.

ARTICLE 172
ESTABLISHING OF NUMBER OF BAGS AND WEIGHT OF CLOSED MAILS

1. As regards mails which involve the payment of transit charges, the despatching office of exchange uses a special letter bill C 15 in the form annexed. It enters on this letter bill the number of bags, dividing them as appropriate into the following categories:

Number of bags of which the gross weight
does not exceed 5 kgs. {light bags) 1	exceeds 5 kgs. without exceeding 15 kgs. (medium bags) 2	exceeds 15 kgs. without exceeding 30 kgs. (heavy bags) 3
Number of bags exempted from transit charges : ………………………………….

2. Number of bags exempted from transit charges : The number of bags exempted from transit charges should be the total of those bearing the indication ” Statistique-Exempt” in accordance with the pro visions of Article 171, § 3.

3. The entries on the letter bills are checked by the office of exchange of destination. If that office finds an error in the numbers entered, it corrects the bill and immediately notifies the mistake to the despatching office of exchange by means of a verification note C 16 in the form annexed. However, as regards the weight of a bag, the entry of the despatching office of exchange holds good unless the actual weight exceeds by more than 250 grammes the maximum weight of the category in which the bag has been entered.

ARTICLE 173
PREPARATION OF STATEMENTS OF CLOSED MAILS

1. As soon as possible after the receipt of the last mail made up during the statistical period the offices of destination prepare statements C 17 in the form annexed, with a copy for each Administration concerned, including that of the place of departure, and sends these statements, which should show the fullest possible details of the route followed and the services used, to the offices of ex change of the despatching Administration to be noted with their acceptance. The air route is used when it offers an advantage. After accepting the statements, the office of exchange forward them to their central Administration which distributes them to the Administrations concerned.

2. If within three months (four months in the service with distant Countries) from the date of despatch of the last mail to be included in the statistics the offices of exchange of the despatching Administration have not received the number of statements indicated in § 1, these offices themselves prepare the said statements on the basis of their own information, endorsing each: “Les releves C 17 du bureau destinataire ne so fit pas parvenus dam le delai reglementaire” [The statements C 17 not received from the office of destination within the prescribed period]. They then forward the statements to their central Administration which distributes them to the Administrations concerned.

3. If within six months from the expiry of the statistical period the despatching Administration has not distributed the statements C 17 to the Administrations of the intermediate Countries, the latter prepare them as a matter of course on the basis of their own information. These documents, endorsed “fctabli. d’office” [Prepared as a matter of course], are to be attached to the account C 20 sent to the despatching Administration in accordance with the provisions of Article 179, § 6.

ARTICLE 174
CLOSED MAILS EXCHANGED WITH SHIPS OF WAR

1. It is the responsibility of the Administrations of Countries to which ships of war belong to prepare the statements C 17 in respect of the mails sent or re ceived by those ships. Mails despatched to ships of war during the statistical period shall bear the date of despatch on the labels.

2, If these mails are redirected the redirecting Administration notifies the fact to the Administration of the Country to which the ship belongs.

ARTICLE 175
TRANSIT BULLETIN

1. When the route to be followed and the conveyance services to be used for the mails despatched during the statistical period are unknown or uncertain, the Administration of origin shall, at the request of the Administration of destination, prepare for each mail a bulletin C 19, green in colour, in the form annexed. The Administration of origin may also send this bulletin without a formal request from the Administration of destination if circumstances seem to require it.

2. The letter bills of the mails involving the preparation of the said bulletin are to be clearly marked at the head “Bulletin de transit” [Transit bulletin]. The same note underlined in red pencil is made on the special “Statistique” labels re ferred to in Article 171, § 2.

3. The transit bulletin is to be forwarded unenclosed with the mails to which it refers to the different services participating in the conveyance of these mails. In each Country concerned, the inward and outward offices of exchanged, to the exclusion of every other (intermediate) office, enter on the bulletin particulars of the transit performed by them. The last intermediate office of exchange forwards the bulletin C 19 to the office of destination which records on it the exact date of arrival of the mail. The bulletin C 19 is returned at once, by air if this would be advantageous, to the office of origin in support of the statement C 17.

4. The presence of a transit bulletin shall be- advised in the “Observations” column of the delivery bill C 18 by the initials “B.T.” When a transit bulletin advised on the delivery bill or at the head of the letter bill as having been despatched is missing, the intermediate office of exchange or the office of exchange of destination is required to make immediate enquiries about it.

ARTICLE 176
DEROGATION OF ARTICLES 172, 173 AND 175

1. Each Country has the option of notifying other Countries, through the intermediary of the International Bureau, that verification notes C 16, statements C 17 and transit bulletins C 19 are to be sent to its central Administration.

2. In that case the latter takes the place of the offices of exchange for the preparation of the statements C 17 in accordance with the provisions of Article 173, § 2.

ARTICLE 177
REVISION OF TRANSIT CHARGES’ ACCOUNTS

1. In the absence of agreement between the Administrations concerned, each of them may ask for a revision of transit charges’ accounts and, where necessary, for the taking of special statistics in the following cases:

a) use of air instead of surface means for the conveyance of mails;

b) an important change in the surface routeing of mails from one Country for one or more other Countries;

c) establishing by an intermediate Administration that the total weight or mails in transit has increased by at least 100% or decreased by at least 50% compared with the results of the last statistics;

d) establishing by an intermediate Administration during the six months following the statistical period that there exists between the despatches made by an Administration during the statistical period and the normal traffic a difference of 20% at least in the total weight of mails des patched in transit.

2. The results of special transit statistics taken on the basis of the provisions of § 1 are only taken into consideration if they affect by more than 5000 francs per annum the accounts between the Administration of origin and the Admin- istration concerned.

3. If the modification exceeds this sum it shall be taken into account in the general accounts of the Administration of origin with the Administrations which performed the transit before, and the Administrations which provided it after, the change, even when for certain Administrations the reduction in the accounts does not reach the fixed minimum.

ARTICLE 178
EXTRAORDINARY SERVICES

The only services considered as extraordinary services giving rise to the collection of special transit charges are the motor services Syria-Iraq.

