abolish within a period of six months from the date of the coming into force of the convention, all import and export prohibitions and restrictions. This undertaking, however, is understood to be contingent so far as the majority of the states are concerned upon ratification of the convention by Czechoslovakia and Poland. 3 ACTION BY INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES . Germany. In accordance with Article C of the supplementary agreement, the German Consul General, Mr. Voelckers, made the following declaration when depositing the instrument of ratification of Germany of the international convention for the abolition of import and export prohibitions and restrictions and the protocol, signed at Geneva on November 8, 1927, and the supplementary agreement, signed July 11, 1928: For Germany, the putting into force of the convention and protocol and the supplementary agreement and protocol is conditional upon their ratification by Austria, the United States, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia. POSTAL PAN AMERICAN POSTAL CONVENTION Haiti. On November 28, 1929, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Mexico informed the Secretary of State that the Republic of Haiti had deposited, November 28, 1929, its instrument of adherence to the principal convention, regulations for execution, and final protocol signed at the Second Pan American Postal Congress, November 9, 1926. ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND AUSTRIA REGULATING THE EXCHANGE OF PARCELS MARKED FOR THE COLLECTION OF TRADE CHARGES On December 18, 1929, the President approved and ratified the arrangement between the United States and Austria regulating the exchange of parcels marked for the collection of trade charges, signed at Vienna, November 8, 1929, and at Washington, December 11, 1929. CHANGE TO BE NOTED IN THE LIST OF THE ECONOMIC TREATIES OF THE UNITED STATES On page 72 of the Third Supplement of the Bulletin of Treaty Information, August 31, 1929, there should be added the following: Austria: Arrangement between the United States and Austria regulating the exchange of parcels marked for the collection of trade charges Signed at Vienna November 8, 1929, and at Washington December 11, 1929. RADIO INTERNATIONAL RADIOTELEGRAPH CONVENTION 4 Costa Rica. In a despatch dated November 19, 1929, the American Minister at San José informed the Secretary of State that President Gonzales has submitted the international radiotelegraph convention signed at Washington November 25, 1927, to the Costa Rican Congress for ratification. Iceland. By note dated December 27, 1929, the Danish Minister at Washington, Mr. Constantin Brun, informed the Secretary of State that Iceland has adhered to the international radiotelegraph convention and to the general and the supplementary regulations. Yugoslavia. On December 5, 1929, the instrument of ratification of Yugoslavia of the international radiotelegraph convention was deposited with the Department of State at Washington. Free City of Danzig VISA FEES By note of October 29, 1929, the Minister of Poland suggested, on behalf of the Senate of the Free City of Danzig, the conclusion of a reciprocal agreement with the United States Government for the mutual waiver of visa fees, as regards citizens of the Free City of Danzig and of the United States, respectively, who are nonimmigrants in the meaning of section 3 (2) of the immigration act of 1924. On November 15, 1929, the United States Government agreed to the above suggestion, subject to further confirmation as to the effective date of such agreement. Sweden The American Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at Stockholm, Mr. Edward S. Crocker, has informed the Secretary of State that the Swedish Government, by a decree dated December 13, 1929, has abolished the requirement for visas upon passports of American citizens, effective January 1, 1930. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE UNIFICATION OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Yugoslavia. On November 10, 1929, the Minister of Yugoslavia at Paris deposited with the French Foreign Office the instrument of ratification of the convention for the unification of weights and measures, signed at Sévres, October 6, 1921. PUBLICATIONS During December the following documents, of direct interest in connection with Treaty Information, were published by the Department of State: Treaty Series No. 803. Arbitration treaty between the United Treaty Series No. 804. Naturalization treaty between the Executive Agreement Series No. 2. Arrangement between the United States and the Dominion of Canada for the admission of civil aircraft, the issuance of pilots' licenses and the acceptance of certificates of airworthiness for aircraft imported as merchandise, signed August 29, 1929, and October 22, 1929. 