POLITICAL

BOUNDARIES

TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES WHEREBY ARTICLE VIII OF THE BOUNDARY TREATY CONCLUDED BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES ON DECEMBER 30, 1853, IS TERMINATED 1

On June 29, 1937, the Senate gave its advice and consent to the ratification by the President of the treaty between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, signed on April 13, 1937, whereby article VIII of the boundary treaty concluded between the two countries on December 30, 1853, is terminated. The President ratified the treaty on July 15, 1937.

The treaty will enter into force upon the exchange of ratifications.

1See Bulletin No. 91, April 1937, p. 9.

7

HUMANITARIAN

EDUCATION

CONVENTION FOR THE PROMOTION OF INTER-AMERICAN CULTURAL RELATIONS1

United States

On July 15, 1937, the President ratified the convention for the promotion of inter-American cultural relations, signed at the InterAmerican Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, Buenos Aires, December 23, 1936.

EXTRADITION

EXTRADITION TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND LIECHTENSTEIN (TREATY SERIES, No. 915)2

On July 8, 1937, the President proclaimed the extradition treaty between the United States and Liechtenstein, signed on May 20, 1936. It will shortly be printed as Treaty Series, No. 915.

SUPPLEMENTARY EXTRADITION TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND RUMANIA (TREATY SERIES, No. 916)3

The American Minister to Rumania reported by a telegram dated July 27, 1937, that the instruments of ratification of the supplementary extradition treaty between the United States and Rumania, signed on November 10, 1936, were exchanged at Bucharest on July 27, 1937. The treaty, which entered into force on that date, is considered as forming an integral part of the extradition treaty of July 23, 1924, between the two countries (Treaty Series, No. 713), and adds to the list of crimes and offenses for which extradition may be granted under the treaty, crimes and offenses against bankruptcy law. The President of the United States proclaimed the treaty on July 30, 1937, and it will shortly be printed as Treaty Series, No. 916.

1 See Bulletin No. 93, June 1937, p. 10.

2 See ibid., p. 11.

3 See Bulletin No. 92, May 1937, p. 15.

8

HEALTH

INTERNATIONAL SANITARY CONVENTION FOR AERIAL NAVIGATION (TREATY SERIES, No. 901)*

Northern Rhodesia-Fiji Islands-Colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands-Protectorate of the Solomon Islands-Tonga

There is printed below a translation of a note dated June 22, 1937, from the Netherlands Government to the American Legation at The Hague regarding the desire of the British Government to render the international sanitary convention for aerial navigation, signed at The Hague on April 12, 1933, applicable to Northern Rhodesia, the Fiji Islands, the Colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, the Protectorate of the Solomon Islands, and Tonga:

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the honor to inform the Legation of the United States of America, in conformity with the provisions of the fourth paragraph of Article 65 of the International Sanitary Convention for Aerial Navigation, signed at The Hague on April 12, 1933, that the Minister of His Britannic Majesty at The Hague, by a Note dated May 18, 1937, has notified the Netherlands Government of the desire of His Britannic Majesty to make the Convention applicable 1) to Northern Rhodesia; 2) to the Fiji Islands, the Colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, to the Protectorate of the Solomon Islands, and to Tonga.

"The application of the Convention to the territories envisaged under 2) is subject to a reservation similar in terms to that made by Australia upon signing the Convention; it reads as follows:

"His Majesty's Government in the Commonwealth of Australia reserve the right to accept only those certificates which are signed by a recognized official of the Public Health Service of the country concerned, and which carry within the text of the certificate an intimation of the office occupied by the person signing the certificate, if the circumstances appear to be such that certificates delivered under the conditions laid down in article 32 of the Convention do not provide all the necessary guarantees.'

"Inasmuch as the text of the reservation, in conformity with Article 67 of the Convention, had already been approved by the countries participating in the Convention prior to the signature of the Convention by Australia, this approval ought to be considered, according to the opinion of the Netherlands Government, as extended to the same reservation made subsequently by another country at the moment that it adheres to the Convention or declares it applicable to its overseas territories.