CHAPTER II

ACCOUNTING. SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS

ARTICLE 179
TRANSIT CHARGES’ ACCOUNTS

1. For the preparation of transit accounts, the light, medium or heavy bags, as defined in Article 172, are reckoned as having average weights of 2, 10 or 22 kilogrammes respectively.

2. The total amounts of the credits for closed mails are multiplied by 26 or 13 as the case may be and the product serves as the basis for the detailed accounts determining in francs the annual sums due to each Administration.

3. In cases where the multiplier 26 or 13 does not correspond to the normal traffic the Administrations concerned agree to the adoption of another multiplier which holds good during the years to which the statistics apply. However, a new multiplier may only be adopted if the established difference between the traffic as revealed by the statistics and the actual traffic involves a modification of more than 5000 francs per annum in the transit charges’ account.

4. The creditor Administration is responsible for preparing the accounts and forwarding them to the debtor Administration.

5. In order to take account of the weight of the bags and packing and of the classes of correspondence exempted from all transit charges in accordance with the provisions of Article 79 of the Convention, the total amount of the account for closed mails is reduced by 10%.

6. The detailed accounts are prepared in duplicate on forms C 20 in the form annexed and on the basis of the statements C 17. They are forwarded to the despatching Administration as soon as possible and at the latest within ten months following the expiry of the statistical period. The statements C 17 are forwarded in support of the account C 20 only if they have been prepared officially by the intermediate Administration (Article 173, § 3) or if the despatching Administra- tion so requests.

7. If the Administration which has sent the detailed account has received no notice of amendment within three months from the date of despatch the account is regarded as fully accepted.

ARTICLE 180
GENERAL ANNUAL LIQUIDATION ACCOUNT. INTERVENTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

1. The general liquidation account of transit charges is prepared annually by the International Bureau; exceptionally, Administrations may agree .to settle their account directly between themselves if they consider it expedient.

2. As soon as the detailed accounts between two Administrations are ap- proved or regarded as fully accepted (Article 179, § 7) each of those Administra tions forwards without delay to the International Bureau a statement C 21 in the form annexed indicating the total amounts of the accounts. At the same time a copy of the statement is sent to the Administration concerned.

3. Centimes are ignored in the balance.

4. In the event of differences between corresponding particulars furnished by two Administrations, the International Bureau invites them to reach agreement and notify to it the definitely agreed sums,

5. When only one Administration has furnished the statement C 21, the amounts indicated by that Administration hold good.

6. In the case provided for in Article 179, § 7, the statements should be endorsed “Aucune observation de I’Administration dibitrice n’est parvenue dans le delai reglementaire” [No comment received from the debtor Administration within the prescribed period ].

7. If two Administrations agree between themselves to make a special settle ment, their statements C 21 are endorsed “Compte regie a part — a titre d’infor- mat’ton” [Account settled separately—for information only] and are not included in the general annual liquidation account.

8. At the end of each year the International Bureau prepares, on the basis of the statements which it has received up to that time and which are regarded as fully accepted, a general annual liquidation account of transit charges. If necessary it conforms to the rule laid down by Article 170, § 6 for annual pay ments.

9. The account shows;

a) the debit and credit of each Administration;
b) the debit balance or the credit balance of each Administration;
c) the sums to be paid by the debtor Administrations;
d) the sums to be received by the creditor Administrations.

10. The International Bureau arranges by off-setting balances to restrict to the minimum the number of payments to be made.

11. The general annual liquidation accounts shall be forwarded by the International Bureau to Administrations as soon as possible and at the latest before the expiry of the first quarter of the year following that of their preparation.

ARTICLE 181
PAYMENT OF TRANSIT CHARGES

1. If the amounts due as a result of the general annual liquidation account of the International Bureau have not been paid one year after the expiry of the prescribed period (Article 115, §§ 12 and 13), it is permissible for the creditor Administration to notify the International Bureau which invites the debtor Administration to pay within a period of not more than four months,

2. If the amounts due have not been paid on the expiry of this new period the International Bureau includes them in the next general liquidation account to the credit of the creditor Administration. In this case compound interest is chargeable, that is to say, the interest is added to the principal at the end of each year until full settlement.

3. When the provisions of § 2 are applied, the general liquidation account in question and those of the following four years should not, as far as possible, include in the balances due as a result o£ the offsetting table sums to be paid by the defaulting Administration to the creditor Administration concerned.

SECTION VI

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I

ARTICLE 182
POSTAGE STAMPS AND POSTAL FRANKING IMPRESSIONS

1. Impressions produced by postal franking machines shall be of a bright red colour, whatever the value they represent.

2. Postage stamps and postal franking impressions shall bear, as far as possible in Roman characters, an indication of the Country of origin and show their postage value according to the table of equivalents adopted. The number of units or fractions of a monetary unit used to express this value is indicated in Arabic figures.

3. As regards printed papers prepaid by means of impressions obtained from the printing press or by another printing process (Article 52 of the Convention) the indications of the Country of origin and of the value of the postage prepaid may be replaced by the name of the office of origin and the phrase “Taxe percue” [Charge collected], “Port paye” [Postage paid] or a similar expression. This phrase may be given in French or in the language of the Country of origin; it may also be in an abridged form, e.g. “T.P.” or “P.P.”. In every case the indication adopted should be ringed round or underlined by a heavy stroke.

4. Commemorative or charity postage stamps, on which a supplementary charge is payable independently of their postage value, shall be designed so as to leave no doubt about that value.

5. Postage stamps may be distinctively marked with punched perforations or embossed impressions produced by means of an embossing-stamp, subject to the conditions laid down by the Administration which has issued them, provided that those processes do not interfere with the charity of the indications prescribed in §2.

