This power and the uncertainty attending its execution was destructive of the value and stability of silver throughout the world. China agreed, during the period of four years commencing January 1, 1934 and ending January 1, 1938, not to permit the sale of any silver derived from the debasing or melting up of silver coins. India agreed to limit the sales of such silver to a maximum of 35,000,000 ounces annually during such period and Spain agreed not to sell in excess of 5,000,000 ounces of such silver annually during such period. After such sales, these governments are to be bound by the general resolution adopted at the London Conference to which I have heretofore referred. As a condition of the agreement by China, India and Spain, however, it was required that Australia, Canada, Mexico, Peru and the United States should take silver from the production of their respective mines to the gross amount of 35,000,000 ounces annually for such period of four years. The United States, by reason of its large population and its large silver production, agreed to take from its mines annually at least 24,421,410 ounces of silver during such period. The production of the United States for 1932 was approximately 24,000,000 ounces of silver. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE UNIFICATION OF LAWS ON BILLS OF EXCHANGE, PROMISSORY NOTES, AND CHEQUES 3 Greece CONVENTIONS OF THE SECOND SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE The American Legation at Athens transmitted to the Department with a despatch dated November 15, 1933, a copy of the Official Gazette of October 20, containing the texts of the following three conventions signed at Geneva March 19, 1931: Convention and protocol providing a uniform law for cheques; Convention and protocol providing for the settlement of certain conflicts of laws in connection with cheques; Convention and protocol on the stamp laws in connection with cheques. These conventions were ratified by Greece, with reservations, on October 16, 1933. A translation of the act of ratification, including the reservations, which was furnished the Department by the Legation at Athens in its despatch of November 15, 1933, above mentioned, reads as follows: Act No. 5868 Article 1 The three international conventions, signed at Geneva, March 19, 1931, regarding a Uniform Law on checks; regulation of certain 3 See Bulletin No. 50, November 1933, p. 15. conflicts of laws concerning checks; and the placing of revenue stamps on checks, together with their annexes and protocols; the text of which follows in the original French and in Greek translation, are hereby ratified together with the reservations accepted by Greece and referred to in article 3 of this Act. Article 2 The reservations of articles 1, 2, 5 to 8, 10 to 14, 16, section one. items a and b, 18, section one, 19 to 22, 24, 26 paragraph 2 of Annex II are not accepted. Article 3 Of the allowed reservations of Annex II the following are accepted: (a) The reservation of article 3 and section 3 of article 2 of the Uniform Law is substituted as follows: "Any check without designation of the place of payment is considered payable in the place where it was issued." (b) The reservation of article 4, and in article 3 the following section is added: "A check issued and payable in Greece is valid as a check only if drawn on a bank or on a Greek Legal Fiction of Public Law, engaged in banking business." (c) The reservation of article 9, and in the third section of article 6 of the Uniform Law the following provision is added: “But in this exceptional case the issuance of the check to the bearer is forbidden." (d) The reservation of article 15, and in article 31 of the Uniform Law the following section is added: 66 By Presidential Decree issued on the initiative of the Ministers of Justice and National Economy, it may be specified which are considered compensating offices in Greece. (e) The reservation of the second Section of article 16, and it is specified that "provisions will be written in the Greek Law relative to the loss and theft of checks." (f) The reservation of article 17 and the following last section is added to article 36: "In exceptional cases, concerning the current value of the Greek money, the consequences of the provisions of section 3 of the present article may be set aside by special laws, issued each time, in cases of checks payable in Greece. The same provision may also apply in cases of checks issued in Greece." (g) The reservation of article 23, and the following passage is added to article 45 number 2 of the Uniform Law. "Which, however, on checks issued and payable in Greece shall be calculated on the basis of the legal interest obtaining in Greece at the time." Likewise in article 46, No. 2 of the Uniform Law there is added "observing the special case provided in No. 2 of the preceding article." (h) The reservation of article 25, and the following article is added to the local law: "In case of forfeiture of the bearer or prescription, a suit may be sustained against the person issuing the check or the endorser on the ground of unjustified gain. "This suit is prescribed after three years from the date of issuance of the check." (2) The reservation of section (a) of article 26, and the following provision is formulated: "The reasons for interruption and suspension of the prescription provided for by this Law shall be governed by the provisions relative to prescription and relative to short-term prescriptions.