Having accepted the invitation of the League of Nations to take part in a conference which met at Geneva on the 15th November, 1923;

Desirous of bringing into force the provisions of the statute relating to the international régime of ports adopted thereat, and of concluding a general convention for this purpose, the high contracting parties have appointed as their plenipotentiaries:

The President of the German Reich: M. Gottfried Aschmann, ConsulGeneral at Geneva;

His Majesty the King of the Belgians: M. Xavier Neujean, Minister of Railways, Mercantile Marine, Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones of Belgium, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit; The President of the Republic of the United States of Brazil: CommandantMajor E. Leitão de Carvalho, Staff Officer, Professor at the Staff College of Rio de Janeiro, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit; and M. Eliseu da Fonseca Montarroyos, member of the Advisory and Technical Committee for Communications and Transit, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit; His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India: Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith, G.C.B., Chief Economic Adviser of the British Government, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

For the Dominion of New Zealand: The Hon. Sir James Allen, K.C.B., High Commissioner for New Zealand in the United Kingdom;

For India: The Right Hon. Lord Hardinge of Penhurst, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., G.C.M.G., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., I.S.O., Privy Councillor, former Viceroy, former Ambassador;

His Majesty the King of the Bulgarians: M. D. Mikoff, Chargé d'Affaires at Berne;

The President of the Republic of Chile: M. Francisco Rivas Vicuña, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Federal Council, to the President of the Czechoslovak Republic, to the President of the Austrian Federal Republic and to His Serene Highness the Governor of Hungary, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the King of Denmark: M. P. A. Holck-Colding, Director of Section at the Ministry of Public Works, member of the Advisory and Technical Committee for Communications and Transit, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the King of Spain: M. Guillermo Brockmann y Abarzuza, Inspector-General of Roads, Canals and Ports, member of the Advisory and Technical Committee for Communications and Transit, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

The President of the Esthonian Republic: M. Charles Robert Pusta, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the President of the French Republic, member of the Advisory and Technical Committee for

Communications and Transit, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the King of the Hellenes: M. A. Politis, Technical Representative of the Hellenic Government in Paris, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit; and M. Demetre G. Phocas, Captain in the Hellenic Navy, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Serene Highness the Governor of Hungary: M. Emile de Walter, Ministerial Counsellor at the Royal Hungarian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the King of Italy: M. Paolo Bignami, former Under-Secretary of State, former member of the Chamber of Deputies, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the Emperor of Japan: Mr. S. Okuyama, Counsellor of Embassy, Assistant Head of the Japanese League of Nations Office in Paris, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

The President of the Republic of Lithuania: M. C. Dobkevicius, Counsellor at the Lithuanian Legation in Paris, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the King of Norway: M. Gabriel Smith, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands: Jonkheer W. J. M. van Eysinga, Professor at the University of Leyden, member of the Advisory and Technical Committee for Communications and Transit, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

The President of the Republic of Salvador: M. J. G. Guerrero, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the President of the French Republic and to His Majesty the King of Italy, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes: M. B. Voukovitch, Director of the State Railways, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the King of Siam: M. Phya Sanpakitch Preecha, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of Spain and to His Majesty the King of Italy, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

His Majesty the King of Sweden: Baron Alströmer, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Federal Council;

The Swiss Federal Council: Dr. Robert Herold, Director of the Railway Division of the Federal Department of Posts and Railways, member of the Advisory and Technical Committee for Communications and Transit, delegate at the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit;

The President of the Czechoslovak Republic: M. J. Dvorácek, Minister Plenipotentiary and Head of the Economic Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs;

The President of the Republic of Uruguay: M. Benjamin Fernández y Medina, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to His Majesty the King of Spain, chairman of the Advisory and Technical Committee for Communications and Transit;

Who, after communicating their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1

The contracting states declare that they accept the Statute on the International Régime of Maritime Ports, annexed hereto, adopted by the Second General Conference on Communications and Transit which met at Geneva on the 15th November, 1923.

This statute shall be deemed to constitute an integral part of the present convention.