ARTICLE 183
USE OF POSTAGE STAMPS OR OF IMPRESSIONS OF POSTAL FRANKING MACHINES OR PRINTING PRESSES PRESUMED TO BE FRAUDULENT

1. Subject expressly to the provisions laid down by the legislation of each Country, the following procedure is observed in reporting the use for the prepayment of postage of postage stamps or of impressions of postal franking machines or printing presses presumed to be fraudulent;

a) when the presence on any item of a postage stamp presumed to be fraudulent (presumption of being counterfeit or used again) or of im- pressions of postal franking machines or printing presses presumed to be fraudulent is detected at the time of despatched, the stamp or im- pression is not tampered with in any way and the item, accompanied by an advice C 10 in the form annexed, is sent to the delivering office in an officially registered envelope. A copy of the advice is forwarded, for information, to the Administrations of the Countries of origin and of destination;

b)the item is only delivered to the addressee, who is invited to- see the evidence, if he pays the charge due, discloses the name and address of the sender and places at the disposal of the Post Office, after ac- quainting himself with the contents, either the entire item, if it is inseparable from the part constituting the presumed offence, or the part of the item (envelope, wrapper, portion of letter, etc.) which contains the address and the impression or stamp reported as fraudulent. The result of the interview is set down in an official report C 11 in the form annexed, signed by the postal official and by the addressee. If the addressee refuses to sign, this is recorded on the document.

2. The official report is forwarded with the supporting papers, officially registered, to the Administration of the Country of origin, which proceeds accord- ing to its legislation,

3. Administrations whose legislation does not permit the procedure provided for in § a) and b) should inform the International Bureau to that effect so that the other Administrations may be notified.

ARTICLE 184
INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS

1. International reply coupons are identical with form C 22 annexed. They are printed, on paper bearing as a watermark the letters UPU in large characters, under arrangements made by the International Bureau, which supplies them to Administrations at cost price.

2. Each Administration has the option:

a) of giving the coupons a distinctive perforation which does not interfere with the reading of the text and is not such as to hinder the checking of those values;

b) of amending the selling-price shown on the coupons by hand or by means of a printing process.

3. The value of the coupons is calculated at the rate of 32 centimes each in the liquidation accounts between Administrations.

4. There is no limit to the period of exchange for reply coupons. Post offices satisfy themselves as to the genuineness of the documents when they exchange them and check particularly the presence of the watermark. Reply coupons should bear in the left-hand circle the impression of the date-stamp of the issuing office; nevertheless, unstamped coupons or coupons stamped other than in the place provided are exchanged if there is no doubt as to their genuineness. Cou- pons on which the printed text does not agree with the official text are refused as invalid. Exchanged coupons are marked in the right-hand circle with an im- pression of the date-stamp of the office exchanging them.

5. In the absence of the other arrangements, the coupons exchanged are sent annually, at the latest within six months from the end of the year, to the Admin istrations which have issued them with a statement C 23 in the form annexed showing in bulk their number and value.

6. Reply coupons put down in error to the account of an Administration other than the issuing Administration may be included in the account for the latter by the Administration which received them in error; they are then accom- panied by a covering note. This adjustment may be made in the following year to avoid a supplementary account.

7. As soon as two Administrations have agreed on the number of coupons exchanged between them, each draws up and forwards to the International Bureau a statement C 24 in the form annexed showing the debit or credit balance, if this balance exceeds 25 francs and if a special settlement has not been arranged between the two Countries. At the same time a copy of the statement C 24 is sent to the Administration concerned. Failing agreement within six months, the creditor Administration prepares its account and sends it to the International Bureau.

8. In every case centimes are ignored in the balance.

9. If only one of the Administrations supplies its statement the entries on that hold good.

10. The balance is included by the International Bureau in an annual liquidation account; the special provisions prescribed in Article 181 are applicable.

11. When the annual balance between two Administrations does not exceed 25 francs the debtor Administration is exempted from any payment.

ARTICLE 185
FRANKING NOTES. ACCOUNTING FOR CUSTOMS, ETC., CHARGES

1. Accounting in respect of Customs, etc., charges paid out by each Admin- istration on behalf of another is carried out by means of detailed monthly ac counts C 26 in the form annexed, which are drawn up by the debtor Administra- tion in the currency of the creditor Country. The franking notes are entered in alphabetical order of the offices which have advanced the charges and in the numerical order which has been given to them,

2. If the two Administrations concerned also operate the service of postal parcels in their relations with each other they may, in the absence of information to the contrary, include in the accounts for the franking notes of that service those of the letter post.

3. The detailed account, accompanied by the franking notes, is forwarded to the creditor Administration at the latest by the end of the month following that to which it relates. “Nil” accounts are not prepared.

4. The accounts are checked under the conditions laid down by the Detailed Regulations of the Agreement concerning Postal Money Orders.

5. The accounts are the subject of a special settlement. Each Administration may, however, request that these accounts be settled with those for postal money orders, for postal parcels (CP 16) or, finally, with the accounts R 5 for trade charges, without being incorporated in them.

ARTICLE 186
FORMS FOR THE USE OF THE PUBLIC

For the purpose of applying the provisions of Article 44, § 2 of the Convention, the following are considered as forms for the use of the public:

C 1 (Customs label),
C 2 (Customs declaration),
C 3 ( Franking note),
C 5 (Advice of delivery),
C 6 (Redirection envelope),
C 7 Request for (“withdrawal from the post,alteration or address, cancellation or alteration of the amount of a trade charge),
C 8 (Enquiry in respect of a missing unregistered item), C 9 (Enquiry in respect of a registered item, etc.), C 22 (International reply coupon), C 25 (Postal identity card).

PART III FINAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 187

ENTRY INTO FORCE AND DURATION OF THE DETAILED REGULATIONS

1. The present Detailed Regulations shall come into force on the day on which the Universal Postal Convention comes into operation.

2. They shall have the same duration as that Convention unless renewed by common consent between the Parties concerned.

Done at Brussels, the 11th of July 1952.

LIST OF FORMS
[NOTE.—The Congress of Brussels 1952 decided that a list of the relative forms should be annexed to the various Acts of the Union and that each form should be given a permanent serial number. The numbering has been based on that used for the forms annexed to the Acts of Paris 1947, both to enable existing stocks to be used up and to facilitate the work of the operational services.] (see Phil. Treaty Series Vol. II pp. 895-926)

AIR-MAIL

CORRESPONDENCE

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 1

Correspondence eligible for air conveyance Every category of correspondence mentioned in Article 47 of the Convention, as well as postal money orders, bills for collection, trade charge money orders and newspapers and periodicals sent under postal subscription arrangements are eligible for air conveyance. In this event these items are called “Air-Mail Correspondence” and are classified into items on which a special surcharge for air conveyance is levied (surcharged items) and others on which no such charge is due (unsurcharged items).