8 TEXTS OF CONVENTIONS DRAFT CONVENTION CONCERNING THE SIMPLIFICATION AND STANDARDIZATION OF CUSTOMS PROCEDURE AND PORT FORMALITIES 1 1 PORT FORMALITIES ARTICLE 1. It having been agreed that in the American States the several bases for assessing the charges hereinafter enumerated should be supplanted by standard units for such charges, and that there shall be consolidated in these charges as many of a similar nature as is possible, the high contracting parties will undertake to procure the enactment of laws or the promulgation of administrative regulations, wherever necessary, to consolidate these charges, and to establish the following as standard units therefor; it being understood that nothing herein contained shall be interpreted as requiring or recommending the establishment of charges which are not now assessed, nor as requiring or recommending that by the changes herein provided there shall be any modification of the amount of total revenues or charges, in connection therewith: (1) Charges in connection with the entrances and clearances of vessels shall be combined into a single charge per ship. (2) Tonnage dues shall be based upon the net registered tonnage of the vessel. (3) Pilotage charges shall be based upon the net registered tonnage of the vessel; the character, time and extent of the service being taken into consideration in fixing such charges. (4) Anchorage, moorage and dockage charges on vessels, and other charges upon the vessel of a similar character, shall be based upon the net registered tonnage of the vessel. (5) Wharfage charges, and other charges upon the cargo, as distinct from charges upon the vessel, shall be based upon the weight of such cargo. (6) Light charges upon vessels shall, when possible, be incorporated into the single consolidated charge for the entrances and clearances of vessels provided in paragraph (1) of this article; and where it is not practicable to make such a consolidation, light charges shall be reduced to but one charge for each entry per ship, based upon the net registered tonnage of the vessel. The Pan American Commission on Customs Procedure and Port Formalities which convened at Washington, November 18, 1929, adopted this draft convention, November 25, 1929, for submission to the American States for appropriate consideration. See Bulletin No. 2, November 1929, p. 8. (7) Charges for "pratique" and "bill of health" certificates, shall be consolidated into a single nominal charge per ship. ART. 2. The high contracting parties agree that printed schedules showing the fixed port and handling charges shall be published by each country which adheres to this convention, and/or by each port of each country; copies of which publications shall be available at all consular offices of these countries. CUSTOMS PROCEDURE ART. 3. The high contracting parties, to expedite commerce and intercourse among the American states, undertake to procure the enactment of laws or the promulgation of administrative regulations, wherever necessary, to effect the following simplifications and standardizations of customs procedure: (1) That where duties are levied on the weight of merchandise the basis of net weight be adopted; that if for important reasons the adoption of net weight is not practicable, legal weight be used as the basis; and that where it is impracticable or undesirable to use either net or legal weight because of the nature of the merchandise, gross weight be adopted as the basis. It is further agreed that, as used in this section: (a) Net weight shall be considered to mean the intrinsic weight of the merchandise, without including any containers, packing or wrapping. (b) Legal weight shall be considered to mean the weight of the merchandise, plus the weight of the immediate wrapper or container thereof; that is, that in which the merchandise is usually offered to the consumer. (c) Gross weight shall be considered to mean the weight of the merchandise, together with all the wrappings, cases, coverings and packings, both interior and exterior. It is also agreed that where ad valorem duties are assessed the value in the country of origin be adopted as the uniform basis for determining the dutiable value; and that value shall be construed to mean the f.o.b. value of the merchandise, as defined by the laws of the importing country, in the port or point of export in the country of origin. (2) That all customs surcharges and taxes, with their varying bases and amounts, be merged with the basic duty into a single consolidated charge. (3) That each article included within a mixed package shall pay the rate of duty applying to such article under the customs tariff of the respective country, provided that the importation of the mixed package be for the account of a single importer, that it be declared on a single customs sheet and covered by a single item on the manifest of the vessel, although there may be several invoices covering the merchandise; and provided, further, that for the determination of duties to be paid by a piece of merchandise which is enclosed with other merchandise, the weight corresponding to that article be taken, and the |