RADIOTELEGRAPH CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER POWERS. FINAL PROTOCOL. SERVICE REGULATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO.1

Signed at London, July 5, 1912; ratification adrised by the Senate, January 22, 1913; ratified by the President, February 5, 1913; ratification of the United States deposited with the Government of Great Britain, February 20, 1913; proclaimed, July 8, 1913.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

A PROCLAMATION.

Whereas a Radiotelegraphic Convention, with the Final Protocol and Service Regulations, between the United States and other Governments was concluded and signed by their respective Plenipotentiaries at London on the fifth day of July, one thousand nine hundred and twelve, the originals of which Convention, Final Protocol and Service Regulations, being in the French language, are word for word as follows:

[In the publication "Treaty Series, No. 581," from which this is printed, the French text here follows, with a translation in English at page 40, as follows:]

[Translation.]

International Radiotelegraph Convention concluded between Germany and the German Protectorates, the United States of America and the Possessions of the United States of America, the Argentine Republic, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, the Belgian Congo, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Spain and the Spanish Colonies, France and Algeria, French West Africa, French Equatorial Africa, Indo-China, Madagascar, Tunis, Great Britain and the various British Colonies and Protectorates, the Union of South Africa, the Australian Federation, Canada, British India, New Zealand, Greece, Italy and the Italian Colonies, Japan and Chosen, Formosa, Japanese Sakhalin and the leased territory of Kwantung, Morocco, Monaco, Norway, the Netherlands, the Dutch Indies and the Colony of Curaçao, Persia, Portugal and the Portuguese Colonies, Roumania, Russia and the Russian Possessions and Protectorates, The Republic of San Marino, Siam, Sweden, Turkey, and Uruguay.

The undersigned, plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the countries enumerated above, having met in conference at London, have agreed on the following Convention, subject to ratification:

ARTICLE 1.

The High Contracting Parties bind themselves to apply the provisions of the present Convention to all radio stations (both coastal stations and stations on shipboard) which are established or worked

1 See For. Rel. 1912, pp. 444-466, for the Wireless Telegraph Convention signed at Berlin, November 3, 1906, and proclaimed May 25, 1912. It was superseded by the convention here printed.

by the Contracting Parties and open to public service between the coast and vessels at sea.

They further bind themselves to make the observance of these provisions obligatory upon private enterprises authorized either to estab lish or work coastal stations for radiotelegraphy open to public serv ice between the coast and vessels at sea, or to establish or work radio stations, whether open to general public service or not, and board of vessels flying their flag.

ARTICLE 2.

By "coastal stations" is to be understood every radio station established on shore or on board a permanently moored vessel used for the exchange of correspondence with ships at sea.

Every radio station established on board any vessel not permanently moored is called a "station on shipboard."

ARTICLE 3.

The coastal stations and the stations on shipboard shall be bound to exchange radiograms without distinction of the radio system adopted by such stations.

Every station on shipboard shall be bound to exchange radiograms with every other station on shipboard without distinction of the radio system adopted by such stations.

However, in order not to impede scientific progress, the provisions of the present Article shall not prevent the eventual employment of a radio system incapable of communicating with other systems, provided that such incapacity shall be due to the specific nature of such system and that. it shall not be the result of devices adopted for the sole purpose of preventing intercommunication.

ARTICLE 4.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 3, a station may be reserved for a limited public service determined by the object of the correspondence or by other circumstances independent of the system employed.

ARTICLE 5.

Each of the High Contracting Parties undertakes to connect the coastal stations to the telegraph system by special wires, or, at least, to take other measures which will insure a rapid exchange between the coastal stations and the telegraph system.

ARTICLE 6.

The High Contracting Parties shall notify one another of the names of coastal stations and stations on shipboard referred to in Article 1, and also of all data, necessary to facilitate and accelerate the exchange of radiograms, as specified in the Regulations.

ARTICLE 7.

Each of the High Contracting Parties reserves the right to prescribe or permit at the stations referred to in Article 1, apart from the installation the data of which are to be published in conformity with Article 6, the installation and working of other devices for the purpose of establishing special radio communication without publishing the details of such devices.

ARTICLE 8.

The working of the radio stations shall be organized as far as possible in such manner as not to disturb the service of other radio stations.

ARTICLE 9.

distress from whatever source, to similarly answer such calls and to Radio stations are bound to give absolutely priority to calls of take such action with regard thereto as may be required.

ARTICLE 10.