2. Administrations may also admit to air conveyance the letters called “Aerogrammes” mentioned in Article 5, § 8. Items mentioned in Article 47 of the Convention may be submitted to registration procedure and carry liability for trade charges. Aerogrammes may be submitted to registration procedure if the regulations of the Country of origin allow.

Insured letters and boxes may also be conveyed by air in the service between Countries which agree to the exchange of items of the kind by this means. Surcharged air-mail correspondence should bear very conspicuously on the front the indication “Par avion” [By air] or a similar indication in the language of the Country of origin.

ARTICLE 2

FREEDOM OF TRANSIT

The freedom of transit prescribed in Article 32 of the Convention is guaranteed for air-mail correspondence throughout the entire territory of the Union, whether or not the intermediate Administrations take part in re-forwarding the correspondence.

ARTICLE 3

ROUTEING OF AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

1. Administrations using air communications for the conveyance of their own surcharged air-mail correspondence are bound to forward by the same communications the surcharged air-mail correspondence which reaches them from other Administrations. The same applies to unsurcharged air-mail correspondence provided that the available aircraft capacity permits and the Administration of origin so requests.

2. Administrations without an air service forward air-mail correspondence by the most rapid means used for mails. The same applies if for any reason routeing by surface means is more advantageous than the use of air lines.

3. Closed air mails shall be forwarded by the means requested by the Administration of the Country of origin, provided that it is used by the Admin istration of the country of transit for the transmission of its own mails.

4. To determine the most favourable course, the office of origin may send to the office of destination of a mail a trial note on the model of form C 27 annexed to the Detailed Regulations for implementing the Convention; this note should be included in the mail, attached to the letter bill. The trial note, duly filled la, should be returned to the office of origin by the first air mail.

ARTICLE 4

STEPS TO BE TAKEN IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT IN COURSE OF CONVEYANCE

1. When as a result of an accident in course of conveyance an aircraft is unable to continue its flight and deliver the mail at the scheduled stopping places, the crew of the aircraft shall hand over the mails to the post office nearest to the place of the accident or to the office best able to reforward the mail. If the crew are prevented from doing so, that office on being informed of the accident does all it can to take ever the mails without delay. The mails are to be sent on to the offices of destination by the most rapid means after their condition has been checked and any damaged correspondence has been restored.

2. The circumstances of the accident and the results of the check are notified by verification note to the offices of destination of the mails involved in the accident; a copy of the note is sent to the office of origin of the mails. These documents are sent by the most rapid means (air or surface). In addition, the Admin istration of the Country to which the air service belongs is informed by telegraph of the fate of the mail That Administration in turn advises the Administrations concerned by telegram.

ARTICLE 5

CHARGES AND GENERAL CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION OF AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

1. Surcharged air-mail correspondence is subject, in addition to the standard postal charges, to a special surcharge for air conveyance the amount of which Is due to be fixed by the Administration of the Country of origin. Subject to what is stated in § 2 the air surcharge is also payable on air-mail correspondence which benefits by free postage under the provisions of Articles 37 and 38 of the Convention.

2. Administrations are permitted not to collect a surcharge for air conveyance, provided that they inform the Countries of destination and transit of the fact.

3. Air surcharges shall be closely related to conveyance costs and as a general rule their proceeds shall not in total exceed the costs payable for such conveyance.

4. Surcharges shall be uniform for the whole of the territory of a Country of destination whatever the route used.

5. Surcharges are to be paid before despatch.

6. The surcharge for a reply-paid postcard is collected separately for each half, at the time of despatch of each of the halves.

7. Air-mail correspondence is prepaid in the manner prescribed in Articles ’52 and 53 of the Convention. Nevertheless and irrespective of the category of correspondence, prepayment of postage may be represented by an indication in manuscript (in figures) of the sum collected, expressed in the currency of the Country of origin, as, for example: “Taxe percue: dollars cents” [Amount collected; dollars cents]. This indication may appear either in a special stamp impression or on a special stamp or label, or simply be marked by any method on the address side of the item. In every case, the indication should be authenticcated by a date stamp impression of the office of origin.

8. The aerogramme consists of a sheet of paper suitably folded and gummed, the size of which, in that form, shall be that of a postcard. The front of the sheet when folded in this way is reserved for the address and must bear the printed indication “Aerogramme”. A similar indication in the language of the Country of origin is permitted. The sender may use for correspondence every part of the sheet other than that used for the address. The aerogramme shall not contain anything. The charge is at least equal to that applicable in the Country of origin to an unsurcharged letter of the first weight step. Each Administration fixes the conditions of issue, manufacture and sale of aerogrammes.

9. Any aerogramme not fulfilling the conditions laid down in § 8 loses its special character; it is treated, where necessary, in accordance with the provisions of Article 6.

ARTICLE 6

UNPAID OR UNDERPAID AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

1. In the event of entire absence of prepayment air-mail correspondence is treated in accordance with the provisions of Articles 51 and 54 of the Convention. Items on which the prepayment of postage is not obligatory before despatch are transmitted by ordinary means.

2. In the event of underpayment surcharged air-mail correspondence is trans mitted by air when the charges paid represent at least the amount of the air surcharge. Administrations of origin are permitted to forward this correspondence by air when the charges paid represent 75% at least of the amount of the air surcharge.

3. In either case underpaid items are marked with a T stamp and an indication of the amount in gold francs and centimes of the charge to be collected under the conditions laid down by Article 148 of the Detailed Regulations for implementing the Convention.

4. The provisions of Article 54 of the Convention apply as regards the collection of charges not paid at the time of despatch.

5. When the surcharged items mentioned in § 2 are transmitted by ordinary means, the office of posting or the office of exchange is to strike through with two thick horizontal lines the “Par avion” [By air] label and any note relating to air conveyance and indicate briefly the reasons for transmission by ordinary means.

ARTICLE 7

DELIVERY OF AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

Air-mail correspondence is delivered with the utmost rapidity possible and shall at least be included in the first delivery after its arrival at the delivery office.