Consequently, they hereby declare that they accept the obligations and undertakings of the said statute in conformity with the terms and in accordance with the conditions set out therein.

ARTICLE 2

The present convention does not in any way affect the rights and obligations arising out of the provisions of the Treaty of Peace signed at Versailles on the 28th June, 1919, or out of the provisions of the other corresponding treaties, in so far as they concern the Powers which have signed, or which benefit by, such treaties.

ARTICLE 3

The present convention, of which the French and English texts are both authentic, shall bear this day's date, and shall be open for signature until the 31st October, 1924, by any state represented at the conference of Geneva, by any member of the League of Nations, and by any states to which the Council of the League of Nations shall have communicated a copy of the convention for this purpose.

ARTICLE 4

The present convention is subject to ratification. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the League of Nations, who shall notify their receipt to every state signatory of or acceding to the convention.

ARTICLE 5

On and after the 1st November, 1924, the present convention may be acceded to by any state represented at the conference referred to in Article 1, by any member of the League of Nations, or by any state to which the Council of the League of Nations shall have communicated a copy of the convention for this purpose.

Accessions shall be effected by an instrument communicated to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations to be deposited in the archives of the secretariat. The Secretary-General shall at once notify such deposit to every state signatory of or acceding to the convention.

ARTICLE 6

The present convention will not come into force until it has been ratified in the name of five states. The date of its coming into force shall be the ninetieth day after the receipt by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations of the fifth ratification. Thereafter, the present convention will take effect in the case of each party ninety days after the receipt of its ratification or of the notification of its accession.

In compliance with the provisions of Article 18 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, the Secretary-General will register the present convention upon the day of its coming into force.

ARTICLE 7

A special record shall be kept by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations showing, with due regard to the provisions of Article 9, which of the parties have signed, ratified, acceded to or denounced the present convention. This record shall be open to the members of the League at all times; it shall be published as often as possible, in accordance with the directions of the Council.

ARTICLE 8

Subject to the provisions of Article 2 above, the present convention may be denounced by any party thereto after the expiration of five years from the date when it came into force in respect of that party. Denunciation shall be effected by notification in writing addressed to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. Copies of such notification shall be transmitted forthwith by him to all the other parties, informing them of the date on which it was received.

A denunciation shall take effect one year after the date on which the notification thereof was received by the Secretary-General, and shall operate only in respect of the notifying state.

ARTICLE 9

Any state signing or acceding to the present convention may declare at the moment either of its signature, ratification or accession, that its acceptance of the present convention does not include any or all of its colonies, overseas possessions, protectorates, or overseas territories, under its sovereignty or authority, and may subsequently accede, in conformity with the provisions of Article 5, on behalf of any such colony, overseas possession, protectorate or territory excluded by such declaration.

Denunciation may also be made separately in respect of any such colony, overseas possession, protectorate or territory, and the provisions of Article 8 shall apply to any such denunciation.

ARTICLE 10

The revision of the present convention may be demanded at any time by one-third of the contracting states.

In faith whereof the above-named plenipotentiaries have signed the pres

ent convention.

Done at Geneva the 9th day of December, 1923, in a single copy which shall remain deposited in the archives of the secretariat of the League of Nations.

Subject to the right relating to emigration mentioned in Article 12 (twelve) of this Statute. (Translation.)

Subject to the right relating to emigration mentioned in Article 12 (twelve) of this Statute. (Translation.)

Hungary:

Italy:

WALTER.

PAOLO BIGNAMI.

Subject to the right relating to emigration mentioned in Article 12 (twelve) of this Statute. (Translation.)

Subject to the right relating to emigration mentioned in Article 12 (twelve) of this Statute. (Translation.)

With the exception of the overseas territories, Netherlands Indies, Surinam and Curaçao. (Translation.)

Salvador:

J. GUSTAVO GUERRERO.

B. VOUKOVITCH.

Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes:

Subject to the right relating to emigration mentioned in Article 12 (twelve) of this Statute. (Translation.)

Subject to the right relating to emigration mentioned in Article 12 (twelve)

of this Statute.

(Translation.)

Uruguay:

B. FERNANDEZ Y MEDINA.