"Under these circumstances it seems to the Government of the Netherlands that the notification of the British Government may take effect as of the one hundred and twentieth day after the date of its deposit, May 19th, last.

"If the Government of the United States of America does not share the viewpoint of the Netherlands Government, the Ministry

4

49 Stat. (pt. 2) 3279; see also Bulletin No. 92, May 1937, p. 17.

requests that it be informed of its opinion before August 1st, next. "The Ministry requests the Legation to be good enough to bring the foregoing to the knowledge of the American Government and to acknowledge receipt of this note."

OBSCENE PUBLICATIONS

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF THE CIRCULATION OF AND TRAFFIC IN OBSCENE PUBLICATIONS

El Salvador

6

According to a circular letter from the League of Nations dated July 17, 1937, the instrument of ratification by El Salvador of the convention for the suppression of the circulation of and traffic in obscene publications, signed at Geneva, September 12, 1923, was deposited with the Secretariat on July 2, 1937.

SAFETY

AMENDMENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR PROMOTING SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA

In a note dated December 31, 1930, the British Ambassador at Washington inquired whether the Government of the United States would concur in a proposal made by the British Board of Trade in a memorandum which he enclosed that section (2) of regulation XIX of the regulations attached to the convention for promoting safety of life at sea, signed at London on May 31, 1929 (Treaty Series, No. 910), be amended by inserting between the two paragraphs appearing in that section a new paragraph to read as follows: "In all cases an additional independent power pump shall be fitted when the criterion numeral exceeds 30."

It appears from the memorandum prepared by the British Board of Trade that this provision was agreed to by the subcommittee on structures and openings of the ship construction committee of the conference but was omitted by the drafting committee, to which the work of all other committees of the conference was referred to be put into proper form. While the regulations pertaining to the provisions of the convention which were within the province of the committee on ship construction were subsequently reported to that committee from the drafting committee and were adopted by the committee on ship construction, it seems that the fact that the abovequoted provision had been omitted from section (2) of regulation

6 See Bulletin No. 93, June 1937, p. 13.

XIX was not noticed. The result of the action of the several committees appears to be that an omission made quite unintentionally by the drafting committee altered the meaning of this regulation to the extent of making the number of pumps required to be fitted to ships with a criterion numeral exceeding 30, 1 less than was the intention of the committee responsible for the subject. Regulation XIX was included in the convention as signed in the form in which it was reported by the drafting committee.

On March 24, 1933, the British Ambassador communicated to the Department of State a statement by the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs dated January 17, 1933, certifying that the proposed insertion in the convention had been accepted by all the contracting governments and declaring that in consequence thereof the convention was modified accordingly. The term "contracting governments" was construed by the Department to mean the governments which had deposited their ratifications or definitive accessions. It therefore did not include the United States, which had not at that time ratified the convention. The British Ambassador was informed of the view of the Department of State in the Department's reply to his note transmitting the certificate from the British Foreign Office and was also informed that definitive acceptance of the modification by the United States could not be given unless and until the Senate gave its advice and consent thereto.

The convention for promoting safety of life at sea was subsequently ratified by the United States, and entered into force in respect of the United States on November 7, 1936. An independent examination of the records of the conference was made on behalf of this Government, and the conclusion was reached that the revision proposed by the British Board of Trade should be adopted by this Government.

The proposed amendment was therefore submitted to the Senate and received its advice and consent to ratification by the President on May 28, 1937, in the following form:

"Add after the end of the first paragraph of section (2) of regulation XIX of annex I of the Convention for Promoting Safety of Life at Sea, as a separate paragraph, the words:

"In all cases an additional independent power pump shall be fitted when the criterion numeral exceeds 30,'

"so that the said section (2) shall read as follows:

“(2) In addition to the ordinary bilge pump, worked by the main engines. or its equivalent engine-room pump, two independent power bilge pumps shall be provided, except that in ships less than 300 feet (91.5 meters) in length, having a criterion numeral less than 30, either two efficient hand pumps of the crank type fitted one forward and one aft, or a portable power pump, may be substituted for one of the additional independent power bilge pumps.

9740-37-3