ARTICLE 8

REDIRECTION AND RETURN OF AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

In principle air-mail correspondence addressed to addressees who have changed their address is redirected to the new destination by the means of conveyance normally used.

Similarly, air mail correspondence which is undeliverable or which for any reason has not been delivered to the addressees is returned to origin by the means of conveyance normally used. However, at the express request of the addressee (in the case of redirection ) or of the sender (in the case of return to origin) and provided that the per son concerned undertakes to pay the air surcharges appropriate to the further transmission, the items in question may be redirected or returned by air. In either case the surcharge is collected at the time of delivery of the item and is retained by the delivering Administration.

If the redirection or return of surcharged correspondence is effected by ordinary postal means, the “Par avion” [By air] label and any note relating to transmission by air should be struck through as a matter of course by means of two thick of horizontal lines.

ARTICLE 9

REDIRECTION ENVELOPES AND COLLECTIVE ENVELOPES

Redirection envelopes and collective envelopes are forwarded to their new destination by the ordinary means of conveyance unless the air surcharge is paid in advance to the redirecting office, or the addressee or sender as the case may be undertakes to pay the surcharges appropriate to the further distance to be flown, in accordance with the provisions of Article 8, § 3.

CHAPTER II

REGISTERED OR INSURED ITEMS

ARTICLE 10

REGISTERED ITEMS

Registered items are subject to air surcharges in accordance with the provisions of Article 5 for unregistered air-mail correspondence.

ARTICLE 11

ADVICE OF DELIVERY

Each Administration is authorised to take into account the weight of the advice of delivery form in calculating the air surcharge.

ARTICLE 12

RESPONSIBILITY

Administrations accept the same responsibility for registered items forwarded by air as for registered items sent by surface.

ARTICLE 13

INSURED ITEMS

As regards insured items sent in closed mails through the territory of Countries that are not parties to the Agreement concerning items of the kind or conveyed by air services on which the Countries in question do not accept responsibility for insured items, the responsibility of those Countries is limited to that prescribed for registered items.

CHAPTER III

ALLOCATION OF AIR SURCHARGES. CONVEYANCE CHARGES

ARTICLE 14

ALLOCATION OF AIR SURCHARGES

Each Administration retains the whole of the air surcharges which it has collected.

ARTICLE 15

AIR CONVEYANCE CHARGES FOR CLOSED MAILS

1. The Administrations of Countries flown over are not entitled to any remuneration in respect of mails conveyed by air over their territory. The provisions of Article 78 of the Convention concerning transit charges apply to air-mail correspondence only for such distances as may be covered by land or by sea. Nevertheless, no transit charges may be demanded either for the transhipment of air mails between two airports serving the same town or for the conveyance of such mails from an airport serving a town to a depot situated in the same town and the return of the same mails for reforwarding.

2. The air conveyance charges for air-mail correspondence despatched in closed mails are borne by the Administration of the Country of origin of the mail.

3. Each Administration undertaking conveyance by air of air-mail correspondence as an intermediate Administration is entitled on that account to renumeration for the conveyance charges. This remuneration is calculated by multi plying the conveyance rates (fixed within the limit of the maximum basic rates prescribed in § 9) by the kilometric distances appearing in the “Liste des distances airopostales” [List of air-mail distances] provided for in Article 17, § 2. If the aircraft calls at several airports, the remuneration is due as far as the airport where the mails are offloaded.

4. Except where corresponding Administrations have agreed not to collect any remuneration from each other for the conveyance of mail in the interior of the Country of destination, the charges for such conveyance are calculated on the basis of the rates prescribed in § 9 and according to the average of the sectors flown in the internal system and the importance of each one for international traffic. The remuneration should be uniform for all of these sectors.

5. The conveyance charges applicable to a particular sector are uniform for all Administrations that use this service without sharing in the working expenses.

6. Apart from the exceptions provided for in §§ 7 and 8, the air conveyance charges are payable to the postal Administration of the Country in which is situated the airport at which the mails are taken over by the air service.

7. The Administration handing over to an air transport undertaking mails intended for conveyance successively by several distinct air services may, if it has so agreed with the intermediate Administrations, settle directly with that undertaking the conveyance charges for the whole distance flown. The inter mediate Administrations have, for their part, the right to demand the application pure and simple of the provisions of § 6.

8. In derogation of the stipulations of §§ 6 and 7 each Administration main taining an air service reserves to itself the right to collect directly from each Administration using the service the conveyance charges applicable to the whole distance flown.

9. The basic rates^[*] applicable to the settlement of accounts between Admin istrations in respect of air conveyance are fixed per kilogramme of gross weight and per kilometre. These rates, detailed below, apply proportionally to fractions of a kilogramme:

a) for LC items (letters, postcards, postal money orders, bills for collection, trade charge money orders, insured letters and boxes, enquiries, advices of payment, advices of delivery}; 3 milliemes of a franc as a maximum. However, this flat rate is increased to 4 milliemes of a franc as a maxi mum for LC items conveyed by lines for which the conveyance rate in force at the 1st of July 1952 exceeded 3 milliemes of a franc;

b) for AO items (items other than LC and newspapers): 1.25 milliemes of a franc as a maximum;

c) for Joumaux [Newspapers]: 1 milliemes of a franc as a maximum,

10. The conveyance charges mentioned above are payable also in respect of correspondence exempted from transit charges and for mails or correspondence missent or diverted.

11. If the mails are lost or destroyed as a result of an accident to the aircraft no air conveyance charges are payable in respect of the air mails lost or destroyed fox any part of the flight of the line employed.

12. When a mail conveying flight is interrupted en route and for this reason the mail cannot be delivered at the usual airport, payment is only due for that part of the journey terminating at the last place of call regularly served. The charges for reforwarding which arise from flights which the mail has subsequently to make in order to reach its destination remain to be borne by the Administration of origin of the items.

ARTICLE 16

CONVEYANCE CHARGES FOR A DECOUVERT AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

The conveyance charges for air-mail correspondence exchanged a decouvert between two Administrations shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of Article 15, §§ 1 to 5, 9, 10 and 12. Nevertheless, when the territory of the Country of destination of such correspondence is served by a line with several places of call in that territory, the conveyance charges are calculated on the basis of a mean tariff taking into account the weight of the mail offloaded at each place of call.