The charge for a radiogram shall comprise, according to the cir

cumstances:

1. (a) The coastal rate, which shall fall to the coastal station; (b) The shipboard rate, which shall fall to the shipboard station. 2. The charge for transmission over the telegraph lines, to be computed according to the ordinary rules.

3. The charges for transit through the intermediate coastal or shipboard stations and the charges for special services requested by the sender.

The coastal rate shall be subject to the approval of the Government of which the coastal station is dependent, and the shipboard rate to the approval of the Government of which the ship is dependent.

ARTICLE 11.

The provisions of the present Convention are supplemented by Regulations, which shall have the same force and go into effect at the same time as the Convention.

The provisions of the present Convention and of the Regulations relating thereto may at any time be modified by the High Contracting Parties by common consent. Conferences of plenipotentiaries having power to modify the Convention and the Regulations, shall take place from time to time; each conference shall fix the time and place of the next meeting.

ARTICLE 12.

Such conferences shall be composed of delegates of the Governments of the contracting countries.

In the deliberations each country shall have but one vote.

If a Government adheres to the Convention for its colonies, possessions or protectorates, subsequent conferences may decide that such

140322°-FR 1913- -87

colonies, possessions or protectorates, or a part thereof, shall be considered as forming a country as regards the application of the preceding paragraph. But the number of votes at the disposal of one Government, including its colonies, possessions or protectorates, shall in no case exceed six.

The following shall be considered as forming a single country for the application of the present Article;

German East Africa

German Southwest Africa
Kamerun

Togo Land

German Protectorates in the Pacific
Alaska

Hawaii and the other American possessions in Polynesia
The Philippine Islands

Porto Rico and the American possessions in the Antilles
The Panama Canal Zone

Chosen, Formosa, Japanese Sakhalin and the leased territory of

Kwantung.

The Dutch Indies.

The Colony of Curaçao.

Portuguese West Africa

Portuguese East Africa and the Portuguese possessions in Asia
Russian Central Asia (littoral of the Caspian Sea)

Bokhara

Khiva

Western Siberia (littoral of the Arctic Ocean)
Eastern Siberia (littoral of the Pacific Ocean).

ARTICLE 13.

The International Bureau of the Telegraph Union shall be charged with collecting, coordinating and publishing information of every kind relating to radiotelegraphy, examining the applications for changes in the Convention or Regulations, promulgating the amendments adopted, and generally performing all administrative work referred to it in the interest of international radiotelegraphy.

The expense of such institution shall be borne by all the contracting

countries.

ARTICLE 14.

Each of the High Contracting Parties reserves to itself the right of fixing the terms on which it will receive radiograms proceeding from or intended for any station, whether on shipboard or coastal, which is not subject to the provisions of the present Convention.

If a radiogram is received the ordinary rates shall be applicable to it.

Any radiogram proceeding from a station on shipboard and received by a coastal station of a contracting country, or accepted in transit by the administration of a contracting country, shall be forwarded.

Any radiogram intended for a vessel shall also be forwarded if the administration of the contracting country has accepted it originally or in transit from a non-contracting country, the coastal station reserving the right to refuse transmission to a station on shipboard subject to a non-contracting country.

ARTICLE 15.

The provisions of Articles 8 and 9 of this Convention are also applicable to radio installation other than those referred to in Article 1.

ARTICLE 16.

Governments which are not parties to the present Convention shall be permitted to adhere to it upon their request. Such adherence shall be communicated through diplomatic channels to the contracting Government in whose territory the last conference shall have been held, and by the latter to the remaining Governments.

The adherence shall carry with it to the fullest extent acceptance of all the clauses of this Convention and admission to all the advantages stipulated therein.

The adherence to the Convention by the Government of a country having colonies, possessions or protectorates shall not carry with it the adherence of its colonies, possessions or protectorates unless a declaration to that effect is made by such Government. Such colonies, possessions and protectorates, as a whole or each of them, separately, may form the subject of a separate adherence or a separate denunciation within the provisions of the present Article and of Article 22.

ARTICLE 17.

The provisions of Articles 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 17 of the International Telegraph Convention of St. Petersburg of July 10-22, 1875, shall be applicable to international radiotelegraphy.

ARTICLE 18.

In case of disagreement between two or more contracting Governments regarding the interpretation or execution of the present Convention or of the Regulations referred to in Article 11, the question in dispute may, by mutual agreement, be submitted to arbitration.