["] (j) The reservation of article 27, with formulation of the following independent article: "Legal holidays in the meaning of the present Law are considered every Sunday and every day on which the public offices are entirely closed." (k) The reservation of article 28, as well as that of article 29. (7) The reservation of article 30. Article 4 This Act shall enter into force on January 1, 1934. ATHENS, October 16, 1933. [ Signature of the President of the Republic] [Signatures of Ministers] NAVIGATION LOAD LINE CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA A ship load line convention between the United States and Canada was signed December 9, 1933, by the Acting Secretary of State of the United States and the Canadian Minister at Washington. This convention, which was negotiated in accordance with article. 2, section 2 of the international load line convention, signed at London July 5, 1930, effective Jauary 1, 1933, will exempt vessels of the United States and Canada operating solely on defined sheltered waters of the west coast of North America between Puget Sound and southern Alaska, from the provisions of the international load line convention and existing load line statutes of the two countries. Greece INTERNATIONAL LOAD LINE CONVENTION The American Legation at Athens transmitted to the Department with a despatch dated November 13, 1933, a copy of the Official Gazette of October 21, which contains the law, dated October 11. 1933, ratifying the international load line convention signed at London July 5, 1930. See Treaty Series, No. 858. AGREEMENT CONCERNING MARITIME SIGNALS AND AGREEMENT CONCERNING MANNED LIGHTSHIPS NOT ON THEIR STATIONS French Colonies and Territories under French Mandate According to a circular letter from the League of Nations dated November 17, 1933, the French Government has notified the Secretary General of the League that, in accordance with the provisions of article 9, paragraph 2, of the agreement concerning maritime signals, and of article 8, paragraph 2, of the agreement concerning manned lightships not on their stations, signed at Lisbon October 23, 1930, it intends to make these agreements applicable to the following colonies and mandated territories: French West Africa, French Equatorial Africa, Togoland, Cameroons, Madagascar, French Settlements in India, Indochina, Réunion, French Coast of Somaliland, New Caledonia, Oceania, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guiana, St. Pierre, and Miquelon. This notification was received at the Secretariat on October 28, 1933, and the agreements will enter into force for the above-named countries 90 days thereafter. Monaco The Secretary General of the League of Nations announced by a circular letter of November 17, 1933, that the instrument of ratification by Monaco of the agreement concerning maritime signals was deposited with the Secretariat on November 3, 1933. Spain According to a communication from the League of Nations dated November 17, 1933, the instruments of ratification by Spain of the agreement concerning maritime signals and the agreement concerning manned lightships not on their stations were deposited with the Secretariat on November 3, 1933. LABOR CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION AGAINST ACCIDENTS OF WORKERS EMPLOYED IN LOADING OR UNLOADING SHIPS (REVISED 1932) Italy According to a communication dated November 17, 1933, from the League of Nations, the ratification by Italy of the convention concerning the protection against accidents of workers employed in loading or unloading ships (revised 1932), adopted by the International Labor Conference at its 16th session (Geneva, April 12-30, 1932), was registered with the Secretariat on October 30, 1933. See Bulletin No. 50, November 1933, p. 16. In regard to the entry into force of the convention the abovementioned communication states as follows: "The ratification of this Convention by the Government of the Republic of Uruguay having been registered on June 6, 1933 (See C.L. 130. 1933.V. of June 30, 1933), this Convention will come into force, in accordance with the second paragraph of its Article 20, twelve months after the date of October 30, 1933 on which the ratification by the Royal Italian Government was registered by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. "I take this opportunity to draw your attention to the provisions of Article 23 of the Convention of 1929 on the same subject, stating that this convention shall cease to be open to ratification by the Members, from the date of the coming into force of the new revising Convention, The Convention of 1929 should nevertheless remain in force in its actual form and content for those Members which have ratified it but have not ratified the revising Convention." POSTAL TENTH UNIVERSAL POSTAL CONGRESS By two notes, both dated June 15, 1933, the Egyptian Government extended to this Government an invitation to participate in the Tenth Congress of the Universal Postal Union by delegates representing the Government of the United States, the Government of the Philippine Islands, and the Governments of all other insular possessions of the United States. The invitation has been accepted and the United States and its insular possessions other than the Philippine Islands will be represented by the following delegates: The Honorable W. W. Howes, Chairman, Second Assistant Postmaster General Mr. Eugene R. White, Director, International Postal Service The Philippine Government has selected as its delegate: Mr. Felipe Cuaderno, Assistant Director of the Posts, Manila Colombia TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION CONVENTION 6 The American Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at Bogotá reported by a despatch dated November 18, 1933, that the Colombian Congress had approved the ratification of the international telecommunication convention signed at Madrid December 9, 1932. The convention was ratified by Decree No. 1773 of October 25, 1933, which was published in the Diario Oficial of November 4, 1933. 'See Bulletin No. 43, April 1933, p. 25. |