In order to determine the conveyance charges the net weight of air-mail correspondence in transit a decouvert is increased by 5 %. The Administration which despatches air-mail correspondence in transit a decouvert to another Administration shall pay to that Administration all the conveyance charges due for the whole of the onward distance flown.

CHAPTER IV

INTERNATIONAL BUREAU

ARTICLE 17

COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO THE INTERNATIONAL BUREAU AND TO ADMINISTRATIONS

1. Administrations shall communicate to the International Bureau on the forms sent to them by the latter the necessary information concerning the operation of the air-mail service. This information includes in particular an indication:

a) as regards the internal service:

1° of the districts and principal towns to which mails or air-mail correspondence originating abroad are forwarded by internal air services;

2° of the conveyance charges per kilogramme calculated in accordance with Article 15, § 4, and the date of application of these charges.

b) as regards the international service:

1° of the conveyance charges per kilogramme which the Administration concerned collects direct under Article 15, §§ 6, 7 and 8, with the date of application of these charges, in respect of each air company and each sector flown;

2° of the Countries for which the Administration concerned makes up closed air mails and, in each case, of the air companies used for each flight, of the Administration to which the conveyance charges in respect of each company are payable and, finally, of the flat conveyance charges for air-mail correspondence exchanged a decouvert, with the date of application of these charges;

3. of the other Countries for which air-mail correspondence is accepted, with details in each case of the intermediate Countries to which the correspondence in question is transmitted a decouvert;

4. of the decision of each Administration regarding the option to apply or not certain provisions concerning the conveyance of air-mail correspondence.

2. The International Bureau is responsible for preparing the following documents and distributing them to Administrations: General list of air-mail services (known as “Liste AV 1”) published from the information collected under § 1;

3. Liste des distances aerospotdes” [List of air-mail distances] drawn up every two years in collaboration with the air carriers and published after its contents have been agreed by Administrations;

4. Liste des surtaxes aeriennes” [List of air surcharges] (the surcharges levied by each Administration for the various categories of air-mail correspondence and for the various Countries).The International Bureau is also responsible for supplying to Admin istrations, at their request and expense, maps of the air lines and air time-tables regularly published by a specialist private organisation and recognised as being best suited to the needs of air-mail services. Any amendments to the information mentioned in § 1 should be com municated to the International Bureau without delay, by the most rapid means, whether air or surface. Similarly, any amendments to the documents listed in § 2 and the date on which the amendments take effect are notified to Administrations by the most rapid means, whether air or surface, with the minimum of delay and in the most appropriate form.

5. Independently of the foregoing, Administrations may agree to exchange direct, on a provisional basis, particulars and time-tables of the air lines in which they are specially interested.

6. Administrations which use air communications for the conveyance of their own ordinary mails are to notify the other Administrations of the Union accordingly through the intermediary of the International Bureau, informing them, at the same time, of the date from which the communications are used, the connections opened up and any charges which are made.

CHAPTER V

ACCOUNTING. SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS

ARTICLE I8

METHODS OF ACCOUNTING FOR AIR CONVEYANCE CHARGES

Accounting for air conveyance charges is effected on the basis of the gross weight of mails, or the net -weight increased by 5% o£ a decouvert correspondence actually conveyed during the accounting period. This period may be of one or three months at the choice of the creditor Administration.

Nevertheless, and in derogation of the provisions of § 1, Administrations may, by common consent, decide that accounts be settled on the basis of statistical returns. In that case, they arrange between themselves the details of the procedure to be followed in compiling the statistics and preparing the accounts.

The Administrations concerned may agree that air mails conveyed on a sector by surface means should not be included in the statistics relating to surface transit charges. In that case, the transit charges for these air mails are calculated on their actual gross weight as shown on statements AV 7 in the form annexed.

ARTICLE 19

ESTABLISHING OF THE WEIGHT OF AIR MAILS AND AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

1. The number of the mail and the gross weight of each bag, envelope or packet of newspapers is shown on the label or with the external address.

2. If more than one of the three classes of correspondence, LC, AO and Journaux [Newspapers], are included in the same bag, envelope or packet of news papers, the weight of each, as well as the total weight, should be shown on the label or with the external address. The weight of the outer packing is added to the weight of those items included therein that are chargeable at the lowest conveyance rate. If a sac collecteur is used, its weight is not taken into account.

3. The number of the mail, the total weight of each class of correspondence and all other necessary particulars appearing with the external address is to be copied on to the form AV 7 when the mail is conveyed by an international air service.

4. If a dicouvert correspondence intended for onward conveyance by air is included in an ordinary mail or in an air mail, the correspondence is made up in a special bundle labelled “Par avion” [By air] and accompanied by statements AV 2 in the form annexed, one for unregistered items and another for registered items. The weight of correspondence in transit a decouvert is shown separately for each Country of destination or for each group of Countries for which the conveyance charges are the same. In the service between Administrations which have agreed not to collect any remuneration from each other for forwarding mails by air on their internal system, the weight of a dicouvert correspondence for the Country of destination itself is not shown. The letter bill is endorsed “Bordereau AV 2” [Statement AV 2]. Transit Administrations are at liberty to request the use of special statements AV 2 listing in a fixed order the most important Countries and air lines. Statements AV 2 should be specially numbered in a consecutive annual series.

5. If the intermediate office establishes that the actual weight of the closed mails differs by more than 100 grammes and that of the a dicouvert correspondence by more than 20 grammes from the weight recorded, it amends the label or statement AV 2 and immediately notifies the despatching office of exchange of the mistake by verification note. If the discrepancies noted are within the above-mentioned limits, the entries made by the despatching office hold good.

6. The absence of a statement AV 2 does not entitle a transit Administration to forward surcharged air-mail items by surface. Onward transmission by air should be ensured. In appropriate cases, a statement AV 2 is prepared as a matter of course and the office of origin made aware of the irregularity by means of a note C 14.

7. Incoming mails may be enclosed in another mail of the same kind unless the Administrations concerned object.

8. Air-mail correspondence posted on board ship on the high seas, prepaid by means of postage stamps of the Country to which the ship belongs or by which it is maintained, shall be accompanied by a statement AV 2 when handed over i dicouvert to the Administration at an intermediate port of call, or, if the ship is not provided with a post office, by a statement of weights which should be used by the intermediate Administration as a basis for claiming the air conveyance charges. The statement AV 2 or statement of weights should include the weight of the correspondence for each Country of destination, the date, and the name and flag of the ship, and be numbered in a consecutive annual series for each ship. These particulars are checked by the office to which the correspondence is handed over from the ship.

ARTICLE 20

PREPARATION OF STATEMENTS OF WEIGHTS OF MAILS AND CORRESPONDENCE CONVEYED

1. Creditor Administrations note on a statement AV 3 in the form annexed the particulars given, either on forms AV 7 when international air services are concerned, or on the labels or with the external addresses of mails where internal air services are concerned. For a dicouvert correspondence which reaches them from other Administrations and which they forward by air a statement AV 4 in the form annexed is drawn up in accordance with the particulars appearing on the statements AV 2. The same procedure applies to air-mail correspondence contained in ordinary mails. At the request of debtor Administrations separate statements are drawn up for each office of exchange which despatches air mails or a decouvert air-mail correspondence.

2. Statements AV 3 and AV 4 are prepared monthly or quarterly at the choice of the creditor Administrations.

ARTICLE 21

COMMUNICATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF STATEMENTS OF WEIGHTS AV 3 AND AV 4 AND PREPARATION OF DETAILED ACCOUNTS

1. As soon as possible and at the latest within one year from the end of the period to which they refer the statements AV 3 and AV 4 are communicated in duplicate to the despatching Administration for acceptance. After accepting the statements the latter Administration returns one copy to the creditor admin istration. The despatching Administration may refuse to accept statements not communicated to it within the above-mentioned period of one year.

2. If the creditor Administration receives no notice of amendment within an interval of three months from the despatch of the statements, they are regarded as fully accepted.

3. Detailed accounts are drawn up by each creditor Administration on a form AV 5 in the form annexed, showing the conveyance charges to its credit for the period concerned.

4. These accounts are prepared monthly or quarterly on the basis of the gross weight of mails and the net weight increased by 5% of a decouvert items appearing on the statements AV 3 and AV 4 and accepted either explicitly or implicitly by the debtor Administration. The detailed account AV 5 are communicated to that Administration in duplicate.

5. After accepting the accounts the debtor Administration returns one copy to the creditor Administration. If the latter has received no notice of amendment within two months from the despatch of the accounts, they are regarded as fully accepted.

6. In derogation of the provisions of §§ 1, 2, 4 and 5, creditor Administrations may draw up the relative detailed accounts at the same time as the statements AV 3 and AV 4 and communicate them all together in duplicate to the debtor Administration. The latter after accepting them returns one copy to the creditor Administration. H the creditor Administration has received no notice of amend ment within four months from the despatch of the accounts, they are regarded as fully accepted.

7. In the absence of any agreement to the contrary between the Administrations concerned the statements AV 3 and AV 4 and the detailed accounts AV 5 are always transmitted in both directions by the most rapid means available to the post, whether air or surface.

CHAPTER VI

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 22

MARKING OF AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

At the time of despatch surcharged air-mail correspondence has affixed, preferably at the upper left-hand corner on the front, a special label or stamp impression in blue bearing the word “Far avion” [By air] with, if desired, a translation in the language of the Country of origin.

ARTICLE 23

MARKING OF AIR MAILS

It Is obligatory to make up air mails with bags either entirely blue or bear ing wide blue bands. Exceptionally, if the air-mail correspondence for despatch consists only of unregistered items, it may be enclosed in envelopes made of strong blue paper.

The bag labels or, as the case may be, the address, on envelopes containing air mails and on packets of newspapers, shall bear particulars of the weight of each of the different classes: LC, AO or ]ournaux [Newspapers].

ARTICLE 24

USE OF SACS COLLECTEURS

1. Where warranted by the number of light weight bags, envelopes or packets of newspapers to be conveyed on the same sector, post offices responsible for hand ing over air mails to the air company undertaking the conveyance make up, as far as possible, sacs collecteurs for the offices of offloading.

2. The labels of sac collecteurs shall bear in bold letters the indication “Sac collecteur”. The Administrations concerned agree as to the address to be put on the labels.

3. Mails included in a sac collecteur shall be entered individually on the AV 7 with an indication that they are enclosed in a sac collecteur.

4. The sue collecteur shall be listed separately as such on the form AV 6 in the form annexed.

ARTICLE 25

METHOD OF DESPATCHING AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

1. The provisions of Articles 158, §2 a) and 160 of the Detailed Regulations for implementing the Convention apply by analogy to air-mail correspondence included in ordinary mails. The labels of the bundles should bear the note “Par avion” [By air].

2. If registered airmail correspondence is included In ordinary mails, the indication “Par avion” [By air] should be entered in the space prescribed in § 3 of Article 160 for the indication “Expres” [Express].

3. In the case of insured air-mail correspondence included in ordinary mails the indication “Par avion” [By air] is entered in the “Observations” column of the despatch lists against the respective entries.

4. Transit air-mail correspondence sent a decouvert in an air mail or in an ordinary mail for re-forwarding by air by the Country of destination of the mail is gathered into a special bundle labelled “Par avion” [By air].

5. The transit Country may ask for special bundles to be made up according to the Country of destination. In that event each bundle is provided with a label bearing the indication “Par avion pour ” [By air for ].

ARTICLE 26

AIR-MAIL TOAY BILL AND DELIVERY BILL

1. Mails to be handed over at the airport are accompanied by:

a) three copies of a yellow way bill AV 6;

b) not more than four copies of a white delivery bill AV 7 for each point of call on the flight.

2. A copy of the way bill AV 6 signed by the representative of the air com pany responsible for the ground services is retained by the despatching office; the other two copies are handed to the conveying company.

3. Of the four copies of the delivery bill AV 7 mentioned in § 1, b), the first is retained at the airport of loading by the air company responsible for the ground services; the second is handed over at the airport of offloading to the air company responsible for the ground services at that airport; the third accompanies the mails to the post office to which the delivery bill is addressed; the fourth, duly signed at the airport of offloading as a receipt for the mails, is retained by the air crew on behalf of their company.

ARTICLE 27

TRANSHIPMENT OF AIR MAILS

1. In the absence of any agreement to the contrary between the Adminis trations concerned, the transhipment at the same airport, in course of transmission, of mails conveyed successively by several distinct air services is performed by the Administration of the Country in which the transhipment takes place. The rule does not apply when the transhipment takes place between aircraft performing successive stages of the same service.

2. The Administration of the transit Country may authorise a transhipment direct from one aircraft to another, if it has no post office at the airport. Where required the transport undertaking is under obligation to send to the office of exchange of the Country where the transhipment takes place a document giving full details of the operation.

ARTICLE 28

SPEEDING-UP OF OPERATIONS AT AIRPORTS

Administrations take the necessary steps to speed up the taking over and onward transmission of air mails arriving at their airports,

ARTICLE 29

NOTES TO BE MADE ON THE LETTER BILLS, DESPATCH LISTS AND LABELS OF AIR MAILS

The letter bills and the despatch lists which accompany air mails should bear at the head a “Par avion” [By air] label or the stamp impression referred to in Article 22. The same label or stamp impression is affixed to the labels or addresses of those mails. The serial number of the mails should be shown on their labels or addresses.

ARTICLE 30

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE OF CORRESPONDENCE SUBJECT TO CUSTOMS DUTY

Administrations take steps to speed up as much as possible the clearance through the Customs of air-mail correspondence subject to Customs duty.

ARTICLE 31

RETURN OF EMPTY AIR-MAIL BAGS

1. In the absence of other arrangements air-mail bags should be returned empty to the Administration of origin by surface means. When they number at least ten they occasion the making-up of a special mail between air-mail offices of exchange appointed for the purpose; these mails are labelled “Sacs vides” [Empty bags] and numbered in an annual series. The letter bill shows the number of bags returned to the Country of origin.

2. Subject to prior agreement an Administration may use bags belonging to the administration of destination for the making-up or its mails.

3. The provisions of §§ 5 and 6 of Article 169 of the Detailed Regulations for implementing the Convention apply to empty air-mail bags.

ARTICLE 32

APPLICATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE CONVENTION AND OF THE AGREEMENTS

The provisions of the Convention and of the Agreements and of their Detailed Regulations, except the Agreement concerning Postal Parcels and its Detailed Regulations, apply as regards everything which is not expressly provided for in the preceding Articles.

ARTICLE 33

ENTRY INTO FORCE AND DURATION OF THE PROVISIONS ADOPTED

1. The present provisions shall come into force on the day on which the Convention comes into operation.

2. They shall have the same duration as that Convention, unless they are renewed by common consent between the Parties concerned. Done at Brussels, the 11th of July 1952.

FINAL PROTOCOL TO THE PROVISIONS CONCERNING AIR-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

ARTICLE I

Option to reduce the unit of weight for air-mail correspondence In fixing air surcharges Administrations have the option of adopting weight units smaller than the bask units prescribed in Article 48 of the Convention.

ARTICLE II

Temporary provisions regarding aerogrammes The provisions of Article 5, § 8, second sentence, remain optional until the expiry of a period of two years from the date of entry into force of the Convention.

ARTICLE III

Owing to the special geographical situation of the U.S.S.R., the Administration of that Country reserves to itself the right to apply a uniform surcharge throughout the whole territory of the U.S.S.R. for all the Countries of the world. This fee shall not exceed the actual expenses occasioned by the conveyance of the correspondence by air.

Done at Brussels, the 11th of July 1952.

See table, Philippine Treaty Series Volume II, Pages 943-950

Parties to the Agreement:
Albania	Japan
Argentina	Jordan
Australia	Korea
Austria	Laos
Belgium	Lebanon
Bulgaria	Libya
Burma	Luxembourg
Cambodia	Malaysia
Canada	Mexico
Ceylon	Monaco
Chile	Morocco
China	Nepal
Cuba	Netherlands[3]
Czechoslovakia	New Zealand[4]
Denmark	Norway
Dominican Republic	Pakistan
Egypt	Panama
El Salvador	Paraguay
Ethiopia	Peru
Finland	Philippines
France[1]	Poland
Democratic Republic of Germany	Portugal
Federal Republic of Germany [2]	Rumania
Ghana	San Marino
Greece	Saudi Arabia
Guatemala	South Africa
Haiti	Spain[5]
Honduras	Sweden
Hungary	Switzerland
India	Syria
Indonesia	Thailand
Iraq	Tunisia
Ireland	Turkey
Iceland	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Israel	United Kingdom[6]
Italy	Viet-Nam Yugoslavia
United States[7]	Viet-Nam
Venezuela	Yugoslavia

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^[*] NOTE BY THE BRITISH POST OFFICE: Article 12, § 2, of the Agreement concerning Postal Parcels states that for all air services the basic rate applicable to the settlement of accounts between Administrations in respect of the air conveyance of postal parcels is fixed, per kilogramme of gross weight and per kilometre, at 1.25 niilliemes of a franc as a maximum.

^[1] See note, p.895 of this volume

^[*] NOTE.—This list is published by the International Bureau in accordance with Article 17, § 2 a) of the provisions concerning Air-mail Correspondence.

^[1] Including French Equatorial Africa and West Africa, Algeria, Cameroon, Togo, Comores,
Somali, French West Indies, French Oceania, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Madagascar and its de
pendencies.

^[2] Including Land Berlin.

^[3] Including Netherlands Antilles, New Guinea and Surinam.

^[4] Including Cook Island and Western Samoa.

^[5] Including Spanish territories in Africa.

^[6] Including Aden, Bahamas, Barbades, Becbuanaland, Bermuda, Cyprus, Island of Gold, Falkland, Fiji, Gambia, Gibraltar, British Guiana, British Honduras, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Isle of Alan, Dominic, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Christopher, Nevis. Virgin Island, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Uganda, Nayasaiand, St. Helene, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somali, Tanganyika. Solomon Islands, St. Gilbert and Ellice Islands, New Hibredes, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago and Zanzibar.

^[7] Including territories in the Pacific and the Panama Canal zone.